The Boat of Starwhale
2002
by Eric Whollem
by Eric Whollem
oxides on white earthenware with flax cord
Collection of the artist.
Photo copyright by the artist.
The Iconography of Atargatis
Here we have a sculpture of the Near Eastern Goddess Atargatis,
shown in an imaginative format: sailing her ship, bearing the offering
plate for grain. She was a Goddess of the harvest. She ruled the
Zodiac as Goddess of Fortune. She corresponds to the Empress of
Tarot. Traditionally Atargatis is seen with an eagle on her head.
The boat in this sculpture is loosely based on Phoenician ship
design. Usually Phoenician craft had horses' heads at the bow,
while the stern is designed to look like a fish tail. The sailing
vessels were intended to evoke the seahorse. The horse is
a traditional symbol of the power of the tides.
Atargatis was worshipped in Syria and in Palestine by the
Nabatean peoples originally. The Nabateans were those desert
folk who were related to the Mesopotamian cultures to the east.
Atargatis is related to Derceto, the Starwhale, the mother of Ea,
the Mesopotamian god of wisdom.
THE PHOENICIANS
Phoenicia could be called alternatively Philistia or Palestine.
Phoenicia could be called alternatively Philistia or Palestine.
They developed the first phonetic alphabet, based originally on
Egyptian hieroglyphs. The word, phonetic, derives directly from
the word, Phoenician.
The Phoenicians were a polyglot people, which is to say their
language was an amalgam of a variety of languages. Polyglot
peoples are formed where diverse cultures conmingle. The
Phoenicians were great seafarers, traders, and explorers.
PHOENICIAN EXPLORATIONS
Barry Fell, in his book, America, B.C. gives a good account
of theories of Phoenician contacts in the Americas long before
Columbus or the Vikings.
Phoenicians were known to have explored the coast of Africa
long before other nations in the Mediterranean.
They established the Carthagenian civilization, which nearly
conquered the Roman Empire under General Hannibal, who
led armies with Elephants into Italy.
The Boat of Starwhale
2002
by Eric Whollem
Photo copyright by the artist.
See more of my sculpture
on the video below:
ERIC WHOLLEM
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CREATIONS
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by the artist)
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ATARGATIS
earth paints on terracotta
Eric Whollem
BOAT OF THE ARGONAUTS
oxides on whilte clay
Eric Whollem
NEREID
oxides on white clay
Eric Whollem
BOAT OF THE GODDESS
The Empire of Amphora
a faux postage stamp
by Eric Whollem
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Anthropology, mythology, mermaids.
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