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

We have hand carved this Wooden Goddess from Rowan, this wood was from a fallen bough in an ancient woodland. The hair is thin twisted leather which 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 bough. An axe and a knife were used to carve the shape of the Goddess and the design on the body is burnt in with the pokerwork technique. The pokerwork design is from an Ancient Egyptian Paddle Doll which dates from 2000BC, we have also added the Horns & Sun symbol of Hathor to the back.
It has been given a final polish with Linseed Oil.

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.