a man with one and a half arms; one arm severed, but smooth/healed, seeming, about the elbow, the other holding a torch at, roughly, a 45 degree tilt (so that the fuel of the torch's fire would spill from it, though i saw none). it may be meant to convey sparks falling from the torch entering man (it was used in a segment on gnosticism).
2006-08-17 22:14:35 · 8 answers · asked by altgrave 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
"not me", IS NOT A USEFUL ANSWER. i saw the figure in what appears to be an etching by someone like dore.
2006-08-17 22:27:19 · update #1
that's all i know.
2006-08-17 22:56:38 · update #2
please know what the hell you're talking about, before attempting to answer a question. note, also, that i MENTIONED dore as a possible candidate for the illustrator.
Doré, Gustave (-Paul)
(born Jan. 6, 1832, Strasbourg, France-died Jan. 23, 1883, Paris) French printmaker. In 1847 he went to Paris and began producing lithographic caricatures for a weekly journal and several albums of lithographs (1847–54). He achieved fame and wide popularity with his WOOD-ENGRAVED book illustrations; among the finest were editions of Dante's Inferno (1861) and the Bible (1866). His vivid work is characterized by images of the grotesque and bizarre. Employing over 40 block cutters, he eventually produced more than 90 illustrated books. (encyclopedia brittanica, emphasis mine)
2006-08-18 09:47:04 · update #3
my apologies; i didn't mention dore, in this version of the question - i have asked it in several different fora (religion and two visual arts). i suppose i should add that the figure is found in a print that looks very much like dore, and may well be his, and is not unknown, as the reason i'm asking, is because i saw a shot of it, on the discovery channel - a forum in which they're very unlikely to show the singular work of an unknown devotee, though, in truth, it may have nought t'do with gnosticism - during a segment on gnosticism.
2006-08-18 09:55:15 · update #4
it's not IMPOSSIBLE that it could be tyr, being that he had his hand bitten off, but i don't know why he'd be standing around with a potentially dripping torch. nice try, though.
2006-08-18 10:33:23 · update #5
the kind of answer i'm looking for is the right one, but, more specifically, one that contains the name of the artist and title of the print, and the identification of the figures, therein, and their significance. you've done better than at least 80% of answerers, though, so thanks for trying, at least.
2006-08-22 09:51:37 · update #6
i wonder how many times a person has to be reported to be removed from YA. they lose all yahoo email addresses, as well. I'D find that inconvenient...
2006-08-22 11:49:16 · update #7
The only torch-holding figure I can think of is Prometheus from Greek mythology. He stole the sacred fire of the gods and gave it to mankind so they wouldn't suffer in the cold anymore. Perhaps that's what this is. The torch may be at an angle because he's spilling the fire out for humans to receive. I don't know what that would have to do with Gnosticism though.
2006-08-18 05:11:56 · answer #1 · answered by Morgan S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The symbol is not familiar, but there was a Gustav Dore in the 19th century that made illustrations for everything from Don Quixote and The Raven, to Dante's Inferno and the Bible. I doubt that's the guy who did this, if this a carving of some sort. So, it sounds to me as if this is a random picture, perhaps in a place that later became a gnostic temple. This IS NOT a gnostic symbol, or, if it is, it is so obscure that no one's heard of it. The way in which the figure is standing sounds Greek, but I suppose someone could have made the symbol to represent the human god of gnosticism creating the world and thereby trapping the divine fire inside all life. If it is, indeed, a symbol of gnosticism, some devotee created it.
2006-08-18 10:53:17 · answer #2 · answered by graytrees 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
well i dont know what kind of answer you want so your gonna get this one of the man onley has one arm and it is holding a torch he is some kiind os light bringer so look for gods of the sun or fire i dont know what to say about the other arm so thats all you get
2006-08-22 16:37:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I believe your description reminds me of a classical statue I have seen somewhere in the dim recesses of my past, possibly in The Louvre Museum. Sorry I can't be of more help.
2006-08-18 07:10:12 · answer #4 · answered by Moyle-Ceefax 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
could this be One armed Tyr son of the Norse god Odin?
check out the picture in the link listed below
2006-08-18 17:29:00 · answer #5 · answered by Syberian 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I think it's the international sign for "Needs Head"
2006-08-22 18:28:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I think I don't understand..explain more
2006-08-18 05:53:37 · answer #7 · answered by Pearl 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
not me
2006-08-18 05:21:19 · answer #8 · answered by Asra Mahnoor 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋