When a Tree grew out of Her Womb
43.3 x 58 cm
Watercolor and Gouache on Paper
2021
What does it mean when an archaic goddess who once protected humans, now, rebirths inside an imaginary botanical womb while giving birth to a tree?
One of the most revered, Ancient Egyptian goddess Taweret, “The Great One”, is a protective goddess of mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth. She is a composite figure of a Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Lion, and Human. She uses her fearsome nature as an apotropaic device against demons who seek to destroy mother and
child in their times of weakness.
5000 years ago, it was believed that Taweret, a diminutive deity could save the children of thousands of humans, but humans could not save Taweret from themselves. Both hippopotami and lions who roamed freely are now extinct in Egypt.