BA2 - Symbolism - Ambrosia, Phineus and the Apple

Because I have greatly been inspired by the story of 'Phineus and the Harpies' (reffered in a previous post of mine), I thought it would be appropriate to add my own homage to the story within my Gargoyle design. There were a few ideas which quickly came to mind, either sculpting Phineus's head which the Harpy would hold between her two hands, or a piece of food. I ruled out the idea of another head because I wanted to focus my time on the detail of the harpy, and completing an extra face would cause unnecessary strain on my workflow and with the time allowed for this project.

The food itself could be interpreted as a way to mock/scare viewers and passers by of the gargoyle, relating to one of the original purposes which was to appear frightning to ward off evil spirits.

The two foods I considered to be held by my Harpy:

Ambrosia within a bowl:

Considered the "food of the gods" (partnered with Nectar which is commonly known as "the drink of the gods").

Pros:

- Relates to the Greek Mythology of my sculpt

- Starts conversation; "Why is she holding a bowl?"

- Interesting choice of food Cons:

- Ambrosia is not a universally known food

A Singular Apple:

Universally interpreted as the 'food of knowledge', which has significance to the religious story of 'Adam, Eve and temptation'.

Pros:

- Universally known food

- Significance is known by a wide variety of people

- Relates to sin and the meaning of temptation ( like traditional gargoyles )

- Fairly easy to sculpt Cons:

- Not a very interesting choice of food to use

Weighing the pros and cons of each idea, I have decided to follow through with sculpting a singular apple. What pulled me towards this rather than the ambrosia was how a larger variety of people would know what it is, as well as its biblical significance. Although the Ambrosia is a much more interesting choice of food and related to my harpy more in terms of mythology, I really liked how the relation of sin connects my gargoyle with the traditional ones seen on churches today.

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