Starwhale
MERREMINDE
2009
by Eric Whollem
COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST
Starwhale
MERREMINDE POST
2009
Starwhale
MERREMINDE
2009
by Eric Whollem
COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST
Derceto, the Starwhale
The mythology of ancient Mesopotamia features Derceto, the
Starwhale. She is the mother of Ea, the God of Wisdom. The
Nabatean peoples of the Near East later called her Atargatis,
or Dea Syria, or Iasura.
Atargatis was the Goddess of Dolphins; she was the Mother of
the Zodiac. Tarot symbolism incorporates her as the Empress.
THE MERMAID'S FISH TAIL
Atargatis has been usually depicted in ancient art with a
distinctive fish tail.
Not all mermaid Goddesses were thus illustrated. For example,
Benten, the Japanese daughter of the Sea King, was depicted
with human feet. Artists in Greece similarly have shown their
Nereids, or sea nymphs, with normal human feet. It is the function
of the Goddess that makes her a mermaid, not the artistic
conventions that accompany her historical representations.
Merreminde Faux Postage Stamp Video
APHRODITE'S FISH FINS
Aphrodite was represented about 3000 years ago by clay
sculptures in Cyprus. These show her with distinctive fish
fins. Later in Hellenic art she was humanized and shown
with human feet. Only Triton, among Greek mythological
characters, was shown as a typical fish-human merman.
Greek mythology, despite it's profound aquatic metaphors,
usually showed the Gods and Goddesses as idealized humans.
Oceanos and Tethys were the grandparents of most of the deities
of ancient Greece.
PERSEPHONE
And the Greek colonists of Calabria in Southern Italy carved
Persephone as a fish-tailed mermaid. My book, The Mystery
of the Mermaids: Goddesses and Gods of the Sea, now out
of print, goes into these matters in detail.
Persephone in the rites of Eleusis descends as an initiate into
the Abyssos, or the Sea, styled also as the crossing of the River
Styx. There she meets the Chorus of the Naiads, or spirits of
the Spring. These Naiads were originally the daughters of the
river god, Achelous.
Any inquiries on these topics can be addressed to me by email on your
regular email server:
Starwhale
MERREMINDE
2010
by Eric Whollem
COPYRIGHT BY THE ARTIST
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
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Read about ATARGATIS on Wikipedia:
Those interested in my comments on MERMAID MYTHOLOGY may want to see my mermaid posts:
More stamps from MERREMINDE can be found on this link:
My complete archive of FAUX POSTAGE STAMPS can be accessed here:
http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/artistamps
VIEW MY ATLANTIS
FAUX POSTAGE STAMP VIDEOS FOR
MORE MERMAID MYTHOLOGY
Atlantis Video
VIEW MY ATLANTIS
FAUX POSTAGE STAMP VIDEOS FOR
MORE MERMAID MYTHOLOGY
Atlantis Video
Atlantis Video
For my general posts on MYTHOLOGY see:
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ARTIST STAMPS
Cinderella stamps, cyberstamps, fantasy stamps,
cyberstamps, faux postage,
mail art, micronation stamps,
digital art.
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