jonza
07-09-2003, 01:46 PM
The Secret of The Sphinx finally revealed!
I was looking through Fisters collection of old pictures and memorabilia again recently, when I found this fascinating and rare photograph:
http://www.studio16a.dk/Cats/f-Sphinx-grain.jpg
For many years, researchers have been discussing whether the head on the Sphinx as it is today is the original head or not. So, seeing this photograph, I decided to ask Fister about this. He has often told me about how much cats were revered and worshipped back in “The good old days” when the Pharaohs reigned. It seems that he feels a general lack of respect and understanding from the human race has developed since then.
“Back in those days” he says “people knew how to show the respect and devotion that we felines really deserve. Cats were considered as gods, and killing a cat was punishable by death!
The male cat was always depicted as sacred to the sun god Ra and the female cat to the fertility goddess Bast. Cats were carefully looked after during life, and the cadavers were also mummified and preserved in special cemeteries after death.
When a house cat died, the whole family and all their servants shaved their eyebrows and went into mourning - and the death of a temple cat would be mourned by the whole city."
"All this rubbish about the original head of the Sphinx representing Ramses or some other random pharaoh is complete nonsense. In actual fact, it was one of my forefathers who modelled for it. He really did look like me, don’t you agree?”
Fister claims to have inherited the picture from his dear mum, the ubiquitous Mrs. Spot.
john
(Fisters curator)
For other examples from Fisters inheritance, see:
Fisters Family Album - Cezanne (http://207.44.135.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20001)
Fisters Family Album - Andy Warhol (http://207.44.135.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20123)
I was looking through Fisters collection of old pictures and memorabilia again recently, when I found this fascinating and rare photograph:
http://www.studio16a.dk/Cats/f-Sphinx-grain.jpg
For many years, researchers have been discussing whether the head on the Sphinx as it is today is the original head or not. So, seeing this photograph, I decided to ask Fister about this. He has often told me about how much cats were revered and worshipped back in “The good old days” when the Pharaohs reigned. It seems that he feels a general lack of respect and understanding from the human race has developed since then.
“Back in those days” he says “people knew how to show the respect and devotion that we felines really deserve. Cats were considered as gods, and killing a cat was punishable by death!
The male cat was always depicted as sacred to the sun god Ra and the female cat to the fertility goddess Bast. Cats were carefully looked after during life, and the cadavers were also mummified and preserved in special cemeteries after death.
When a house cat died, the whole family and all their servants shaved their eyebrows and went into mourning - and the death of a temple cat would be mourned by the whole city."
"All this rubbish about the original head of the Sphinx representing Ramses or some other random pharaoh is complete nonsense. In actual fact, it was one of my forefathers who modelled for it. He really did look like me, don’t you agree?”
Fister claims to have inherited the picture from his dear mum, the ubiquitous Mrs. Spot.
john
(Fisters curator)
For other examples from Fisters inheritance, see:
Fisters Family Album - Cezanne (http://207.44.135.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20001)
Fisters Family Album - Andy Warhol (http://207.44.135.130/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20123)