Venus Figurines: Well fed prehistoric Goddess

One of the ideas behind the passion for prehistory is the jaw-dropping, gigantic space of time between the dawn of agriculture, some 8,000 years ago, and first modern human appearance in Europe, 30,000 - 35,000 years  ago.

Of cave living, hunting-gathering, and... one religion. All over the continent.

In linear passage of the ages this is staggering - some six or seven more chunks of time compared to what we are considering as our history. In those obscure times man and women presence was accompanied almost everywhere by female figurines, commonly known as Mother Goddesses or Venuses. 

Venus of Hohle Fels

Right at the start of Aurignacian culture which covered the whole of Europe (parts not overlaid by ice-sheets in the North) we see the beginning of figurative art, and probably religion, for the first time. Venus of Hohle Fels found in Swabian Alps (pic. left) is one of the first examples of tremendously long tradition of the next 25,000 - 30,000 years. To realize the vastness of time we need yet again to refer to our civilization having odd 2,000 years, only.

So for the gross of time humans were imagining this chubby silhouette as an important part of life and what is even more astounding - it is found everywhere. First Europeans were in fact in continental union, much alike our EU, but what blows the mind is how they kept such tradition intact, for so many generations and without modern means of communication.

One of the last examples of the goddess in obese form was found in Çatalhöyük (pic. left), Neolithic settlement in modern day Turkey inhabited between 7,500 BC to 5,700 BC. The Venuses will appear few more times accompanying humankind to more settled lifestyle, animal husbandry and first farming techniques.

What is curious about the Paleolithic and Neolithic Venuses is their provocative round shape. Far for being the standard look of prehistoric people, which seems to be rather malnourished, the obesity touches the ground of unconformity.

There isn't any clear interpretation in the archeo-world, even if archeologists and archeo-fans like to speculate about it, which would struck the common ground. Yet the facts of the vast occurence of the 'fat goddess' exist, somehow disturbing our sense of reason and history.

The one explanation which I have come upon and thought through, seems to be quite reasonable. And I like it because it answers even more questions that I have asked.

It is a human notion to strive for desirable and almost unreachable aspects of our life and we would surely create symbols reminding us of our aspiration and priorities. The same way we are observing in times of food-indulgence the thin-to-the-bone celebrity fashion culture, the same would have experienced our ancestors - right to the opposite side - where food was hardly earned, the fat was an object of highest attention. (Venus of Dolni Vestonice, 29,000–25,000 BCE, pic. left)

In order to establish the point of satiated attraction the man and women (seems especially women) of prehistoric times had decided to choose one of them (woman) to be fed in a devoted and sacred manner. Probably in each prehistoric community there was once a lady whose only task was to lie down and eat, eat, eat. Literally devour all those victual gifts considered to be sacrifices (how adequate!) to the divine object of magnificent obesity.

This was their symbol of abundance and well-being. It had to be of great honour and vitality to each member of a tribe to provide the-great-in-size goddess with that most cherished articles of life. Thus we know them as fertility goddess, but in our concept they we more a status symbol and a totem to the community. Existence of such person in society meant that the tribe was able to survive, because the Chosen One, living goddess among them is well fed and big enough to show off.

From this most primal, instinctive and basic 'food cult' will develop later more sublime theories and practices of different religions; always in the centre (if not always tip-top present but surely ever-present) we find food concerns.

In Bronze and Iron Age there was some meal sharing with the gods; the biggest and well fed was the sacrificial animal - the better for a chieftain or king. The temples of ancient world were provided with war and merchant treasures only for the service of mere existence and thus comforting the souls of mankind - 'We have enough staff to survive"... (Venus of Laussel, 25,000 BCE, pic. left)

Nowadays, of course the money is the most desirable subject and object. However, it is nothing else but the convenient measurement of earthly possessions, our sense of abundance. Financial magnates are the ‘big fish’ of money market with their fat wallets and bank accounts - able to eat the most sophisticated food on earth, by the way. The food itself has changed its arbitrary position in societies having unrestrained food supply. Its sacred tracks can be traced, though. Central to Christian faith is prayer Pater Noster consisting of verse such as: "Give us each day our daily bread". Christians also celebrate their faith by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of God. In Islam the holy of holiest celebrations is in the month of Ramadan, with peculiar observance: fast during the day and feast after dusk.

Father-figured religions, known to be of more military and expansive character are now plausibly facing challenge from the more passive (and thus more stretched in time) old feminine cult. We are learning how to take care of the Earth, and many see her as living, intelligent being (Mother Earth, Gaia). So it happens - she is huge and round in shape, just like our Paleolithic queen of all Venus figurines, Venus of Willendorf (22,000 - 21,000 BCE; pic. left). She is too, very tiny in size, only few inches - as our planet is so minute and fragile among the vastness of Universe.

We are in fact awakening to the very old concept of nurturing and flourishing under the protection of mother-like archetype. It was absent, perhaps forbidden for a short period of time during the rise of masculine divinity, some 3,000 years ago until recently (considering the work of suffrage movements in late-19th and early-20th century). To study the why's and how's of this subject itself is intriguing as shows new BBC documentary series on God's forgotten wife, Ashera. We should follow that theme further as we will continue to wonder on the exuberant lavishness of Nature.

Images sources:
Venus of Hohle Fels Wikipedia, image copyright H. Jensen / Universität Tübingen
Çatalhöyük Goddess - http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165goddess.html
Venus of Dolni Vestonice - http://ceramica.wikia.com/wiki/Venus_of_Doln%C3%AD_V%C4%9Bstonice
The Venus of Willendorf - Women in Prehistory - Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorf.html