My mask, my ode to Horus, is the final mask in my Egyptian Gods series. He wears the double crown of Egypt as the patron god of the pharaohs and the son of THE pharaoh, Osiris. The cobra on the crown was called the Uraeus Serpent, which symbolized royalty, and divine authority. It was believed to protect the wearer by spitting holy fire at enemies! (I wonder if the occassion ever came to try and prove that?) So there are tiny little red spinel's in his eyes. The gold framed carnelian disc at Horus's forehead is a symbol of the sun, and is framed by wings, as he was the god of the sun and the sky.
As the son of Osiris, he was considered part of the royal family and also became identified with the pharaoh himself. The "Eye Of Ra" is actually the eye of Horus, as Egyptian falcons actually have a pattern extremely similar to the dark outline and drop down mark so associated with Egypt. Supposedly, Horus lost one of his eyes in his battle against Set for the throne of Egypt, but for the sake of symmetry this mask is obviously before that... As a god of the sky and a god of the sun, he became associated with Ra, even though Horus was Ra's father... so oddly enough Ra became his own father and son. Crazy Egyptians!
His head and beak are sculpted prims, as well as an armor piece I decided to throw in because it looks so darn nifty. It's been such a long time coming, because I have been so unsure how to make a sculpted prim mask fit with its mates, Bast and Anubis. I feel I finally was able to get the balance :)
I have gotten more IM's about Anubis than any other thing I've ever done or ever made. So if you noticed, in honor of him, I've made a reprise of the headdress design as an homage. I hope this will satisfy those who missed their chances the first time around... but if you miss Horus, you're out of luck.
As with the first two masks, only ten will be sold, and each at 5000L. He comes with the Egyptian Emperor's Collar (shown in the picture), and a marble display head. They are available through IM to me only, that is, an IM or notecard sent to Siyu Suen. They are first come first serve, so don't tarry, don't delay, time stamps do count!
I really do love doing the Egyptian gods, as it gives me an excuse to make creature masks and then have people actually wear them! My creature/animal masks haven't been big sellers in the past, so doing a series of Egyptian gods could give me a chance to do all the animals I felt like (as long as they were indiginous to Northern Africa). However, thinking about it... there are three gods I always think of when I think of Egypt, and three is a very good number (one of my lucky ones). So I've decided, and I'm solid on this: This is my last Egyptian god.
But not necessarily my last God >.>
Edit: There are now eight left
2 comments:
Hello, I love your masks! Found your blog by google. Me and a group of friends (all dutch) are trying to create a live-roleplay group, inspired on the ancient Egypt culture. Your masks are really quite nice! Want to ask if we can use some idea's to create our own mask (real life).
Well, good luck with your work and enjoy Second Life!
*hugs*
Rinie
Horns are not, in themselves, silly at all. They are an ancient and primal symbol of wild masculinity, virility and male strength and potency. That's because usually only the male animals have horns; in some species the females also have horns, but they're much smaller than the horns of the male animals.
A bull is a very different animal, by nature, from a cow. And the difference in horns reflects this natural and innate gender difference in temperment. Male animals use their horns or antlers as weapons, either to defend against predators, or else to fight other males of their species for dominance, territory, and mating rights with the females.
This connection between horns and masculinity is why so many of the ancient pagan male gods had horns (bull, goat, ram, buffalo, etc.) or antlers. It's also why ancient kings like Alexander and some pharaohs and middle eastern rulers had their royal imagery depict them wearing horns, or a crown made of horns. Because horns are a symbol of virile masculine power.
However, horns on females are ridiculous. Just as every silly feminist attempt to coopt masculine symbolism and primal male power is ridiculous. Putting a pair of horns on a woman is like putting a pair of breasts on a man. It's goofy gender-bending nonsense, that's all. Leave the horns for the men.
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