Tuesday 25 November 2014

Pavo Cristatus

Peacocks to you and me.
They're everywhere - on advertising hoardings,
made into lamp bases, stencilled onto hessian bags.
Some young mum's even have their feather tattooed about
their persons as a symbol of protective motherhood.

Seems a bit extreme to me, but what do I know.
In my day if anyone posed a threat to my children
the look on my face would have been enough to deter
all but the most determined n'ere do well.
 
 
But how many of us, I wonder, even give a moment's thought
to the age old symbolism behind these beautiful birds
which have been used as sampler motifs over the centuries.
For instance, why do they so often appear in pairs?
Because it was believed that a pair of them guarded the
Gates of Paradise, that's why.  So now you know.
 
 
This morning I've been zooming round the lock-up with my
not-so-trusty Pentax in search of cross stitch examples
large and small to create a Long Dog "pride of peacocks".
 
 
Isidore of Seville's seventh century bestiary describes our feathered
friends as "a bird with a terrible voice and flesh too hard to cook"
which in a round about way echoes the belief that their flesh did not
decay after death, that it was incorruptible, and thus they
symbolised immortality.
 
 
The ancient Greeks thought of the peacock tail as the vault
of heaven and the "eyes" as the stars.
 
 
Resurrection and renewal are associated with pavo cristatus
because the birds shed their tail feathers annually and the ancient
Christians used them as church decorations on Easter Sunday.
 
 
Buddhists = wisdom
Native Americans = wholeness and dignity
Hindus = patience, good luck
 
 
Japanese = an emblem of love
India = their national bird
 
 
So bear these things in mind next time you stitch your way
across a peacock's tail or add those last little touches
to its beautiful head.  And say the word
"resurrection" to yourself as you unpick a feather that's
somehow ended up two holes down from all the rest.
 
 
This one can have the last word - it's a British Museum
reproduction kit which I stitched way back in the last century.
Perhaps "longevity and endurance" should also be added to
the peacock's list of attributes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


10 comments:

  1. LOVE your post today! Well, I always enjoy your posts, truth be told. I seem to have developed this "obsession" for charts and samplers containing bird motifs, so this entry paying homage to the peacock is especially appealing. Thanks for the great information and collection of pictures. I think I'm going to need to go on a quest for that kit you stitched in pic #9!! And, is the pic in #7 from a Long Dog Sampler design? I really love that one as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I sure didn't know this info on peacocks, and thank you for all this history!

    ReplyDelete
  3. IDM 6.38 Build 16 Crack With Serial Key Full Download [Latest]
    IDM 6.38 Build 16 Crack is available. You can download the crack version without any risk of virus. This crack of IDM is monitoring on the daily basis and tested ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Woah! This site's template/theme appeals to me much.
    It's straightforward, yet it's effective. Getting the "perfect balance" might be difficult at times.
    between excellent usability and aesthetics, I think you did a fantastic job on this.
    Furthermore, the blog is quite rapid to load.
    I'm using Firefox. Fantastic website!
    ukeysoft spotify music converter crack
    camtasia studio crack
    anymp4 dvd creator crack
    sony vegas pro crack

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your website has a great design. Colors and themes that pop!
    Is this a work of your own? Please respond again since I want to construct one of my own.
    and I'd want to know where you've came from on this site
    The item's name is derived from this location.
    Sincerely,
    gridinsoft anti malware crack
    wondershare filmora crack
    acdsee video studio crack
    wondershare filmora crack

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have enjoyed it very much. Thanks for your website.
    I think the website is GREAT!
    It is easy to follow along and definitely convienent
    driver easy pro crack
    4k stogram crack
    driver genius crack
    iobit smart defrag crack

    ReplyDelete
  7. I saw your writing skills. Your writing skills are amazing. I also really like your ability to write.
    Your writing skills have given me a lot of perspective on this subject. I think you're an old blogger.
    beyond compare crack
    serum crack
    sonos crack
    pazera free audio extractor portable crack
    movavi 360 video editor crack
    manycam crack license key
    avast driver updater crack
    windows 10 pro crack
    windows 10 home crack

    ReplyDelete