There is a few things to be said for the Old Testament concept of no graven images for the use in idolatry, i.e., the worship or veneration of gods and goddesses in the form of statues, pictures, or for that matter actors. And that is, no one image is going to please everybody. In fact, it can even be quite limiting. The individual imagination is, by and large, far superior. For that matter, even if someone creates an image that is wholly pleasing, on an artistic as well as a sensual and physical level, this as well can be a distraction.
By the same token, itis understandable that the average person would gravitate towards statues, or "graven images", etc., of the deities. Such as the one pictured above of the goddess Athene which is to be seen in the reproduction of the Athenian Parthenon which now is to be found in Nashville, Tennessee.
I'm not wholly pleased with it, personally, though at the same time, I am not exactly unhappy with it either. It captures the essence of the goddesses personality, but at the same time, it does not seem to be as attractive as I view this goddess in my own mind. Not that it is ugly, but still.
By the way, is it just me, or does she seem to have pointed ears in this picture? Who designed this thing, a Trekkie? I think the original was long ago dismantled, and the only thing left may have been black and white drawings to go by, if that much. It may be an exact replica, or it may be a complete original in concept and construction. I'm just not sure. Nor do I know the name of the person and/or organization of the builders, or what the intent was, whether they were in part devotees, or whether this was a purely cultural endeavor.
Whatever the case, I give it a B+ for craftsmanship. Worth a visit, especially if you are a devotee of the goddess. Good for group trips or solitary meditations.
Okay,I can't resist, so I'll go ahead and say it-
And you can dance to it.
4 comments:
You know, though, the more I look at her, the more she grows on me.
OK, so some background... the original temple replica was built of plywood (I think) for a big Exposition (World's Fair-type thingie) around the turn of the 20th century, along with giant pyramids, Eiffel tower, and like that. The citizens decided they liked the temple so much they had it rebuilt in concrete.
Around 1990, they commissioned the statue from Alan LeQuire - his statue is a giant replica of ancient miniature replicas of the original giant statue. In 2004 or so they had it painted and gilded.
The "ears" are part of her helmet - I'd have to go back to my close-up pictures to remember if they're wings or ear protection.
Having been there, I have to say that the experience is fucking amazing. I am a devotee of Athena, and I *felt* Her presence in that place - it may not have been intended as a temple, but I have no doubt that She has made it Her own.
I'm really glad you stopped by here, I just wish you had done so earlier for the benefit of some readers that might not bother to scroll on down and see your comment.
That is really interesting. I had googled the temple in Nashville a number of times, and found the picture , but never the history. I never would have guessed it had been around for that long. Turns out, it's been in Nashville longer than the Grand Ol' Opry.
What looked like pointed ears actually being a part of her helmet makes sense. And being able to feel her presence certainly makes sense, especially now that I know it wwas indeed a replica of the original statue.
Now I just need to know who or what is that little fairy/angel thing she is holding in her right hand. I better look at that again, though, I might be seeing that wrong as well.
Thanks for stopping by, Dawnpiper.
The "small" statue (it's 6 feet tall; the Athena is 42 feet) is Nike, goddess of victory.
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