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"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I
always have. He is just my dog."
(Gene Hill)
Yuri (laughingly): "Do you not have a date with him tonight? I heard you telling Chloe earlier."
Suki: "Yep, he's takin' me to some swank joint. I was totally stoked about it too, until I realized that I don't have anything to wear." *affects a pitiful face, sighs pathetically*
Yuri (amused): "Oh, well, I think I can help you with that dilemma. Why do you not choose something from my closet for tonight?"
Suki: *face lights up* "Really? Oh, Yuri, that's so righteous of you! Anything I want?"
Yuri: "Anything you want."
Suki: *squeals, throws arms around Yuri, squeezes hard* "You're one filthy, sick chick! *runs out, hair flying*
Yuri (bemused): "I assume that was a compliment."
Kumi: *crosses arms* "Hey, how come you never let me borrow 'anything I want' from your closet, huh?! I am your sister after all?"
Yuri (dryly): "Because 'borrowing' is Kumi speak for stealing. When you leave this house with something, I never see it again...unless it happens to be adorning your person at some later date."
Kumi (outraged): "That is absolutely untrue, and I am thoroughly insulted by your accusation!"
Yuri (mildly): "Really? And that blouse you are currently wearing? Where exactly did you purchase it? It is rather fetching."
Kumi: "Uh-*looks down at top, then guiltily at Yuri*-oh."
Yuri (archly): "Indeed."
Fashion Credits
**Any doll enhancements (i.e. freckles, piercings, eye color changes) were done by me unless otherwise stated.**
Yuri
Pants: Fashion Royalty - Optic Verve Agnes
Bra: Azone
Sweater: Randall Craig - Uncomplicated Elegance
Heels: Mattel - Barbie Basics - Accessory Pack - Collection 1.5, Look 02
Glasses: Momoko - Berry Hunter
Moon Necklace and Charm Bracelets: Knife's Edge Designs (Me)
Doll is a Nu.Fantasy Red Riding Hood Yuri transplanted to a NuFace body.
Kumi
Pants: SL Doll
Top: robsdolls (Etsy.com)
Heels: Mattel - Barbie Basics - Accessory Pack - Collection 1.5, Look 02
Headband: Jakks Pacific (It's a belt)
DD Wood Bracelet Set: Knife's Edge Designs (Me)
Doll is a Nu.Fantasy Wild Wolf Kumi transplanted to a NuFace body.
Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is a widely worshipped deity in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.
Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
ETYMOLOGY AND OTHER NAMES
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati, a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana; having the face of an elephant).
Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai. A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare.
In Sri Lanka, in the North-Central and North Western areas with predominantly Buddhist population, Ganesha is known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo, while in other Singhala Buddhist areas he is known as Gana deviyo.
ICONOGRAPHY
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century. The 13th century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900–1200, after Ganesha had been well-established as an independent deity with his own sect. This example features some of Ganesha's common iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973–1200 by Paul Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue is dated c. 12th century by Pratapaditya Pal. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. This statue has four arms, which is common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the 7th century. Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a pasha (noose) in the other upper arm.
The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha. In one modern form, the only variation from these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra). The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is a very popular theme.
COMMON ATTRIBUTES
Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.
Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other being broken. Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk. The importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta. Ganesha's protruding belly appears as a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries). This feature is so important that, according to the Mudgala Purana, two different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally, Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly). Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his belly. The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs) of the past, present, and future are present in him. The number of Ganesha's arms varies; his best-known forms have between two and sixteen arms. Many depictions of Ganesha feature four arms, which is mentioned in Puranic sources and codified as a standard form in some iconographic texts. His earliest images had two arms. Forms with 14 and 20 arms appeared in Central India during the 9th and the 10th centuries. The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms. According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the serpent Vasuki around his neck. Other depictions of snakes include use as a sacred thread wrapped around the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne. Upon Ganesha's forehead may be a third eye or the Shaivite sectarian mark , which consists of three horizontal lines. The Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark as well as a crescent moon on the forehead. A distinct form of Ganesha called Bhalachandra includes that iconographic element. Ganesha is often described as red in color. Specific colors are associated with certain forms. Many examples of color associations with specific meditation forms are prescribed in the Sritattvanidhi, a treatise on Hindu iconography. For example, white is associated with his representations as Heramba-Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati Who Releases from Bondage). Ekadanta-Ganapati is visualized as blue during meditation in that form.
VAHANAS
The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha uses a mouse (shrew) in five of them, a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata, and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja. Mohotkata uses a lion, Mayūreśvara uses a peacock, Dhumraketu uses a horse, and Gajanana uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock.
Ganesha is often shown riding on or attended by a mouse, shrew or rat. Martin-Dubost says that the rat began to appear as the principal vehicle in sculptures of Ganesha in central and western India during the 7th century; the rat was always placed close to his feet. The mouse as a mount first appears in written sources in the Matsya Purana and later in the Brahmananda Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses it as his vehicle in his last incarnation. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa includes a meditation verse on Ganesha that describes the mouse appearing on his flag. The names Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner) appear in the Ganesha Sahasranama.
The mouse is interpreted in several ways. According to Grimes, "Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati's mouse, do so negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire". Along these lines, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who wish to overcome desires and be less selfish. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a menace to crops. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing). It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that needed to be overcome. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence. Martin-Dubost notes a view that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret places.
ASSOCIATIONS
OBSTACLES
Ganesha is Vighneshvara or Vighnaraja or Vighnaharta (Marathi), the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He is popularly worshipped as a remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked. Paul Courtright says that "his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation."
Krishan notes that some of Ganesha's names reflect shadings of multiple roles that have evolved over time. Dhavalikar ascribes the quick ascension of Ganesha in the Hindu pantheon, and the emergence of the Ganapatyas, to this shift in emphasis from vighnakartā (obstacle-creator) to vighnahartā (obstacle-averter). However, both functions continue to be vital to his character.
BUDDHI (KNOWLEDGE)
Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha, especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya. This name also appears in a list of 21 names at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama that Ganesha says are especially important. The word priya can mean "fond of", and in a marital context it can mean "lover" or "husband", so the name may mean either "Fond of Intelligence" or "Buddhi's Husband".
AUM
Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum, also spelled Om. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Aum is his form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa attests to this association. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as follows:
(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are fire [Agni] and air [Vāyu]. You are the sun [Sūrya] and the moon [Chandrama]. You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth], Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this).
Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the shape of Aum in the Devanāgarī and Tamil scripts.
FIRST CHAKRA
According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra, called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation". The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows: "[O Ganesha,] You continually dwell in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine [mūlādhāra cakra]." Thus, Ganesha has a permanent abode in every being at the Muladhara. Ganesha holds, supports and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life".
FAMILY AND CONSORTS
Though Ganesha is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Puranic myths give different versions about his birth. In some he was created by Parvati, in another he was created by Shiva and Parvati, in another he appeared mysteriously and was discovered by Shiva and Parvati or he was born from the elephant headed goddess Malini after she drank Parvati's bath water that had been thrown in the river.
The family includes his brother the war god Kartikeya, who is also called Subramanya, Skanda, Murugan and other names. Regional differences dictate the order of their births. In northern India, Skanda is generally said to be the elder, while in the south, Ganesha is considered the first born. In northern India, Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about 600 CE, when worship of him declined significantly in northern India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose. Several stories tell of sibling rivalry between the brothers and may reflect sectarian tensions.
Ganesha's marital status, the subject of considerable scholarly review, varies widely in mythological stories. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacari. This view is common in southern India and parts of northern India. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses, said to be Ganesha's wives. He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi). Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati or Śarda (particularly in Maharashtra). He is also associated with the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly prevalent in the Bengal region, links Ganesha with the banana tree, Kala Bo.
The Shiva Purana says that Ganesha had begotten two sons: Kşema (prosperity) and Lābha (profit). In northern Indian variants of this story, the sons are often said to be Śubha (auspiciouness) and Lābha. The 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa shows Ganesha married to Riddhi and Siddhi and having a daughter named Santoshi Ma, the goddess of satisfaction. This story has no Puranic basis, but Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen cite Santoshi Ma's cult as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.
WOSHIP AND FESTIVALS
Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions; especially at the beginning of ventures such as buying a vehicle or starting a business. K.N. Somayaji says, "there can hardly be a [Hindu] home [in India] which does not house an idol of Ganapati. [..] Ganapati, being the most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the country". Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity.
Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity, and Hindus of all denominations invoke him at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies. Dancers and musicians, particularly in southern India, begin performances of arts such as the Bharatnatyam dance with a prayer to Ganesha. Mantras such as Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah (Om, salutation to the Illustrious Ganesha) are often used. One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Salutation to the Lord of Hosts).
Devotees offer Ganesha sweets such as modaka and small sweet balls (laddus). He is often shown carrying a bowl of sweets, called a modakapātra. Because of his identification with the color red, he is often worshipped with red sandalwood paste (raktacandana) or red flowers. Dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other materials are also used in his worship.
Festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vināyaka chaturthī in the śuklapakṣa (the fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of bhādrapada (August/September) and the Gaṇeśa jayanti (Gaṇeśa's birthday) celebrated on the cathurthī of the śuklapakṣa (fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of māgha (January/February)."
GANESH CHATURTI
An annual festival honours Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesha Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival begins with people bringing in clay idols of Ganesha, symbolising Ganesha's visit. The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (murtis) of Ganesha are immersed in the most convenient body of water. Some families have a tradition of immersion on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, or 7th day. In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event. He did so "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra. Because of Ganesha's wide appeal as "the god for Everyman", Tilak chose him as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and he established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra. The festival also assumes huge proportions in Mumbai, Pune, and in the surrounding belt of Ashtavinayaka temples.
TEMPLES
In Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper. In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which the Ashtavinayak (lit. "eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known. Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend. The eight shrines are: Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.
There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following: Kanipakam in Chittoor; the Jambukeśvara Temple at Tiruchirapalli; at Rameshvaram and Suchindram in Tamil Nadu; at Malliyur, Kottarakara, Pazhavangadi, Kasargod in Kerala, Hampi, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.
T. A. Gopinatha notes, "Every village however small has its own image of Vighneśvara (Vigneshvara) with or without a temple to house it in. At entrances of villages and forts, below pīpaḹa (Sacred fig) trees [...], in a niche [...] in temples of Viṣṇu (Vishnu) as well as Śiva (Shiva) and also in separate shrines specially constructed in Śiva temples [...]; the figure of Vighneśvara is invariably seen." Ganesha temples have also been built outside of India, including southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka shrines in the Kathmandu valley), and in several western countries.
RISE TO PROMINENCE
FIRST APEARANCE
Ganesha appeared in his classic form as a clearly recognizable deity with well-defined iconographic attributes in the early 4th to 5th centuries. Shanti Lal Nagar says that the earliest known iconic image of Ganesha is in the niche of the Shiva temple at Bhumra, which has been dated to the Gupta period. His independent cult appeared by about the 10th century. Narain summarizes the controversy between devotees and academics regarding the development of Ganesha as follows:
What is inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaņeśa on the historical scene. His antecedents are not clear. His wide acceptance and popularity, which transcend sectarian and territorial limits, are indeed amazing. On the one hand there is the pious belief of the orthodox devotees in Gaņeśa's Vedic origins and in the Purāṇic explanations contained in the confusing, but nonetheless interesting, mythology. On the other hand there are doubts about the existence of the idea and the icon of this deity" before the fourth to fifth century A.D. ... [I]n my opinion, indeed there is no convincing evidence of the existence of this divinity prior to the fifth century.
POSSIBLE INFLUENCES
Courtright reviews various speculative theories about the early history of Ganesha, including supposed tribal traditions and animal cults, and dismisses all of them in this way:
In the post 600 BC period there is evidence of people and places named after the animal. The motif appears on coins and sculptures.
Thapan's book on the development of Ganesha devotes a chapter to speculations about the role elephants had in early India but concludes that, "although by the second century CE the elephant-headed yakṣa form exists it cannot be presumed to represent Gaṇapati-Vināyaka. There is no evidence of a deity by this name having an elephant or elephant-headed form at this early stage. Gaṇapati-Vināyaka had yet to make his debut."
One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with the four Vinayakas (Vināyakas). In Hindu mythology, the Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties but who were easily propitiated. The name Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. Krishan is one of the academics who accepts this view, stating flatly of Ganesha, "He is a non-vedic god. His origin is to be traced to the four Vināyakas, evil spirits, of the Mānavagŗhyasūtra (7th–4th century BCE) who cause various types of evil and suffering". Depictions of elephant-headed human figures, which some identify with Ganesha, appear in Indian art and coinage as early as the 2nd century. According to Ellawala, the elephant-headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-Christian era.
A metal plate depiction of Ganesha had been discovered in 1993, in Iran, it dated back to 1,200 BCE. Another one was discovered much before, in Lorestan Province of Iran.
First Ganesha's terracotta images are from 1st century CE found in Ter, Pal, Verrapuram and Chandraketugarh. These figures are small, with elephant head, two arms, and chubby physique. The earliest Ganesha icons in stone were carved in Mathura during Kushan times (2nd-3rd centuries CE).
VEDIC AND EPIC LITERATURE
The title "Leader of the group" (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) occurs twice in the Rig Veda, but in neither case does it refer to the modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV 2.23.1 as a title for Brahmanaspati, according to commentators. While this verse doubtless refers to Brahmanaspati, it was later adopted for worship of Ganesha and is still used today. In rejecting any claim that this passage is evidence of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, Ludo Rocher says that it "clearly refers to Bṛhaspati—who is the deity of the hymn—and Bṛhaspati only". Equally clearly, the second passage (RV 10.112.9) refers to Indra, who is given the epithet 'gaṇapati', translated "Lord of the companies (of the Maruts)." However, Rocher notes that the more recent Ganapatya literature often quotes the Rigvedic verses to give Vedic respectability to Ganesha .
Two verses in texts belonging to Black Yajurveda, Maitrāyaṇīya Saṃhitā (2.9.1) and Taittirīya Āraṇyaka (10.1), appeal to a deity as "the tusked one" (Dantiḥ), "elephant-faced" (Hastimukha), and "with a curved trunk" (Vakratuņḍa). These names are suggestive of Ganesha, and the 14th century commentator Sayana explicitly establishes this identification. The description of Dantin, possessing a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and holding a corn-sheaf, a sugar cane, and a club, is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin". However, Krishan considers these hymns to be post-Vedic additions. Thapan reports that these passages are "generally considered to have been interpolated". Dhavalikar says, "the references to the elephant-headed deity in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā have been proven to be very late interpolations, and thus are not very helpful for determining the early formation of the deity".
Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature that is dated to the Vedic period. A late interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata says that the sage Vyasa (Vyāsa) asked Ganesha to serve as his scribe to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him. Ganesha agreed but only on condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, that is, without pausing. The sage agreed, but found that to get any rest he needed to recite very complex passages so Ganesha would have to ask for clarifications. The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the editors of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is relegated to a footnote in an appendix. The story of Ganesha acting as the scribe occurs in 37 of the 59 manuscripts consulted during preparation of the critical edition. Ganesha's association with mental agility and learning is one reason he is shown as scribe for Vyāsa's dictation of the Mahabharata in this interpolation. Richard L. Brown dates the story to the 8th century, and Moriz Winternitz concludes that it was known as early as c. 900, but it was not added to the Mahabharata some 150 years later. Winternitz also notes that a distinctive feature in South Indian manuscripts of the Mahabharata is their omission of this Ganesha legend. The term vināyaka is found in some recensions of the Śāntiparva and Anuśāsanaparva that are regarded as interpolations. A reference to Vighnakartṛīṇām ("Creator of Obstacles") in Vanaparva is also believed to be an interpolation and does not appear in the critical edition.
PURANIC PERIOD
Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Puranic corpus. Brown notes while the Puranas "defy precise chronological ordering", the more detailed narratives of Ganesha's life are in the late texts, c. 600–1300. Yuvraj Krishan says that the Puranic myths about the birth of Ganesha and how he acquired an elephant's head are in the later Puranas, which were composed from c. 600 onwards. He elaborates on the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the earlier Puranas, such as the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, are later interpolations made during the 7th to 10th centuries.
In his survey of Ganesha's rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher notes that:
Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous stories surrounding Gaṇeśa concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three: his birth and parenthood, his elephant head, and his single tusk. Other incidents are touched on in the texts, but to a far lesser extent.
Ganesha's rise to prominence was codified in the 9th century, when he was formally included as one of the five primary deities of Smartism. The 9th-century philosopher Adi Shankara popularized the "worship of the five forms" (Panchayatana puja) system among orthodox Brahmins of the Smarta tradition. This worship practice invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, and Surya. Adi Shankara instituted the tradition primarily to unite the principal deities of these five major sects on an equal status. This formalized the role of Ganesha as a complementary deity.
SCRIPTURES
Once Ganesha was accepted as one of the five principal deities of Brahmanism, some Brahmins (brāhmaṇas) chose to worship Ganesha as their principal deity. They developed the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana.
The date of composition for the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana - and their dating relative to one another - has sparked academic debate. Both works were developed over time and contain age-layered strata. Anita Thapan reviews comments about dating and provides her own judgement. "It seems likely that the core of the Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries", she says, "but was later interpolated." Lawrence W. Preston considers the most reasonable date for the Ganesha Purana to be between 1100 and 1400, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned by the text.
R.C. Hazra suggests that the Mudgala Purana is older than the Ganesha Purana, which he dates between 1100 and 1400. However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative dating and concludes that the Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts concerned with Ganesha. She bases her reasoning on the fact that, among other internal evidence, the Mudgala Purana specifically mentions the Ganesha Purana as one of the four Puranas (the Brahma, the Brahmanda, the Ganesha, and the Mudgala Puranas) which deal at length with Ganesha. While the kernel of the text must be old, it was interpolated until the 17th and 18th centuries as the worship of Ganapati became more important in certain regions. Another highly regarded scripture, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably composed during the 16th or 17th centuries.
BEYOND INDIA AND HINDUISM
Commercial and cultural contacts extended India's influence in western and southeast Asia. Ganesha is one of a number of Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.
Ganesha was particularly worshipped by traders and merchants, who went out of India for commercial ventures. From approximately the 10th century onwards, new networks of exchange developed including the formation of trade guilds and a resurgence of money circulation. During this time, Ganesha became the principal deity associated with traders. The earliest inscription invoking Ganesha before any other deity is associated with the merchant community.
Hindus migrated to Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture, including Ganesha, with them. Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries. The forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo show specific regional influences. The spread of Hindu culture to southeast Asia established Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side, and mutual influences can be seen in the iconography of Ganesha in the region. In Thailand, Cambodia, and among the Hindu classes of the Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was mainly thought of as a remover of obstacles. Today in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success.
Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. Examples of sculptures from the 5th to the 7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the region.
Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet. In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is popular; he has five heads and rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, (Shiva) a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, and sometimes dancing. Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531. In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten, the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.
The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention the worship of Ganesha. However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera. Jain connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections. The earliest known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century. A 15th-century Jain text lists procedures for the installation of Ganapati images. Images of Ganesha appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
WIKIPEDIA
I'd found him.
That scumbag was hiding out in some nearby slums, hiring tramps to fight for him by the looks of it.
It's time I did a bit of interrogation.
I jumped out onto his little "camp", scaring the hell out of his cronies.
"Who the hell are you?!"
I didn't answer, I just ran. One of his men ran at me with a knife. A swift blow to his head took him out nicely.
Another man ran at me, this one was holding a wooden pole.
He swung it towards my head, screaming.
I grabbed it mid-flight and crushed it in my fist. He moaned and tried to run, but I grabbed his legs while they were in mid-air, causing him to hit the floor face first.
The next guy wasn't going to be as easy.
He charged at me with a chainsaw, and swung it out towards my belly.
I just managed to dodge it.
Just.
I went to grab his arm, but at the last second, he swung it the other way, cutting my arm.
I roared and hit my forehead into his.
Clutching my arm, I ran over to Sionis.
"That was rather impressive-"
With my good arm, I grabbed his neck and lifted him up from the ground.
"WHY KILL TONY?!" I bellowed.
"T...ttha...t w...w....wasn't...t....m....m...me! I s...sw...wear!"
"Who then!"
"A g...g..uy.....c.....called....T...T....Two-F....face!"
His legs snapped as I slammed him into the floor.
My arm was killing me, but I now knew the true culprit of Tony's attack.
Time to do some more planning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hulk moves from #99 to #91 Tricorner Slums
giving him the power of the remote is one way to make sure he stays still.
(a repost in black and white.)
Fishtail Peak ~ Machapuchare ~ माछापुच्छ्रे ~ a mountain in the Annapurna Himal of north central Nepal ~ Seen from Pokhara, Nepal
The north face was climbed in Alpine style in OctoberNovember, 2009, by Nick Bullock and Andy Houseman, winning the Piolet d'Or. More info: www.nickestcourtaward.org/Forms/2009Report_Chang_Himal.pdf
Late November alpenglow lights the upper slopes of Gurja Himal (7193 m), Dhaulaghiri region, Nepal.
(Nikon FE2, Fuji Velvia 50)
Ganesh Himal Museum, Ban Sam Lang, Chiangmai.
A short way off Highway 108 a little south of San Pa Tong, just into Doilo, an interesting break if travelling Chiangmai - Chomtong.
There is much more to be seen than I have shown here, my respecting the "No Photography" rules applied by the museum in places.
I saw him just as he was crossing Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. Something about his casually stylish appearance, combined with his photogenic face called out to me. I made a left turn and followed him across the street where I made my introduction and explained my wish to photograph him for my project. He was surprised for a moment, but interested, and he said he had a few minutes and would be glad to participate. Meet Mathenes.
Looking around, I decided the south-facing salmon-colored stucco wall of a store across the street looked like the best option for a location, so we recrossed the street. Taking the photos involved capturing moments when pedestrians were not passing between us or between Mathenes and the wall. He was friendly and patient about it and didn’t object when I asked if we could tilt his hat back just a bit so that more light could reach his eyes. My initial attention had been on his face but when I noticed the patch on his jacket, I asked if he could flatten it a bit so it would show for one of the photos. It turned out to be a badge for the Toronto Football Club (soccer team). He told me he’s a big fan.
Mathenes is 37 and came to Canada from his native Nigeria at age 18. When I asked what prompted the family’s migration to Canada he said “Who wouldn’t want to come to Canada? It’s a great country and a good doorway to other countries.” I learned that he is an artist and a student and has a strong interest in automation. “Art and automation?” I asked. They seem so different. He smiled and said that the ongoing development of technology is affecting all fields.
I sensed a real friendliness and warmth in Mathenes and a genuine interest in being a part of my project. He had several pieces of advice for those who see his image and read this story. “Read the signs and you will always find your way home.” “Never forget the importance of tolerance.” “Life is an experience. Learn from it.” “Accept the unexpected.” I was struck by the depth of each of these. Regarding tolerance, I wondered if he was referring to racial tolerance and he said “Not really. It seems that tolerance is lacking in so many areas.” I agreed and commented on a motorist I saw get out of his car and scream insults at another motorist for being slow to react when a red light changed to green. “If he was like that in the morning, I can’t imagine what he would be like at the end of a stressful day at the office.” “I know what you mean” was Mathenes’ reply.
We parted company with mutual thanks and a handshake. I felt I had been in the company of a true gentleman. This is my 450th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
12.10.2016: I did want to take a picture of him with his head down but the stinker was more interested in looking at me. Cutie!
This father and daughter were among those demonstrating outside the office of Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, calling on him to oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.
As the guards passed above him, Kerrick grinned. They had not seen him enter his underground hideout. He jogged through the tunnel until he reached the end, where he swiftly opened a trapdoor. He descended the ladder into the storage room below. Only when he was safe inside the storage room, did he release his magic spell, revealing the bundle of weapons slung over his back. He carefully placed the weapons into a crate, and when that was done he uttered a short laugh. Soon his plan would be complete, and then Maldrake would pay for what he has done. Little did Kerrick know, that Maldrake was more clever than he seemed...
My entry to the LCC global challenge in the 8x8 category.
In through the door slipped Martinez, still clad in the leather suit. He unzipped the mouth and crouched down in front of me.
"Hello, sweets. Enjoy the little experiment? Hrmm?" He gives me a condescending smile.
"F-fuck you." I croak and use the last of my saliva to spit in his eye.
The little shit, Martinez chuckles and wipes the spit from the leather mask.
"I'm guessing you'd like to know why you're here, yes? That is if you don't die of exhaustion which looks highly probable." I don't say anything, and he continues.
"My wee little beasties, which I believe you no doubt witnessed... they need perfection, needless to say."
"The fuck do I have to do with them?" I gasp. "What did you do to me?"
"Oh-hoh! I did nothing to you! You see, I designed this room to stretch you past the boundaries of your physical and mental strength. The mildew... there's a clean freak in everyone.Stuff MUST be neat and tidy in SOME way or another, right? The deprivation of food and water? Knowing how long we mortals can go without what we need most is essential for the perfect soldier. The reflective walls, well-"
"Wait... what? Soldiers? The hell're you doing here?" I yell.
"The favelas. They're filled with scum. I grew up here, the very favela right below us, in fact. My father... he used to beat me in this very suit here, whenever I fucked up. But then he'd pick me up and hold me. He'd tell me the world was tough, you had to be tougher. I decided I'd be the tougher one by letting the tougher ones do my dirty work-"
"But the kids... why?"
"Every kid wants to be a superhero. I was merely... fulfilling their dreams. But with your information, I can perfect them, make them perfect. My father would finally be proud of me. Wanna know why I wear this damned suit? Because for all the crap my father did to me, I loved him. This suit is my last reminder of him. He vanished when I was seven. I want my army to know his scent. They WILL bring me back my father. He WILL know that I loved him and he WILL know that I AM tougher than the world. This suit... it will bring him back to me! When the army's complete... every favela dwelling scumbag will be wiped from the planet by the very children they victimized."
"You... you BUTCHERED hundreds... of children. How can you excuse killing children?"
"They simply fell in the line of duty in my war against the favela."
"How DARE you!" I boom. I stagger to my feet. "I can't let you continue this."
"Ha ha ha!" He laughs, and it sounds like a choking goose. "You're much too weak to fight me in your state!" He slams his foot into my stomach. He's weak and normally it wouldn't hurt, but it feels like I just got hit with a battering ram. He punches me in the face and rains punches down, chuckling.
"RAAAAHHH!" I raise my leg and crane kick him, straight in the chin and he sprawls. I then bring my arms over and under my legs so they are in front of me again. Martinez stands again, spewing blood, tears fill his eyes. He charges and I dodge. My survival instinct kicks in, and I charge, tackle him and wrap the chains around his wretched throat.
"This is for little Marko, you little fuck." I hiss in Martinez's ear. I feel the air coming out, but no. He deserves a slow death. He planned to kill thousands of innocents, and had already killed and messed up hundreds of children. Grabbing him by the skull, I hurl him into the wall, stunning him. I see the keys for my chains on his waist. I grab them and unlock them. I'm walking for the door, when he gets up again.
"Y-you WHORE! YOU'LL PAY!" He's staggering and looks unfit to run. My adrenaline's dying, and with it, my strength. I walk up behind him and tuck an arm under his chin, the other on his right temple. I twist and tug until he lets out a vile scream and a sickening *CRAAACK!* fills the room. He slumps to the ground, dead. The room grows silent, and I exit.
My gear; my mask, spear and gloves are inside a steel crate. I take the spear and mask and fall onto the floor. I put the mask in front of my face and look into the face of one of Gotham's most notorious future vigilantes.
_________________________________________________________________
End of the Brazil arc. What'd all y'all think?
Pink spindrift flecks the summit ridge of Ghustung (6529 m) and Gurja Himal (7193 m) at sunset, Dhaulagiri regon, Nepal. Taken from Budzunge Bara (4590 m)
(Nikon FE2, Fuji Velvia 50)
MY SON BRYN WHO GRADUATED TODAY WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS STUDIES.
I AM VERY PROUD OF HIM AND WISH HIM AND HIS PARTNER TARA ALL THE BEST FOR THE FUTURE.
I saw him hanging out with a friend in the stairwell of a few businesses on Spadina Ave. in Toronto’s Chinatown. What caught my eye first was his yellow jacket which matched a yellow scarf/headband. It was an awkward, busy place for a portrait but I stopped anyway and introduced myself. He gave an indifferent shrug when I invited him to be in my photo project but said he’d be ok with that. His friend stepped aside. I asked what they were up to today and he said (a bit hesitantly) “Not much. Just smoking up.” Meet Jordan.
Jordan took my invitation to make his own pose seriously and adopted a super-cool stance which I felt was well-practiced from a history of selfies. I tried a few different angles to deal with the crowded and cluttered location. One of my ideas was an obvious failure for more than one reason which I admitted and shifted gears to finish up at the original angle.
Jordan is 17 and I learned that he’s living in a shelter not too far away. When I asked what it’s like he said “It’s good. The people are nice, they give us bus tokens every day and all that.” I wondered if it was a youth shelter but he said it wasn’t. He was born in Mauritania but moved with his family to Montreal when he was 2. He asked if I knew where Mauritania is. I said I had a vague idea that it’s in Africa but said I would look it up and learn something. He told me it’s on the West African Atlantic coast. Wikipedia later told me “It is the eleventh largest country in Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Morocco in the north, Algeria in the northeast, Mali in the east and southeast, and Senegal in the southwest.”
He told me his brother died at the age of 7 and his parents decided not to continue parenting so they gave him over to the care of his aunt in Toronto. He grew up in this city and said his aunt took good care of him but has moved to the U.S. Jordan didn’t want to leave Toronto, hence his current living arrangement in a shelter. Regarding his aunt he said she was strict but kind and he feels she did well by him. His major interest is “music and shit.” He had a street-smart style and his conversation was in keeping with his “cool” style. As has happened many times before, I noted that there was a rather wide gap between us, not only in age but in lifestyle, and yet he seemed to welcome my interest and enjoy the encounter. He thought the photos were “dope” but politely declined copies. He said he has an email and I invited him to contact me if he changed his mind.
Advice to his younger self? “Keep striving.” His message about life: There are no colors in the world. At the end of the day we are all just humans.” I thought it was a perfect, spontaneous response for the Human Family project. His goal in life is to be famous and to achieve it through music. “That’s why I started doing music when I’m still young. If you wait too long you will never be famous.” When I asked if he had music online that he would like to share, he said he has something on Sound Cloud and might email me with the information. I could see that his friend, who had been patient, was eager for them to move on.
Jason asked me my name again when he gave me a friendly fist-bump. When I repeated it and said it’s on my contact card he was embarrassed and said he should have remembered. I said I’m not great with names either but I’ve got an excuse: I’m old. “Come to think of it” I said “you have an excuse too – you’re stoned.” He laughed and agreed. We wished each other well.
This is my 710th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
She is scolding him for spending too much time at the feeder which is just out of view in this shot.
Interesting Facts:
The Downy is the smallest North American woodpecker, and the most common (based on BBS and CBC data.)
Their tongue is coated with sticky mucus to help nab small insects.
When drumming, Downies hit the substrate about 16-17 times per second. Drumming can last 0.25-1.8 seconds. (Ritchison). They primarily drum from Feb-July.
Downies are rarely seen bathing in water, although they have been seen "snowbathing." (Merriam 1920)
Downies may excavate for a few minutes up to an hour, usually working 15-20 minutes at a time.
Both parents incubate and brood (only males incubate and brood at night.)
In nonbreeding season, downies will hang in mixed flocks of chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, kinglets and Hairy Woodpeckers, and respond to alarm calls by chickadee or titmice sentinels.
On cold winter nights, Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers conserve energy by lowering their body temperature by 10 to 15 degrees F. While this may seem counterproductive, “nocturnal hypothermia” probably reduces energy expenditure by as much as ten percent.
Males forage more on smaller branches, females on larger branches and tree trunks.
They occasionally drink sap and eat cambium, but the holes they make are smaller, less rectangular, and less deep than sapsuckers, so they do not injure the tree.
They have been seen following White-breasted nuthatches and stealing from their food caches (Sutton 1986).
This poster is part of a series created by the U.S. Public Health Service during WWII, at a time when no man’s health could be wasted on anything but the war effort. All feature the various ways to help 'keep him on the job'.
umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll208:120
Title:
Regular check ups : keep him on the job
Description:
Workman, bare chested, a hand with stethoscope listening to chest
Date Created:
1942
Historical Era:
World War, 1939-1945
Creator:
Price, H.
Contributor:
United States. Public Health Service
Publisher:
U.S. Government Printing Office
Notes:
WH 7"/"U. S. Government Printing Office : 1942--O-485813
Topics
Subjects:
World War, 1939 1945. United States. Posters; Health Education; Health and Safety; Public Health
Language:
English
Geographic Location
Country:
United States
Continent:
North America
Collection Information
Parent Collection:
World War Poster collection (Mss036)
Contributing Organization:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Upper Midwest Literary Archives.
Contact Information:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Upper Midwest Literary Archives. 213 Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 - 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455; www.lib.umn.edu/mss
Fiscal Sponsor:
This resource was created with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Persistent URL:
It had been a very wet day. I went to put the recycling bins out this evening when I spotted this little visitor on our front path. I think I did pretty well to spot him as he blended in well with his surroundings. Having grabbed my camera I changed location and was able to capture his better looking front side. This is a just a cropped version of the last photo.
"I hope some day to meet God, because I want to thank Him for the flowers."
~ Robert Brault
a memory from the floral museum in Chiba (Japan)
my hubby is a high school teacher, and yesterday he had the day off. alas, i did not. when i asked him what he'd do with his day, he said he thought he'd head up to borders to replace our copy of serenity (a dvd we'd lent out, but we forgot to whom, and we really want to see it again, so whomever we lent it to can keep it, cos life's too short not to do stupid shit like that in my opinion, and could i possibly use any more tenses in this sentence?). ANYway, we had some extra coupons, and he said, "what should i do with these?" "i don't know, surprise me." and then i promptly forgot the entire conversation.
a long day ensued. meetings, tense ones -- meeting the boss's new boss, etc., then dinner with the boss and the boss's new boss (who was fabulous, in the end). at the restaurant, florian called. i told him i'd be home later than i'd thought. "well, look in your bag when you get home." (that is, my normal everyday bag, not the smaller bag i use when i have to do the business casual thing and go to the corporate office for meetings. girls will understand this.) ANYway, i figured it was something that had come in the mail that i needed to see.
this book -- this gloriously fabulous book -- was what was in my bag.
p.s. if'n yer interested, go here, plug "walker evans signs" into the little amazon.com widget, and go to town. not only will you get the book, but you'll also support my favorite non-profit radio station. wheeeee!
The father of the family was sitting in the park, under a tree, with his brushes and watercolours and painting peacefully.
The older son behind him was painting, too.
Not wanting to disturb their work, I admired them silently.
A few minutes later though, I approached and asked for the father's permission to make a few photos. Then I asked permission of the mother as well.
Permission granted.
www.flickr.com/photos/timelessriver/14764303840/in/photos...
Henry and his family are visiting from Hong Kong.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong
Henry is an art teacher. He was invited to Finland to be one of the jurors in an art competition for students of art.
Iris is an architect and artist, too. Their two sons; Kenny, 8 y/o and Eugene, 6 y/o, have accompanied them on this trip.
Kenny was almost done with his painting, while Eugene had drawn the contour lines of the building with a pencil and had put his drawing pad in his mother's handbag.
I was deeply impressed by the children's art talents and had a long conversation with Iris about it.
Among other things, Iris told me about life in Hong Kong, which was all quite unknown to me, showing me simultaneously lots of pictures on her smartphone.
When Kenny was done with his painting, I asked him and Iris to pose for me in front of Café Kaapeli--the motive of his beautiful painting--which took him 2.5 hours to complete.
www.kappeli.fi/index.php?id=23
The family was scheduled to leave Finland the very next morning on their way to Croatia.
Safe travels and thank you. It was such a pleasure to meet you all :-)
www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/discuss/72157633469671...
Polychrome terracotta figurine of a standing woman, enveloped in a himation (cloak), leaving only her head bare. Many of these figurines feature the woman veiled with their himation pulled over their heads.
Visible pigments include blue, orangish-red, and pink (the himation is light blue, with a wide pink border), with a base of white slip. Her chiton (tunic) seems to have a darker color, or else a color has darkened over time, but it's difficult to tell what the original color was.
Greek, Boeotian, Hellenistic, ca. 3rd century BCE.
Met Museum, New York (07.286.2)
Remember him as 'Reg Holdsworth' in Coronation Street?
Here, caught candidly on Lord Street's outdoor stage last night, helping switch on Southport's Christmas Lights. He plays the loveable 'King Bumble' in the 2014 Christmas Pantomime, Sleeping Beauty @ the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.
Got him all put together to test out how he looks and see if there's any more changes to make. I'm okay with him so far, but apparently my stinker broke the other hook on his wing, so I"m installing an s-hook to use instead. Damn dragons and their weak wings. Hamilton is recast, just fyi.
Danbo remembered seeing this picture: www.flickr.com/photos/bunnyrel/3464697471/in/set-72157615...
So she thought it might have been him. I said no, that's his friend Joe. She asked, "How'd his friend end up over here?" I replied "Well how do you think Steve would be here?", and she said "Because pinecones like to travel." :p