>> You know of spiders with sixteen legs?
>
>Actually, the Seven Pairs of Arms (capitalized because I am sure that
>the Lunar Iconographers would, if they wrote in English) could imply
>another seven pairs of legs! This should be viewed as if it were Hindu
>statuary - the different arms are metaphorical more than physical, and
>at least a couple would seem redundant or trivial to non-initiates.
Or no legs at all, it's only an assumption that the skirt covers legs.
>> I presume this is the Red Goddess in her aspect as Yara Aranis,
>> Goddess of the Reaching Moon, scourge of the Pentan nomads.
>>
>> >Will ILH-2 explain the symbolism of the things she's holding?
>>
>> Scimitar - Lunar weapon of choice.
>> Bow and Arrow - use your enemies weapons against them.
>
>Which enemies? Bow and Arrow were Dara Happan weapons long before the
>original Pentan conquest, after Muz*arm bought it. The riden horse was
>their unique weapon.
Maybe but there doesn't seem to be much Dara Happen symbolism carried over into Lunar icons.
>> Scythe - death.
>
>> The red disk is probably supposed to be a human heart.
>
>It looks like a Moon Disk to me.
Probably more likely.
>> I don't know about the gold disk.
>
>Either a Solar disk or else a wheel (albeit a very large one)
Makes sense.
>Also, two arms in Blessing (and incidentally reducing the image rating
>to PG, by covering her breasts), and three pairs in different
>meditation poses (I will let any Illuminates or Hindu group members
>explain their individual meanings).
>
>What is the meaning of the headphones on the Scythe?
Headphones? Ahh, I see what you mean - I think it's a row of tassles hanging behind the shaft.
>> The bat is also a Rinliddi death god warped by chaos.
>
>But primarily the Steed of The Goddess.
>
>Since She is *not* crushing or eating a horse or rider, and since YA
>doesn't ride the Steed of The Goddess anywhere that I know, I think
>that it is an attempt to display The Goddess in all of her current
>Aspects (and leaving out some of the past Incarnations, like Gerra,
>especially).
>
>If it is not YA, then i might question the scythe being simply death,
>as opposed to a more agricultural image (the aspect currently
>controlled by the Great Sister, of managing harvests and distribution
>comes to mind).
I was going for YA on the basis that she is usually depicted with multiple arms and in a terrifying pose.
>There is probably something to having one pair hold the Sun/Moon disks,
>one pair blessing, vs. two pairs with weapons, and three meditating,
>but I will let a Lunar partisan explain why she seems far more
>interested in her personal mediation than in her worshippers' welfare.
All good speculative fun. And like anything mystical more than one answer can be correct.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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