Colleagues, today I invite you to explore the fascinating subject of Carthaginian masks!
Archaeological finds include:
🌟 Grotesque terracotta masks (often with distorted faces and protruding tongues)
🌟 Theatrical-style masks (similar to Greek ones)
🌟 Masks found in sanctuaries and necropolises.
Their function may be ritual, protective, or theatrical.
Archaeologists find terracotta masks in Carthage that are thought to have been used in rites, in religious processions, or to ward off evil spirits.
😯 Screaming / Ritual Faces
They express:
a scream
an incantation
“frozen sound”
Archaeologists write that such masks may have been used in rituals involving the voice / singing; they have been found, for example, near burials and at places of worship.
Seals on the forehead (crosses, lines, circles) / “solar” symbols:
a sign of initiation
protection
a connection with a deity (Baal-Hammon; Tanit)
🙃 Grotesque Apotropaic Masks
Features:
exaggerated facial features
wide-open eyes
a protruding tongue or bared teeth
sometimes beards or “demonic” elements
Such masks are most often regarded as apotropaic objects (protection against evil spirits).
They may have hung in sanctuaries or on walls.
They are associated with rituals in honour of Baal-Hammon.
😶 “The Stretched Face”
Features:
empty eye sockets
a strange, “dead” smile
a face stretched over a skull
Interpretation:
often found in tombs
may have been associated with the transition to the afterlife
mask = the deceased’s “new face” or protection for the soul.
You can discuss this topic and ask questions – HERE
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✨ © Ellen
Practitioner of Western magical traditions, priest of Moloch, medium
