34 Responses to Chapter 4 | Page 121

  1. E
    Erik Van Thienen says:

    Kali AND Joan of Arc? This truly is an eclectic culture!

  2. Maju says:

    Kali and Jean d’Arc and Medusa’s head and two Greek sphinxes. It’s the very synthesis of Athena as warrior.

    • mvandinter says:

      Yeah! That sounds about right… like a baby’s crib mobile, but instead of fluffy bunnies, Her Highness drifts off to sleep with visions of Badass Betties.

      • F
        Frank Harr says:

        That makes sense.

      • Maju says:

        It’s probably fine if you’re a Betty.

        I think it’d be a bit overwhelming for me as Johnnie. Especially Joan d’Arc. I’m more at ease with Kali and Medusa but the fanatic, almost soul-less, face of the French maiden makes me feel very uncomfortable, really.

    • j
      jsfury says:

      Maju, I thought those were Minoan sphinxes?

      • mvandinter says:

        They are actually a hybrid of an Ancient Persian Sphinx with the Goddess Ishtar’s head & torso grafted on.

      • Maju says:

        AFAIK, Minoans styled griffons, not sphinxes. But there’s a classical Greek sphynx which asks you always the same riddle and, if you fail, it eats you alive. Everybody knows the answer (“man”), so the sphinx probably died of starvation long ago.

        Note: I’m winking to deceased (but amazing) comic “Gastrophobia”, roughly located in Ancient Greece, which featured a cute sphynx.

  3. T
    Tooniator says:

    I need Kali on my ceiling. Come over to paint it?

  4. Sturzkampf says:

    Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to vote.

  5. W
    Wyvern says:

    Who is Kali trampling?

    • mvandinter says:

      Shiva… though, in this case, I imagine he could be a symbol of all men. You’ll note that his eyes are closed and he’s holding a lily, symbolizing death.

    • F
      Frank Harr says:

      The ego. Maybe. It depends on who’s doing the interpreting. She may still be mad at her husband.

      • W
        Wyvern says:

        If Shiva is the ego, does that make Kali the id?

        • F
          Frank Harr says:

          These are Indians, not Austrians.

          Less facetiously (or fatuously), I don’t know.

        • Maju says:

          Someone who was into Hindu ideas told me “Shiva without Shakti is nothing but a corpse”.

          I don’t think it’s about “ego” and “id” but about very ancient pre-Indoeuropean (Neolithic?, Megalithic?) beliefs that one way or another span also “Indoeuropa” but with a more sourthernly (and definitely pre-Indoeuropean) axis of distribution. Ideas like Yin-Yang, Gaia-Eros, Mari-Sugaar, etc., in which the female side seems to have at least a potential primacy, as would be the case in Shaktism as well.

  6. F
    Frank Harr says:

    My goodness. SOMEone gets around. And has a good designer.

    • mvandinter says:

      I think the designer is The Author… who knows the answers, but rarely gives them away. That said, I will say that Her Highness has had lots and lots of time to get around.

  7. w
    wbrogden says:

    I am very impressed with this image – you really handled the perspective well.

    • mvandinter says:

      Thanks for sayin so, wbrogden!
      Sorry for not approving your comment sooner (After your first comment is approved, you shouldn’t need approval for future comments).

  8. F
    Frank Harr says:

    I know Alice just thanked me for voting, but I still feel blamed.

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