SHE: Ancient Images of the Divine Feminine, Page One in a Blog Series

Begin at the Beginning.

Images of deity conveyed spiritual meaning to peoples of the ancient world just as they do for us today. But when we look at these images from the deep past we are likely to feel that their significance is lost. I maintain that contemplation of such images can yield a felt sense of their meaning that is of more than academic interest.

Accumulating archaeological evidence affirms that prehistoric peoples revered a feminine divinity for thousands of years. But since there are no known writings from the prehistoric period, we must try to sense into the meaning of these artifacts. That means we have to rely on our intuition in “reading” their symbolism.

You might be thinking, But, really, why would symbolism of ancient artifacts be of value to us moderns, since ancient people’s symbols would be very different from ours? That’s a legitimate and important question.

Symbolic meaning can be present across historical time periods, as historian of religion Mircea Eliade observed. In other words, we can discover that the essence of a symbol can be relevant to us, even though the symbol goes far back into ancient times. Eliade said that “Images, symbols and myths respond to a need and fill a function,” bringing “to light the deepest aspects of reality which defy any other means of knowledge….”



Let’s begin at the Beginning, with the most ancient female artifact which archaeologists have so far recovered. This artifact is called the Acheulian Mother. Artist Lydia Ruyle wrote about this artifact, a find which inspired her to create what she calls the Goddess Icon Spirit Banner of the Acheulian Ancient Mother (see photo at the end of this post):

"…in the summer of 1981 a grooved scoria pebble that had been deliberately shaped was excavated at the Acheulian site of Berekhat Ram. The site is located in the Golan Heights at Israel, where a nomadic hominid tribe, who predated even the Neanderthal era, had been camping in the area between an astounding 232,000 and 800,000 thousand years ago. The figurine was found between two layers of volcanic ash, the upper one 232,000 and the lower one 800,000 years old.

"A report on the find concluded that the pebble had been deliberately selected and shaped, and went on to say: “The scoria pebble is rounded and partially weathered. Several grooves are discernible on the object. The grooves are considered to be artificial and purposefully human made…and manifest a high degree of manufacture ability. The artifacts were modified with an impressive skill both in terms of technology and values of symmetry and shape. Based on this evidence we assume that the inhabitants of the Acheulian site were both physically and mentally capable of modifying pebbles to achieve a required form. It seems that the occupants of the site selected a pebble that bore some characteristics of a female body. These were enhanced by adding the incised grooves delimiting the head and arms and the vulva.”

Below is a photo of Lydia’s Ruyle’s banner. Notice the symbolism accentuated in Lydia’s image. For example, waves of energy and power emanate from the female figurine. Also notice that the fullness of this image is emphasized, as are the breasts and vulva, though the head is featureless. Arms, legs, and head seem diminished in importance compared to the other features. The cosmetic features of this female doesn’t correspond to any of our criteria for feminine beauty. Yet looking at this image as a symbol, we sense that fertility and generativity, and even prosperity are important attributes.



The red color which Lydia Ruyle has painted on her Acheulian Mother suggests qualities that are elemental and primeval, as does the stone from which the figurine is made. Then too, the color of red ochre is frequently found on artifacts; it is symbolic of blood and the life force. When I look at the figure in this banner I think of lava and the fiery immense power emanating from earth’s living core.

The emphasis on these parts of the body and its fullness occurs in much later artifacts thought by some scholars to be a representation of the Great Mother Goddess revered in Paleolithic times. In the next page of this series we will look at one of the best known artifacts which have been described as representations of the Earth Mother.


What thoughts and feelings does this ancient image of female deity evoke in you, dear BraveHeart readers? Do you wonder whether this really represents an Earth Mother? Are you attracted or repelled by it? You don’t have to be nice in your comments. Remember that variety is the spice of life.


*Images and quotation from UK Goddess Alive! magazine with the kind permission of Lydia Ruyle.

©2010 by Dorothy “Chickee” Atalla, author
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