So, lets start at the very beginning (a very good place to start!).
The first images that visitors see is the Maiden/Crone image. This appeared on the cover of one of the editions of the book from which the illustrations are taken.
This picture is accompanied by a text panel exploring the
role of the Goddess in Erica Jong's book 'Witches'. It includes this quote by Erica Jong:
“Since the goddess of birth is also the goddess of death,
women are accused of bringing death into the world as well as life. This is why the witch is depicted both as
young, beautiful and bedecked with flowers, and as a frightening crone covered
with cobwebs. She represents all the
cycles of life, and if she is terrifying, it is because the cycles of life terrify. They are inexorable. They remind us of mutability and mortality.”
This wonderful image is available as a limited edition art
print and as an art card from our online shop:
Moving around the room, the next pictures show a horned
figure and a witch in flight.
Erica Jong: “Flight is a metaphor both for freedom and for
sexuality - and the figure of the flying witch, of course, expresses both these
longings.”
The final image of section one of our tour shows witches in eggshells. Throughout the exhibition, we have incorporated the thoughts and feelings of people who loved the original book. This image is a favourite of Hannah Fox, the Museum's Office Manager. She said of it: “Each evocative image gives opportunity for further
pondering, a floating magic hat, a coat flying in the breeze of it's own
accord, how can such simple images
portray such emotion? My favourite of
the exhibition is the witches at sea in eggshells. It puts me in mind of the following; treat
all with respect, however tiny and frail, or beware the consequences.”
A closer look at our temporary exhibition Part Two coming soon...
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