To mark October, Halloween and Samhain, this month's altar honours the ancient Celtic crone goddess Sheela Na Gig. Old and withered, hairless and probably toothless, she nevertheless grins broadly as she spreads her yoni/vulva open in a welcoming gesture. Her carved stonework depictions are typically found in medieval churches, convents, castles and stone walls in Ireland, Wales and England. Many of these images were destroyed by shocked, prudish Puritans/Victorians, so the ones which still exist are often found in high, inaccessible spots in those structures.
Sheela Na Gig's meaning has puzzled Christian scholars for centuries. Is she simply a form of gargoyle or grotesque? Is she a warning about the Deadly Sin of Lust? Or is she a pagan symbol placed in Christian holy spaces by medieval heretics, dissenters or pranksters?
Modern scholarship has determined that Sheela Na Gig is indeed a pagan symbol pre-dating Christianity in Britain. Her message, it is now believed, has nothing to do with sexuality but instead concerns death and rebirth/reincarnation. The Crone Goddess' gesture is showing that, on death, everything and everyone returns to the womb of the Divine where the mystery of creation continues in a never-ending cycle. Her smile indicates that this is not a sad or scary time because life and creation are always ongoing.
My Sheela Na Gig statue comes from a lovely gift shop in Avebury, England. My Rare One bought it for me when we visited the magnificent Avebury Stone Circle site in 2009. Later, I bought the pottery bowl here in Edmonton as a gift for My Rare One. The candles are also hers (found at a craft sale years and years ago). These items are on loan for this altar, plus she graciously allowed me to light the candles as well.
The altar cloth is a sheer purple scarf adorned with goddess symbols of golden pentacles and waning crescent crone moons. To represent new life from the womb of the creator goddess, I filled the symbolic womb-bowl with a bouquet of fresh flowers in autumnal harvest colours.
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2024]
32 comments:
Your discussion of various religions is always fascinating to read
Beautiful and unusual. I never knew about Sheela Na Gig. Nice that “My Rare One” shared her items with you.
...the flowers I understand, the rest is Greek to me.
I imagine the prudes/Victorians were aghast at the imagine of a vulva being spread wide open. The height of hypocrisy. I've never heard of Sheela Na Gig, so thank you.
Thank you for sharing your Altars with us. Learning about the ancient ways is fasinating.
interesting point of view for the death indeed
this is never ending cycle
That's very civilized that she lent you pieces for the altar. Good to hear. I can see why prudish people would reel in horror at the figure, especially her cheerfulness.
Hello Debra, Although I try to be multi-cultural and respectful, this one might be a bit much for me to put on display, however much I might appreciate its symbolism. That being said, I have one object (also not on display) that the prudes would reject equally vehemently--that is, if they could tell what it was!
--Jim
@ Parnassus (Jim) -- Put that object in your blog's next "guess the mystery objects" post. I'd like to see what all the guesses would be! And maybe it would be one item that I could guess correctly, for a change!
But OF COURSE depictions of a woman in that position would be destroyed by... prudish men. So not shocked.
Love the candles!!
XOXO
Thanks, Debra! It's never too late for men to accept Sheela Na Gig's invitation and find out what women are all about at and inside the vulva. Goddess, what a better world this would be! When people were hunter/gatherers, men saw women as magical life-givers...yes! When society turned to farming, men learned animal husbandry and determined their penises were the magical thing and women were vessels! Wrong! I learned this from the wonderful book "Woman's Creation" by Elizabeth Fisher, 1979. It is out-of-print, but can still be found Men and women oughta give it a read!! 😊
Thank the Goddess for heretics, dissenters and pranksters! Without them the 'religious' world would be exceedingly dull. Sheela Na Gig is so reassuring with her cheerful smile. The wheel turns and we ride it for a time.
Very nice of Your Rare One to support your altars!
I learned something new today so thank you.
Thank you for my education today.
Supposedly the most famous or infamous Sheela na gig carved in stone sits on the outside of a Norman church not too far from where I live. It is one of series of 89 corbels all of which are considered to be some of the finest examples of medieval Norman sculpture to be found anywhere.
That was such an interesting read. I immediately thought of birth. Thanks so much for sharing!
-Soma
Her eyes express an innocent, almost giddy wisdom.
Thank you for this gem of info, SWS.
@ Rosemary -- Very cool that you have one so close to your home!
It would be good to be able to believe that we are reborn in a perpetual cycle, but is we are, we don't seem to be able to remember previous incarnations.
Since Halloween originated in Ireland there would have to be some Celtic deities involved. Is not Sheela na Gig tied in some way?
As always your alter is. Magnificent.
Well, that is one of the more colorful goddesses I have ever seen.
@ The Blog Fodder -- I don't think so. The celtic crone goddess most likely to be at the heart of Samhain is The Cailleach:
https://shewhoseeks.blogspot.com/2021/10/october-full-moon-altar-cailleach.html
Imagine all the goddesses secreted away in nooks and crannies of the prevailing church, to prevent them being found in the village houses.
Sheela Na Gig can be my Goddess anytime.
Happy October, Halloween and Samhain! Your alter is amazing, so interesting to read about the Goddess. The full moon last night was really beautiful too. Take care! ~ Diane
I’m new to your blog, but I am finding it so fascinating. I must say that I love Sheela. What an interesting backstory, and what a fun object to have. Certainly a conversation starter. I love this time of the year, perhaps because October is my birth month, and all of the spooky goodness that is Halloween, Samhain, and Day of the Dead.
@ Pattie @ Olla-Podrida -- Welcome, Pattie, and thanks for your kind comment!
Interesting..Love your alter..The moon was huge last night..
I keep forgetting about full moons.
Beautiful. I love paganism and the pagan aesthetic.
The Other Clinic across the hall has a lot of similar items in their waiting room. I wonder if it is all women clients.
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