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| from left to right Venus of Dolni, Venus of Willendorf and Venus of Lespugue |
One of the most interesting races I've begun to develop in Peregrination RPG are the Progue. Some of their elements are pretty easy to figure out and others not so much. One subtle element that influenced them is the Venus figurines. I was first introduced to these in my college Art History class. Their over sized feminine features are striking and even grotesque by today's standards.
I was filled with questions abound. Prehistoric man had fat people? What sort of status did they achieve to have little figures carved in their likeness? What role did these figurines play? Etc.
Of course one cannot ignore the irony of their name; why name them after a Goddess that never existed during the time they were created? Their name came from the assumption that they represent an ancient standard of beauty or perhaps an ancient female deity, both of which are used to justify the term "Venus." While given this name neither of these theory's can be proven accurate. Because their name is based off of an interpretation, the Venus figurines are a wonderful jumping off point for creating story and deriving one's own justification for their existence.
So when creating the Progue race, I wanted to think of a culture in which women were of great value and in charge. To me these figures represent the importance of women & their significance to continuing the circle of life; not only in childbirth, but also in their physical labor and bond to the community.
OK, your turn. In comments below I would love to read your interpretation of these figurines. What purpose do you think they served?
My knowledge of Venus figurines is limited to a short window in an art history class which I may or may not have completed. I think of them more along the lines as a form of wishful thinking, similar in theory to cave paintings of animals. Obviously cave paintings aren't fully understood either, but I would bet both traditions are related and probably religious in nature.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, have you looked into Amazon myths? Maybe you could take inspiration from some of those stories?
Lustful men are certainly a likely possibility, but I am merely using these as a staging point to create something.
DeleteI'm aware of the Amazons. I've seen it used time and time again, they usually reduce to sex symbols, and because of this I have searched for a different way of viewing the society. I'm hoping to cover in the future my different interpretation of an all female society.
In your second paragraph you ask the question, "what if the venus statues represented a true form in reality?" That's a really interesting idea. If the figurine was embodied by the Progue (or a Progue) would these figures exist as a sort of "queen bee" figure? Would there be solitary or limited numbers of individuals who would be the greatest expression of their gender, the ultimate in reproductive potential, exaggerated feminine characteristics? Or would this be the norm throughout?
ReplyDeletePresuming that the cultures that created the Venus statues were male dominated, would a culture with "acutely feminine" individuals in charge create a culture that iconified themselves, or would they in turn create an iconography based on male or neutered characteristics?
I'm really interested to see what the Progue develop into...
I think the statues would be an idealized form expressed by the leader. While femininity isn't about sex, one can't ignore the significance of the physical properties of childbirth and childrearing bear. Having such a valued ability be a singularity expressed by a "queen bee" or ruler fits my scenario. It's often the things we can't have that we take the time to illustrate. Drone women would carry these statues to imbue them with the singular power of childbirth; an ability not blessed to them.
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