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Copts and Rabbits
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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on March 01, 2000 at 02:09:36:
In the Cleveland Museum, there is a Coptic tapestry from 6th c Egypt .... and there are 3 people with raised hands that appear to represent hennaed hands. It's #82.73 .... and it's very interesting, historically . There are many pagan elements on the tapestry, a large Tau cross that is a hybrid Ankh and Christian cross. There are 2 more sorts f crosses, the P with the X through it's tail and an an IXOXC fish. This tapestry shows the incorporation of hennaed hands and other elements from Ancient Egypt and Canaanite religions into very early Christianity in Egypt before the rise of Islam. Coptic use of henna in weddings, circumcisions and suchlike is well recorded, ... but I had wondered if the Copts adapted bridal use of henna from their Muslim neighbors, or whether their use of henna predated Islamic influence. This tapestry seems to indicate that very early Christians, in Egypt anyway, used henna. Coptic tapestries have wonderful rabbits on them .... from Greco Roman influence. In the eastern Mediterranean, 500 BCE to 1500 CE, rabbits were a symbol of intercourse, especially the free and abandoned hot and sticky sort of date .... and were frequently used as courting gifts from an ardent persuer to the desired. Most of the rabbits before the Islamic era were accompanied by a Satyr and a Maenad, or at least some fairly sexy babe figures. Lest you think that the rabbit was simply a metaphor for it's namesake (derived from "cuniculus" .... c**t), many of the "rabbit gift" images represent a man seducing another man (lots of these are on Greek vases). Into the Muslim world, the rabbits were still very sexy and animated, put in metaphoric settings. So ..... anyhow, it being spring and all ..... I put together a page of rabbit and hare patterns from the arts of henna useing countries for ya'll. Use them for Easter, or use them for Oestra, the fertility deity. Email me if ya want'em. Free as usual. Just ask.
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