ANATOLIA 2010
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PHESOS 1

EPHESOS 1

EPHESOS 2

EPHESOS 3

 

Mother Goddess from Catal Höyük

The Ephesos Museum brings it back to one point. Ana-tolia means "Land of the Mother". Here a display of archaic Mothers


Mother Goddess from Bogazköy

Mother Goddess from Kargamis

Mother Goddess Kubaba
(Hittite)

Mother Goddess Kybele
(Phrygia)

Some classical Kybele altars

The glorious Artemis, successor to Kybele

Balls as symbols of fertility

To understand the symbolism behind the Artemis statue, you have to go back to spiritual Experience first. The Essence is. "Light is born out of Darkness" or "God is born out of the Cosmic Womb". The Mother is the Ultimate, while the Gods are Her Sons. That's why Kybele is called "Mother of the Gods". In the old times Gods were identified with the seasons. Hence, there is One Mother, while Gods come and go.

Her Son/Lover/Beasts

The Mother has thus many Son/Lovers. In the oldest times men identified themselves with animals, in order to drain their strength, virility and fertility. So, originally the "Mother and Her Sons" was understood as the "Lady and the beasts". That is exactly what you see here. Artemis is covered with beast-Gods, Her so-called "breasts" are probably the balls of Her Sons
So, to say that Artemis is the "Goddess of the animals" is at best very superficial. Of course She is, because all living creatures are born out of Her. But the deeper meaning lies hidden. She, together with Her God-Sons-Beasts are representing the Cosmos, in which She is the Ultimate

Son-lion on Her upper arm

Later patriarchy has all changed it. They put the things upside-down. First God and then Mary-Sophia-Kuan Yin-Matri Devi-Shekinah as "His Consorts". He imbues Her with His Divine "Word", so that She becomes His instrument. The Reality is the the other way round, though. The Mother is giving birth to God, He is Her Servant*. The Artemis statue of Ephese is one of the last testimonies of Eternal Truth. Very impressive, indeed!

* Even some feminist writers are not aware of the "Sophia" trap

By the way, now it may become clear to you, why the early Church choose Ephese (in 431) in order to declare Mary (its patriarchal version of the) "Mother of God"......
The Bull: Son/Lover of the Great Mother. NB. Spanish bull fights symbolize the victory of the "Christian hero" (the toreador) over the pagan God.....Apart from animal suffering this practice should stop immediately, because of its religious intolerance!
In the line of "succession" (Kybele/Artemis) Aphrodite came next. The Lover aspect of the Son/God became emphasized*. So, Eros is just another form of the Green Man

* In temples on Cyprus there existed even special "lover boys". See section: Istanbul

Aphrodite and Eros

Love wasn't just symbolic or abstract, but very "down to earth", as well

River God, "brother" of Green Man

Satyr with mask

Goddesses/Nymphs/Graces on sarcophage

With their protectors.....the Green Men!
Priapus, the God of fertility, kin of Green Man in his aspect of promoting fertility (right)

The abundance of it

At last the Green Man with a human face: the God Dionysos

Baby Dionysos

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 © 2010 Copyright Han Marie Stiekema
Last revising: 04/30/10