Saturday 17 August 2013

The Cobra Woman Figurine That Called to Me



Why I bought this? I have no idea, but I had too. She is not particularly beautiful or perfect, she's magical and messy at the same time. But she has a power over me I can't explain. Perhaps she represents an archetypal graven image of the kind of woman who I've always found attractive? Unconventional, unpredictable, potentially lethal and sexy because she wasn't trying to be respectable nor fit it.

I came across the little cobra woman statue in an old curiosity shop. These places are intoxicating to me. They have to be filled with cluttered wonders and staffed by interesting and off-beat people and that's where I found her. She jumped right out of the landscape of other curios and into my hands. I could see no reason why I wanted or needed to own this six inch high statue of a cobra woman. I reluctantly refused, and in classic literary style, the woman who ran the curiosity shop remarked. "oh you'll be back for her..."

As mad as this sounds I spent the night dreaming about this little statue. By morning, I regretted not purchasing it. So I returned to the shop the next day where the owner greeted me with a knowing smile on her face. It was like something out of a movie scene to be honest. I was waiting for a man in a fez or Angela Landsbury to step out from behind a beaded curtain.


I can assure you all this little stature has a power and a history. The previous owners left a powerful resonance upon it. It wanted to find me for similar reasons. It's fairly old made from a hardened stone-based plaster which has yellowed on the bottom. It feels powerful to hold and touch. She's mine now.

Or more rightly, I have become her's...

3 comments:

  1. I LOVE IT!

    I can almost sense a series of short stories in book form with her included in each one. I love your writing Thomas you have such a gift!

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  2. I live in a 160 year old house with antiques, everything has history, you can feel it. Great article! I can certainly relate.

    ray

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