Therianthropes Possibly 32,000 years old

I'm back on the pursuit of what the origin of half human and half animal beings are called in ancient art. I came across this article in New Scientist which discusses a variety of pieces which date between 10,000 B.C. and 32,000 B.C.

The article uses the term "Therianthrope" which means: "part man and part beast, from the Greek therion, θηρίον, meaning "wild animal" or "beast", and anthrōpos, άνθρωπος, meaning "man") refers to the metamorphosis of humans into animals.[1] Therianthropes have long existed in mythology, appearing in ancient cave drawings[2] such as the Sorcerer at Les Trois Frères."

The challenge I see with this word is that it has the connotation of transformation, metamorphosis or change from one form into another rather than two forms coexisting simualtaneously as in the case of animal headed deities or merfolk, for example.

I believe however, I am getting closer.

References from Wikipedia
1. ^ Edward Podolsky (1953). Encyclopedia of Aberrations: A Psychiatric Handbook. Philosophical Library.
2.^ Trois Freres. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.

Challenged by Murphy

Well, frustration has certainly set in. I have spent the last week sculpting a stylized wing form in foam as part of a bronze casting project. I organized a late night blow time (11pm tonight) with a fellow glass worker so I could create the glass feathers and the egg for my sculpture. Yesterday, I tried to start the molding process to create a wax copy of the foam positive only to discover I didn't have enough clay on hand and the Clay store is only open Monday - Friday. How could I be so off in my planning? So today, I went in and worked with old clay to soften it and get it ready for the first step. Just as I was finishing this step, one of the other students also at the same step discovered we didn't have any plaster. He gave up in frustration and left.

Stopping what I was doing, I went off in pursuit of plaster. First one store and then the next is closed, only then do I realize, 'Duh, its Easter Sunday!' Nothing is open...except for Walmart! Off to Wallyworld and I bought the last two containers of crafting plaster.

Back at school, I discover that this crafting plaster sets up much faster than what I am used to and its a mad scramble to get it into the form before it completely hardens up. An hour later I flip the form, peel away the clay bed around my foam, coat everything with vaseline/oil and start to mix the plaster only to find I don't have enough material. A quick panic call and a ceramics friend shares his stash of plaster and I'm back in business.

After everything sets up, I take away the forms only to discover that the oil didn't work and the plaster has adhered to the first pour and now my foam form is totally encased in a block of plaster. I contemplate the pleasure of hurling the whole mess against the far wall...Instead I cancelled the glass slot because I needed the positive for the glass working. Class starts in 16 hours and I don't know what to do. Damn that Irishman, Murphy!

Babylonian Blending

The first image depicts an overly developed man with the head of an eagle and having four wings, the next two images are animal forms but given human faces/heads. These images from ancient Babylon/Assyria (modern day Iraq), demonstrate a human desire to illustrate their power and traits through a symbolic relationship with the traits of the wild animals which were part of their world. This anthropomorphic attitude can be seen through out the religions of the world which all have roots in the traditions and practices of ancient Babylon.

The last image is a called a Karabu. Note what the Catholic Encyclopedia has to say regarding the relationship between the Cherubim (rank of angel) of Judeo/Christian traditions and this Babylonian creation:

"The word cherub (Cherubim is the Hebrew masculine plural) is a word borrowed from the Assyrian kirubu, from karabu, "to be near", hence it means near ones, familiars, personal servants, bodyguards, courtiers. It was commonly used of those heavenly spirits, who closely surrounded the Majesty of God and paid Him intimate service. Hence it came to mean as much as "Angelic Spirit". (The change from K of Karabu, to the K of Kirub is nothing unusual in Assyrian. The word has been brought into connection with the Egyptian Xefer by metathesis from Xeref=Kr-bh.) A similar metathesis and play upon sound undoubtedly exists between Kerub and Rakab, "to ride", and Merkeba, "chariot". The late Jewish explanation by analogy between Keerub and Rekub, "a youth", seems worthless. The word ought to be pronounced in English qerub and querubim, and not with a soft ch."

Here we can trace the origin of an angelic form back to an idea of Babylonian anthropomorphic blending.

Regeneration & Beyond

Well, so much for all the sci-fi writers. Science is finally catching up to all of the writers and visionaries' wildest dreams. Check out this news report where scientists are using the body's own cells to regenerate body tissue, regrow body parts and ultimately regrow vital organs. CBS Sunday Morning Newsmagazine (click to view the video & article) just ran this fascinating story. Now, how long do you honestly think it will be before some enterprising scientist takes these technologies another step further and starts blending human cells and animal cells to create hybrid organs? Think about it, imagine a soldier who has the ability to see with the clarity of a hawk or owl? Or the soldier who can sense with reptillian accuracy heat signatures? Or who can track by smells just like their canine counterparts? Perhaps a muscian/sound tech who can hear a fuller spectrum of sound. What about muscle development for faster speed or greater strength? Forget steriods, this guy really is a Gorilla!

Icarus Fallen

In exploring the idea of humans with wings, of course, Icarus of Greek legend comes to mind. I found these beautiful and unusual photos from around the web. I particularly like the last image documenting a performance piece by Chris Burden.

I also found this information regarding the symbolism of wings:

Wings In the more general sense, wings symbolize spirituality, imagination, thought. The Greeks portrayed love and victory as winged figures, and some deities, such as Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite were at first- though not later-also depicted with wings. According to Plato, wings are a symbol of intelligence, which is why some fabulous animals are winged, depicting the sublimation of those symbolic qualities usually ascribed to each animal. Pelops’ horses, and Pegasus, as well as Ceres’ snakes have this attribute. Wings are also found on certain objects such as heroes’ helmets, the caduceus and the thunderbolt in the cult of Jupiter. It follows that the form and nature of the wings express the spiritual qualities of the symbol. Thus, the wings of night-animals express a perverted imagination, and Icarus’ wax wings stand for functional insufficiency. In Christian symbolism it is said that wings are simply the light of the sun of justice, which always illuminates the mind of the righteous. Since wings also signify mobility, this meaning combines with that of enlightenment to express the possibility of ‘progress in enlightenment’ or spiritual evolution. In Alchemy, wings are always associated with the higher, activice, male principle; animals without wings are related to the passive female principle. It should also be recalled that since the foot is regarded as a symbol of the soul, the wings on the heels of some deities, especially Mercury, stand for the power of spiritual elevation comparable in essence with cosmic evolution. Jules Duhem, in his thesis on the history of flight, remarks that , in Tibet, Buddhist saints travels through the air wearing a special kind of shoes known as “light feet”
A Dictionary of Symbols By Juan Eduardo Cirlot pages 375 & 376
(2002) Courier Dover Publications ISBN 0486425231

More Disturbing Information

After coming across the photo of Paccinini's "Young Family", I found this article from National Geographic which talks about Chimeras that are being bred right now in the name of scientific research. This isn't National Enquirer or some Sci-Fi novel. This is current, real medical practice which is not governed in any way. Our current ideas of ethics don't even begin to cover the possibility of "mice with human brains" or "pigs with veins following with human blood."

When I started on this idea of tracking the blending of Human and Animal forms I had no idea the extent to which this idea is actually being carried out. Is this a source for art inspirations? Definitely, no matter what you feel about the topic this is sure to illicit very strong emotions.

Possible Augmentation

I just came across this fascinating video on "Artificial Muscle." The possible applications are fascinating. Click HERE to see the video.

Clarity of Definitions

In researching the idea of Anthropomorphism as something trackable through art history, I have discovered perhaps my word usage may not be truly inline with my focus of study. Anthropomorphism relates to assigning human traits and abilities to non-human or inanimate objects. Anthropomorphology specifically relates "to applying human traits and desires to God." That one really threw me; so much for 'ology' referring 'to the study of..." So where does this leave me now?

My interest lies more in the realm of why there has been throughout history into our modern day a combining human and non human elements into hybrid creations. In 2003, Australian artist Patricia Piccinini made an unforgettable impact on the Venice Biennale with her "Young Family" as shown above.

So far the closest word I have been able to come up with for these kinds of creatures (Angel, Centaur, Merfolk, Werwolves etc) is that of the Chimera.

From a religous standpoint, I believe* (*This is a work in progress) the idea for the imagery of angels with wings appeared in the Biblical cannon after the Hebrews left captivity in Babylon. I will look into this further. If this is true, Babylon's panthesitic, visual dipictions of their hybrid gods, may have had a direct impact on the artistic ideology of the Judeo/Christian traditions which continue to proliferate today. I am very interested in this cross-cultural pollenation of ideas and hope to use this in my research. I just want to be sure I am using the correct terms so that my intention and meaning is correct.

In my last post I mentioned the Unity Church's use of the winged globe (and if you follow the link there is a discussion about the Egyptian origin of this symbol). So I wanted to show the Egyptian concept of the sould in the Ba form. Another form of Ba is a bird with a man's head. This symbol however, is supposed to embody the idea of a soul or one's personality.

For my work, I think I would like to take that another step further and suggest the idea that the sphere might represent the individual's potential and or abilities.

Anthropomorphic Inspiration

I am very interested in anthropomorphic creations: visual blendings of animal and human forms or human aspects. Throughout all of recorded history, these blendings have been taking place usually in the realm of the supernatural, but especially in religous art as in the case of the of the Archangel pictured here. In reality a pair of wings to support the weight of a human would need to be nearly 30' across (as in the case of a hang glider) However, the musculature to operate those wings would completely transform the body into something no longer recognizable as human. Compare the chest/breast size of a pigeon, for example, to the rest of its body if you have any doubts. In the more extreme, I'm fascinated by the work of H.R. Giger who blends mechanical and biological or organic forms into one image.

I am also fascinated by flight, wings, feathers and symbols which convey the concept of lighter than air movement and the freedom it represents. The Unity Church uses a "winged globe/disk as a symbol for divine spirit uplifting the whole world."

I came across a

In thinking about the practicality of ordinary, everyday objects like chairs, I thought about H.R. Giger and how he looked at and reinvented ordinary objects based on how an alien might use an an object such as a chair in his initial designs for the Alien motion picture series.

I like this quote from his work "Biomechanics" (1993) "Flesh and bone join magma and steel  in synergistic ballet. Metal girders support and conduits nourish. Human forms grow fluid and metamorphic, evolving into a new realm, both disturbing and sublime." H.R. Giger

I find it interesting that more and more humans are becoming "augmented" and or "improved" as our technological abilities improve. Soon, I believe the bridge will become even more seamless just as Giger has envisioned it. Reality following art or is art manifesting reality?