Wooden Goddess Poppet - Hand Carved Chestnut Paddle Doll With Bone Beads

We have hand carved this Wooden Goddess from Sweet Chestnut, this wood was from a storm felled tree in an ancient woodland. The hair is hand-spun wool and is finished with bone beads.

T h e   M a k i n g

This 26cm (10 inch) Goddess has been hand carved from wood from a fallen tree. No power tools were used, just an axe and a knife to carve the shape of the Goddess and a small chisel to carve the design which wraps around the body. It has been given a final polish with Linseed Oil. The hair has been hand-spun using a traditional drop spindle from the natural coloured wool from a Jacob's Fleece, the hair is finished with bone beads.

T h e   I n s p i r a t i o n

Goddess figurines, often called Venus figurines, are found in many cultures and date back thousands of years. They are thought to have been of religious significance, venerating the female form as Mother Goddess or Earth Goddess, and were perhaps used as a symbolic expression of fertility and nature or as a charm for protection.

For this Goddess we were inspired by Ancient Egyptian Paddle Dolls found in burial chambers. Paddle Dolls were thought to be used as burial offerings to symbolise rebirth and also as a percussion instrument at religious ceremonies; when shaken the beads rattle against the wooden body. It has been said that they have association with the Goddess Hathor who represented beauty, sexuality, maternity and the transition to the afterlife.