[Jewelry making - Article 00731] - [Orchid] [Tidbits] Scorpion Jewelry

[Benjamin Mark]

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    Quick note:  Below are alternate versions (not mine) I have come
    across of mythological tales. They suit this article so I use them.
    For those avid readers of Bullfinch or Graves or Hamilton or others
    ... forgive these trespasses.  

    Tiamat ... the gigantic Babylonian Dragon representing Chaos and
    salt water and whose sons were the Scorpion Men--giant warriors who
    were men from the waist up but scorpions from the waist down and who
    fought with both their tails and with bows and arrows in order to
    protect the sun god Shamach ... unites with Apsu--she who represents
    sweet water--so that she may ultimately give birth to Gods and to
    Existence.  

    Egyptian born Selket--daughter of Ra--is associated with the
    Scorpion. The beastie graces her crown and may therefor well be the
    first piece of significant Scorpion jewelry ever made.  

    Isis gives birth. She names her son Horus. She wants him to grow up
    strong. She does what any mother in her right mind would do. She
    takes him to the desert and exposes him repeatedly to scorpion
    stings. Quaint ... wouldn't you think? Was it Nietzche who said:
    What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?  

    A saint is bathing in a river. A scorpion is struggling near him ...
    fighting the current for its life. The saint ... as saints are wont
    to do ... cups his hand under the scorpion and lifts him out of the
    water and begins to wend his way toward shore. The scorpion stings
    him ... and stings him again ... and stings him again. The saint is
    smiling. Once on shore ... the scorpion scurries off and the saint's
    disciples--watching the saint in pain while still smiling --question
    him as to why he bothered to save the life of such a wretched
    creature. Ah, said the saint. The scorpion is only following his
    nature which is to sting ... as I am following the nature of a saint
    ... which is to save its life. Everything is in its proper place.  

    As I review this last little ditty which exemplifies Dharma (nature)
    ... I wonder in which way this ties in with jewelry? After all ...
    the first few mythological snippets easily explain why a brooch ...
    or earrings ... or rings or pendants or bracelets ... would be made
    representing that venomous cousin to the spider. But a tale of a
    stinging creature ... filled with malevolent poisons ... should we
    make jewelry of that? The answer my friends is: Yes. Of course? Why
    not? Nothing is immune in the hands of the jeweler. An ant ... a
    snake ... a scorpion ... a dung beetle ... they're all fodder for
    the artist of note.  

    For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I
    direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
    scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
    Tidbits Graphics ... and then click on the link that says: Scorpion
    ... where you'll see an image of said beastie in tri-colored gold.  

And there ya have it.
That's it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark

                     -- http://www.tyler-adam.com --



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