Dark Maiden - for Roxy (Brewgirlca) by RJS

Poser • Portraits • posted on Aug 10, 2010

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Description

When Roxy writes about the "Dark Maiden" she is referring to Ereshkigal, goddess of the underwold in Sumerian lore. In fact, she has done a series of pieces that tell the story of Ereshkigal and her sister Ishtar. If you love ancient history, ancient mythology, or just some darn fine art, go take a look at her gallery. But there is another view of the "Dark Maiden" in Pagan lore. She is the so-called "fourth aspect" of the Goddess, represented by the last crescent of the waning moon. The late Shekhinah Mountainwater has written quite eloquently about her. To quote her: "The Dark Maiden who wanes, moves towards the Underworld, The Crone. She is associated with aging, descent, introspection and magic. The Dark Maiden is the enchantress, She Who Pulls. In her positive attributes, She represents some of the lost powers of woman. She surrenders to the flow and pulls, like the pull of the moon, the suction of the undertow. This is the magnetism of magic, our power to draw to us all that we require. Images of the Dark Maiden appear to us as Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, the Mermaid, Sirens, Sorceress." [One could easily add Ereshkigal to that list.] So I would like to dedicate this portrait of the "Dark Maiden" to Roxy, who has been both an inspiration and a great source of help and encouragement. Best viewed full-size. Thanks for looking! My apologies to those who commented on the previous version of this image. Instead of editing it I accidentally deleted it and had to re-upload it. My bad!

Comments (15)

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doarte

10:58AM | Tue, 10 August 2010

Indeed a dark and mysterious moment. Impressive work +5 ...from doarte's MADHOUSE

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ragouc

11:25AM | Tue, 10 August 2010

Very good composition.

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brewgirlca

11:30AM | Tue, 10 August 2010

Ah yes, these versions all stem from the story of Ishtar in the Underworld and are later adaptations of the legend that explained the harvest seasons. The female gender roles were often ascribed to men in later legends and so the matching of dieties is difficult to follow. Demeter would be Ishtar, Ereshkigal's role would be taken by the male God Hades and Belili would become Pershephone... or that is just one interpreation of the roles. There was several thousand years and 1000s of km separating the original tale and that told by the Greeks...so we can expect a few changes ;-) I like this image - not cluttered with detail it focuses on the essential elements of darkness. Her glowing eyes are a bit spooky and certainly give the impression of not being of this earth. Her half smile is not welcoming but one of dominance... you are here and you are mine. The off centre structure and the deep perception of depth give a lot of strength to the composition. She reminds me of my avatar. Thank you for this and for all the great support and comments on my gallery, particularly my work on the dark Goddess legends.

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alessimarco

11:35AM | Tue, 10 August 2010

A really excellent dark image and great backstory!

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dragonmuse

1:25PM | Tue, 10 August 2010

A very powerful looking woman.. and the setting seems perfect.

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NitraLing

1:43PM | Tue, 10 August 2010

Excellent!!!

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puffle_huff

2:56PM | Tue, 10 August 2010

Nice dark, good job.

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Krid

11:58PM | Tue, 10 August 2010

great scene with excellent expression, postwork and atmosphere

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jmb007

10:16AM | Wed, 11 August 2010

beau portrait!!

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NewAllain

3:08AM | Sat, 14 August 2010

Supernatural beauty! You managed to create a wonderful eerie portrait of the avatar of a goddess of the underworld, a task that seemed impossible for a mere mortal, but you made it! You are the best!

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mrestey

7:00PM | Fri, 22 October 2010

I like the sultry look. Nice background too.

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Spacer_01

9:06PM | Wed, 05 January 2011

I like the golden sparkle in her eyes, its a nice contrast to her hair color, and pale skin. I'm not familiar with the series, but it was interesting to read the explanation about the Dark Maiden. Good work :)

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mgtcs

9:22PM | Thu, 24 February 2011

Fantastic expression, loved it!

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phfrancke

12:42PM | Mon, 09 May 2011

I'm enjoying the gaunt beauty and the dark shaggy hair - very real and very much how I would imaging the dark maiden. Thank you the background - it is really cool for me to learn something while I'm looking at art. I find the eyes too bright - a darker more subtle glow would have worked better. (my opinion). The lit fog and background add great atmosphere - I like this image a lot!!

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