An hermaphrodite, in black ink only.

Approximately 12-15cm’s in height to be tattooed on my forearm.

Design ideas:

This is based on my love of mythology and incorporates an ‘old’ god & goddess.  I would like to overlay this base mythology with modern influences.

The deities

The Minoan Snake Goddess from Crete:

According to wikipedia:

“Snake Goddess describes a number of figurines of a woman holding a snake in each hand found during excavation of Minoan archaeological sites in Crete dating from approximately 1600 BCE.  [...] While the idol’s true function is somewhat unclear, her exposed and amplified breasts suggest that she is some sort of fertility figure. The serpent is often symbolically associated with the renewal of life because it sheds its skin periodically.”

The god Pan:

A more traditional version of Pan:

According to wikipedia:

“Pan (Greek Πάν, genitive Πανός), in Greek religion and mythology, is the companion of the nymphs,^[1] god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein (Πάειν), meaning “to pasture”.^[2] He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a faun. With his homeland in rustic Arcadia, he is recognized as the god of fields, groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of theatrical criticism.^[3]“

Pan also has a strong erotic aspect, which I’d like to capture:

“Pan is famous for his sexual powers, and is often depicted with an erect phallus. Diogenes of Sinope, speaking in jest, related a myth of Pan learning masturbation from his father, Hermes, and teaching the habit to shepherds.^[15]“

Modern influences

The image I have in mind is an hermaphrodite combination of the two deities, but influenced by more modern looks and people.  I would like the top half to resemble the Minoan Goddess but influenced by a dream I had over 20 years ago.  The whole image also has the modern feel of a transgender/genderqueer/androgynous person.

Modern Minoan Goddess

The dream I’m referencing had the quality of the goddess, but was overlaid by a more middle-eastern influence.  Here are a couple of examples:

(This is by Dwam, whose illustrations can be found at their Flickr account here.

This dancer is from a Zodiac Show performance.

This image can’t be displayed on my blog, but is from Burning Man and is a great update of the aesthetic.

I want my goddess to be very sexual, lush, fluid.  Her hair should be long and suggest intricacy, without a lot of detail.  She should have beads/straps adorning her bare chest, cuffs (maybe snakes) on her wrists.  She’s fertile and full of life.

Modern Pan

The modern version of Pan is influenced by this singer:

You can see a video of this performance here

I would like my Pan to be wearing platform boots, which suggest his cloven hooves, but are clearly a throwback to the glam rock of the 70′s.  He also needs to have a semi-erect penis:  Clearly visible, almost hard, but positioned along the hip, rather than erect and away from the body.  He needs to be ready to create, but not carried away by lust.