Hurray! We finished our second project in Space Research! For this project, I decided to make a Mesopotamian lion-demon mask. Lion-demons are a hybrid creature, having a lion head, donkey ears, and bird feet. It has the torso of a man. I just bought an illustrated dictionary of Ancient Mesopotamian gods, symbols, demons. The second I saw this demon, I knew I was going to make in cardboard somehow. To have that human lion hybrid, I made the lion head into a mask so that my body could be incorporated into the piece. It's a pretty big piece but it's not that heavy.
The mask has a wonderful regal profile and is best viewed from this angle. Here it is displayed on my lovely stand for our critic in class today.
Here is the mask being worn. Like I said before, it's not that heavy because it is made out of cardboard. It does get warm after a while. I feel pretty cool with it on.
In Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, lion-demons are protective creatures against other demons. They are relief sculptures in kings' palaces and clay figurines. In old Babylon, the lion-demon was a bringer of disease and death.
And on another note, Happy St. Patrick's day.
