Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 1. (Budapest, 1973)

HORVÁTH, Vera : Additional material to the iconography of the so called bearing-Goddess

Because of the rather rare type of representation the archaeologists failed to find the proper place of the figurine in India's art. Prof. H. Mode — however — after a thorough study of the figurine during his visit to Budapest in 1966 came to the conclusion that the figurine represents a bearing Goddess and that representations of this kind go back to the palaeolithic age. Even in possession of a proof to the type of representation it was not easy to find a representation of the bearing-Goddess. In the grave goods of the Indus valley culture published by Marshall

1 there is a similar representation of a bearing-Goddes — however — does not belong to the domain of sculpture but to the glyptics, as it can be seen on a seal steatit. We find the Goddess in the right corner of the rectangle-shaped seal bearing a more closely indefinable plant, between her widely outstretched legs. Beside her a pair of animals and the genius, on the rear side an offering with many figures and the genius can be seen. We may read at Marshall moreover that this representation is not the only one in the art of India the same posture may be found on a Gupta terracotta relief' but there the lotus does not come out of the Goddess womb but it appears on her neck. In possession of these data we may venture the remark that our figurine may be counted in the group of the bearing Goddesses and we may regard it probable that the destination of the lotus-rosetta is not ornamental but functional. Our figurine seems to represent a new variety of the hitherto known types that the lotus appears on her waist. The probability of our statement is supported also by the fact that in the material of the recent Indian tribal folklore we come across very often with the figure of the bearing Goddes. These tribal myths and tales are of pre-Aryan origin and contain a fair number of archaic elements, the chief figure is very often a woman, especially a Goddes. Among the various and often conflicting, with the natural phenomena connected conceptions the most significants are those beliefs associated with the female principle. Though not conclusive yet it seems necessary to mention — as a reference — some of them only, as they support our conclusion. In one of the tribal creations the first being, the first Goddess was born in the primary water on a lotus-flower, she gives advice to the other Gods concerning the creation of the Earth, then descends into the under world, into the bottom of the sea, her head rests on a lotus-flower and she holds the earth on her feet. According to other myths all the gods and the mother of the whole mankind was born on a lotus-flower. According to other myths the god of the water is a female person whose name is sometimes Sea Mother. Another myth thinks that the Goddess of water was the saviour of mankind, while in other tales of creation the water comes out of the womb of the ancestress bearing the mankind. The myths picture the earth as a female figure often in the form of Earth Mother, the forces of vegetations are similary personified and represented as female figures, the Grain Maiden. From the phenomena of nature they can imagine the lightning exclusively as a female figure born by a Goddess, the fire is also a female figure or at least it is a female who gets it for the mankind. On the other hand the sun and the wind according to contradicting notions are represented sometimes in female and sometimes in male figure. The Maize-tree grew out of the breast of a Goddess, the stars have become of the tree's blossoms, the Goddess buried liver turned salt, in another version the Goddess kept the salt in her stomach. The cockroach was created by a Goddes, similarly a Goddess 56