#feministfriday episode 510 | Owls
OWLS.
Aren't owls brilliant. Here's a Fem Fri devoted to these silent, fluffy killers.
Let's start with a Zoom presentation from Beth Mendelsohn, owl researcher, on the owls of Montana. Of course this is mainly a treat for readers in Montana, but there's plenty here for everyone to enjoy, including pictures of adorable and frankly quite stupid looking chicks:
Here's a woman artist I've never heard of before, and she's a surrealist - it's Remedios Varo, who drew a picture of an extremely pleased looking owl/woman:
In Creation of the Birds, a surreal owl-woman creature sits at a desk, drawing birds to life with a violin string hanging from her neck. The other hand holds a prism or magnifying glass that harnesses energy from the stars to awaken her creations. An odd-looking machine with two spherical shapes and tubing that extends out the window pumps out primary-colored paints for the woman to use. Two hanging receptacles exchange gold liquid or dust on the back wall. The owl-woman has a pleased and focused look on her face as she plays god in a study similar to a monk’s cell.
Remedios Varo: The Magical Surrealist Painter
María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga, known as Remedios Varo, was a Spanish-born Mexican surrealist artist born in 1908.
What do you know, here's a saint as well to complete the Fem Fri trifecta. A gigantic statue of Saint Sofia with an owl. Let me know if you make it to Bulgaria to see this:
Sophia was considered too erotic and pagan to be referred to as a saint and the statue is still highly controversial. 8.08 meters (26 feet 6 inches) in height, the copper and bronze statue by the sculptor Georgi Chapkanov, stands on a 16 meters (52 feet 5.9 inches) high pedestal. Adorned with the symbols of power (crown), fame (wreath) and wisdom (owl), the crown is also a reference to the Goddess of Fate, Tyche, inspired by the old emblem of Sofia dating back to 1900.
Statue of Sveta Sofia - Wikipedia
Trying to find out about Saint Sofia is way more complicated than I thought it would be:
Although earlier editions of the Roman Martyrology commemorated Saints Faith, Hope and Charity on 1 August and their mother Sophia on 30 September, the present text of this official but professedly incomplete catalogue of saints of the Roman Catholic Church has no feast dedicated to the three saints or their mother: the only Sophia included is an early Christian virgin martyr of Picenum in Italy, commemorated with her companion Vissia on 12 April; another early Christian martyr, Saint Faith (Fides), of Aquitania (southern France), is celebrated on 6 October, a Saint Hope (Spes), an abbot of Nursia who died in about 517, is commemorated on 23 May, and saint Charity (Caritas) is included, although saints with somewhat similar names, Carissa and Carissima, are given, respectively under 16 April and 7 September.
Saints Faith, Hope and Charity - Wikipedia
Love,
Alex.
PS - sorry if you get this twice! I could not make scheduling work