| Roman Sun God sculpture plus its history - roman baths, Bath UK new site for roman baths sun god A remarkable stone sculpture which can be seen in the Museum of the Roman Baths in Bath. This face which formed the centrepiece of the pediment to the Temple of Sulis Minerva, has remained relatively intact because it lay face downwards in the mud for many centuries after the Romans left Britain. It is unusual because it is a male Gorgon's Head with snakes writhing in it's hair and because the style of sculpture is a mixture of Celtic and Roman. There are some who believe the face may represent the legendary Druid King of the Britons, King Bladud, 8th King after Brute, father of King Lear, and son of King Hudibrae also known as Lud. Bladud discovered the healing powers of the hot springs and founded the baths in Bath in 865BC. He was also a great magician, philosopher and mathematician. According to legend he even mastered the secrets of flying. Note the wings on the side of the head which suggest a connection with flying. Another interpretation of this face is as a Sun God sailing in his serpent boat, with hair and beard billowing away from his face like rays of heat and light. This male god of heat and light combined with his complementary opposite, the goddess of dark, underground water, Sulis produce the wonder of the hot springs at their point of union on the earth's surface. In very ancient times the eel may have lived in the swampy hot waters around the hot springs of Bath and were regarded as symbols of magic, energy, and the underworld. I make an accurate smaller reproduction of this sculpture for home or garden. The picture is a photo of my work Go to to orderform here or e-m ail |
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