Venus of Willendorf Jewelry | Fertility Goddess
A beautifully detailed & dimensional design
!
Available in Solid 14k Gold, Copper,
or Sterling Silver.
Please see Earth Goddess symbolism information below.
Item # 0033 - Measurements: 30 x 12 x 10 mm
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Venus of Willendorf - Earth Goddess | Fertility Goddess
Symbolism
The Venus of Willendorf is considered one of the oldest depictions of
the Great Earth Fertility Goddess.
Dated between 30,000 and 25,000 BC, The 'Venus of Willendorf' is the
name that was given to a female figurine that was found in 1908 by an
archeologist named Joseph Szombathy in a Aurignacian loess deposit near
the town of Willendorf in Austria. This statue is an important icon
of prehistory. Archeologists have suggested many different ways of understanding
its significance for the nomadic society which made it. The first suggestion
is that it was a "Venus figure" or "Goddess," used
as a symbol of fertility. Apart from being female, the statue has an
enlarged stomach and breasts, its pubic area is greatly emphasized,
probably serving as a representative of procreativity, and the red ochre
pigment covering it has been thought to symbolize or serve as menstrual
blood seen as a life giving agent. The second suggestion is that the
figurine may have served as a good luck charm. Its diminutive size led
archaeologists to assume that it may have been carried by the men during
their hunting missions in which it served not only as a reminder of
their mate back at home but also as a charm to bring them success in
their hunting. This is further strengthened by the facelessness of the
figurine giving it an air of mystery and anonymity which suggests that
it may have been of more importance as an object rather than as a person.
Also, the figurine's hair is braided in seven concentric circles, seven
in later times being regarded as a magick number used to bring about
good luck. A third possible significance put forth is that of the figurine
serving as a mother goddess (earth mother or female deity). This comes
from a suggestion that the statue was a woman whose specialness was
indicated in her obesity since women in a hunter gatherer society would
probably not have had the opportunity to get as obese. With all the
suggestions that have been put forward about the significance of the
sculpture, tentative conclusions can be made about the social, political
and religious beliefs of the foraging society in which it was found.
The use of the figurine as a deity suggests the practice of religious
ceremonies to ensure the success of the tribe. As an earth goddess,
it may have played the role of ensuring a continuous supply of food
in the society. Along with this comes a possible belief in magic if
the figurine was intended to ensure hunting success. Politically, it
can be speculated that women due to their nurturing capabilities might
have had an esteem role in the society. The society may have thus been
more matriarchal rather than patriarchal as suggested by Jacob Bachojen
(1815-1887), "Matriachate or gynaecocracy found among tribal peoples,
where authority in both the family and the tribe was in the hands of
the women, was to be associated with the worship of a supreme female
earth deity".
Witcombe, Christopher L.C.E. Stone Age Women: "The Venus of Willendorf".
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