The Language of the Goddess

430 Pages·2001·39.776 MB·

by  Marija Gimbutas

THE LANGUAGE OF THE
FOREWORD BY JOSEPH CAMPBELL
1

THE LANGUAGE OF THE GODDESS
PLATE2 PLATE3 PmLaArTkEs2thTehefrconhtevarnodnspi-
ralstheshouldersofthis
seatedgoddesswearing
anoversizedmaskwith
supernaturaleyes.Her
statusisindicatedbya
medallionattachedtoa
Vnecklace.Themaskis
markedwithtri-lines
belowtheeyesandstria-
tionsabove.Shehasno
mouth.Incisionsare
white-filled.H.25cm.
Thethroneandlegs
broken.Vincaculture
(BariljevonearPriJtina,
KosovoMetohije,south-
ernYugoslavia:c.4500
B.C.
PLATE3Templemodelof
claywithwideinverted
Tshapedentranceson
allsidesandBirdGod-
'dessmaskonacylinder
intheroof.Hernecklace
isshowninreliefaround
thecylinder.H.17.1cm,
L25.6cm.Neolithicof
Macedonia(Early
Starcevo);c.6000-5800
B.C.(PorodinnearBitolj,
SYugoslavia).
PLATE1(overleaf)Lidof PLATE4 PLATE4Vasefragment
alargepear-shapedvase withaBirdGoddess
witharepresentationof face.Theroundeyeslike
theBirdGoddessface sunletsareattachedto
(anowlwithears,large doublechevronsbelow,
noseforbeak,no herspecialsign.H.of
mouth).Hereyesare thefragmentjustover5
symbolsorscriptsigns: cm.Stentinelloculture,
tri-linesattachedto easternSicily(Trefon-
horizontaldashes,verti- tane,R.Simetovalley
callines,andav.Thelid westofCatania:c.6000
andthewholevaseare B-C).
incisedwithwhite-filled
meandersandparallel
lines.EarlyVinca:end
6thmill.B.C.(Par^a,
Banat,WRomania).
PLATE5 PLATE6 ^^^'^extraordi
narymammoth-ivory
sculptureconflates
breastsandbuttocks
intoazoneofeggscir-
clingthefigure'smiddle.
H 14.7cm.Gravettian-
UpperP^rigordian.(Des
Rideaux,atLespugue,
HauteGaronne,France;
c.23,000B.C Breastsin
frontwerefounddam-
aged;heretheyare
showninreconstruction.)
PLATE6Figurineina
squattingposture.The
focusisthefemaletrian-
gleinthecenterofthe
sculpture;tightlyclosed
andpointedbreastsand
perpendicularlines
acrossthearms.Lime-
stone.H.39.5cm.
ChalcolithicCyprus
(provenanceunknown;
c.3000B.C.).
PLATE7Amberbear
withaschematized
bodyLengthc.8cm.
Narvaculture;c.mid-3rd
mill,B.C.(Tamula,
NEstonia).
PLATE8TheGoddessas
nourishingvesselispor-
trayedintotheLate
BronzeAgeandbeyond.
Therearehundredsof
graceful"nippled
ewers,"whosespouts
arebirds'beaks,from
TheraintheCyclades.
LateCycladicBronzeAge
(Thera; 16thcent.B.C.).
PLATE9 PLATE9The"assembly"
ofSnakeGoddesses
foundinavaseprobably
readytobeplacedonan
altar(seefig.215)and
usedforthereenact-
mentofrites.Statuettes
areofdifferentpropor-
tionswithantithetic
snakescoilingoverthe
abdomen,dottedtrian-
glesandlozengesover
theamplethighsand
legs,andcartouches
withchevronsoverthe
buttocks.Themedium-
sizedfigurineshavea
striatedbandacrossthe
abdomenandstripsover
thethighs.Thelittle
onesarenotpainted
withsymbols.Theupper
partofallthefigurinesis
renderedveryschemati-
callyOnlyone(shownin
thecenter)hasarms
withlefthandtouching
theface(aritualges-
ture).EarlyCucuteni
(Poduri-DealulGhindaru,
Moldavia,neRomania;
c.4800-4600B.C.).
PLATE10 PLATE11
PLATE10PregnantGod-
dessholdingrighthand
onbellyFoundleaning
onherbuttocksonthe
platformofabread
oven.H 4cm(headbro-
ken).Seskloculture;
5900-5800BC.(Achil-
leioniva,nearFarsala,
ThessalyNGreece).
PLATE11Claymaskofa
sowprobablyusedfor
ritualdancesinworship
ofPregnantGoddess
(EarthMother),h.19
cm.Vincaculture,
c.4500B.C.(Leskavica
nearStip,SEYugoslavia).
PLATE13 PLATE12Thisseated
maskedgodholdsa
hook,symbolof
renewal,overhisshoul-
der;armringsareindi-
catedinrelief.Hemay
wellbeaforerunnerof
MasterofForestsand
WildAnimals.H 25.6
cm.Tiszaculture;
c.5000-4700BC
(Szegv^rTuzkoves,
SEHungary).
PLATE13TheOwlGod-
dessfromsFrancewith
breastsandschematic
arms.Sheisassociated
withthehook,symbol
ofenergyandrenewal.
H 175cm(seefig.
301,2).Thestelaprob-
ablyoriginatesfroma
hypogeumoftheFont-
buxianculture,early3rd
mill.B.C (MasdeI'Aveu-
gle,Collorgues,Gard.)
PLATE14 PLATE14Thismarblefig-
urineistypicalofthe
NeolithicStiffWhite
Ladyoftenfoundin
gravesandalwaysassoci-
atedwithdeath.She
standsrigidlywith
schematizedfolded
arms,hasanenormous
pubictriangle.Theonly
detailoftheheadisthe
nose.H 7.2cm.
NeolithicofSGreece
(environsofSparta,
Peloponnese;beginning
ofthe6thmill.B.C.).
PLATE15 PLATE15TheSardinian PLATE16 T-shaped"
NeolithicStiffWhite StiffNude.Thisalabaster
Ladyisrotund,not statuettehasfolded
obese.Inthecenteris armswhich,together
thepubictnanglefused withupperbodyforma
withthebelly.Armsare solidrectangle,h 9cm.
pressedtohersides,legs Ozienculture(exact
fusedwiththighsand provenanceunknown,
buttocks.Eyesaretwo Sardinia;end-5thmill.
honzontaldashes.Her B.C.).
massiveheadistopped
withapolos.Thefigu-
rinemadeofsoftrockis PLATE17Life-sizemask
fromanoven-shaped moldedofclayfound
tomb(seefig.316.).H. placedonwoman's
c.14cm.BonuIghinu head,decoratedwitha
(CuccurusArriu,Orista- goldcrown,eyes,
no,centralwSardinia; mouth,teeth,earrings,
mid-5thmill.B.C.). andtworing-shaped
pendantswitheyes
attachedtothechin.
Thisgravealsoincluded
additionalearringsand
plates,amassofAegean
shellbeads,acopper
'needle,abonespindle
whorl,afragmentofa
bonefigurineofaStiff
Nude,aliddedvase,and
alargedishwithgraph-
PLATE17 itepaintingofafourfold
whorldesign.Varna
cemetery,EBulgaria
(GraveNo.2);mid-5th
mill.B.C.
PLATE18Thehedgehog,
symboloflife-generating
uterus,occursthrough-
outOldEuropeanart.
Thishedgehog-shaped
vaseisofafinelignt
brownfabric.Karanovo
VI(NovaZagora,central
Bulgaria;mid-5thmill.
B.C.).Thelidhadan
anthropomorphicGod-
dess'sface(seefigs.
399-400).
PLATE19 PLATE20 PLATE19TheFishGod-
dessisthepresiding
deityatLepenskiVir,a
Neolithicsacredsite.
Suchfigures,carved
fromriverboulders,
werefoundatthehead
ofaltars(seefig.242)of
tnangularshrines.The
sculpturehasbreasts
andismarkedwitha
vulvainfront.Ochre-
paintedontheback.
LepenskiVirll(IronGates
region,NYugoslavia;
c.6000B.C.).Thefront
viewofthissculptureis
illustratedinfigure407.
PLATE20Bullsandcres-
cent(orhorn)shapes
(upperband)andsacred
hornswithbutterfliesor
"doubleaxes"(lower
band)paintedonsar-
cophagusfromCrete.
Notethatbullshave
headsofbirdsofprey
(i.e.,thebull,symbolof
life-generatinguterus,is
hybridizedwiththeGod-
dessofDeathand
Regenerationinthe
guiseofabirdofprey).
LateMinoanculture;
14thcent.B.C.(Khania
Museum;WCrete.).
PLATE21Thetorsionof
antitheticspiralsstimu-
latestheprocessof
becomingonthisfooted
vase.Cucuteni
(Frumu^ica,NERomania;
46th-45thcents.BC).
H.13.5cm.