In stark contrast to last week's angelic "Temperance", today we have the devil....
Baphomet is a mythological creature who is part man, part goat, and …
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In stark contrast to last week's angelic "Temperance", today we have the devil....
Baphomet is a mythological creature who is part man, part goat, and part male, part female. This symbolizes duality and the age-old battle between good and evil. The inverted pentagram above the figure is a symbol of disharmony. The torch turned down is negativity, the opposite of the light of love and hope.
The two human figures are bound by chains that illustrate the bondage of bad behaviour and choices. Links on the chains represent each choice that together form destructive habits. They are also loose, indicating that bad behaviour may also be voluntary. The horns and tails suggest a lapse into bestial behaviour, even hinting at devilishness. Traditionally the tails are of fire and fruit representing lust and gluttony respectively. This looked rather odd to me so I have moved the fruit to a more conventional representation.
I have intentionally made this a twisted version of “The Heirophant” using the same setting and similar lighting. The human figures are also the couple from “The Lovers”; make of that what you will! « Less
