Tyger, Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night …
The first two lines of William Blake’s great poem: The Tyger.
And why not? Blake is only one of many that elevated this-- the
largest of the great cats–to heroic proportions. Any one out there
remember Shere Khan … Rudyard Kipling’s creation of Mowgli’s
nemesis? And how about that predatory creature in Little Red Riding
Hood?
Hunh? Wazzat? It’s a wolf that goes with that tale you say? Nay nay
sweet boids of yute. In the Chinese version … it’s a tiger wot
takes the place of the wolf and eats ol’ gran’ma. So … when he’s
ogling women … he ain’t no wolf … he’s a tiger.
The Tiger is the cat of ultimate symbolism. It is creator and
destroyer. It is cruel greed and royal strength. It is anger. In the
orient … it is the yang … the King of Beasts.
The Tiger is a Grave-Guardian. It drives away demons in the dark of
night. It is chthonic. And now … a quick legend of the great cat
offered here as a prelude to the carved turquoise you are all about
to see.
It is said that once the Tiger has eaten a man … he can then make
his victim’s ghost walk in front of him through the jungle enticing
fresh prey. After the next victim has been eaten … the ghost of the
first is free to go about doing whatever it is ghosts do.
So there it is … everything you ever wanted to know about Tigers
… and more. Which brings us to this piece of turquoise with a
roaring tiger sculpted in relief. The mythology is fascinating … as
is the jeweler’s work. It is quite beautiful.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Tyger …
in order to view a turquoise pendant with the great cat sculpted in
relief.
Benjamin Mark