Nocturn

On the "Indus Bird Mask" photography accompanying NOCTURN

The "Indus Bird Mask" photograph shows a standing heron. The Ancient Near East consists of the geographical area from the Indus Valley to the Mediterranean, plus Egypt and Greece. These are the myths of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Hebrews, Persians, Christians, and Greeks.

In ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology, the phoenix is a mythical bird and associated with the Egyptian sun-god Re and the Greek Phoibos (Apollo). According to the Greeks the bird lives in Arabia, nearby a cool well. Each morning at dawn, it would bathe in the water and sing such a beautiful song, that the sun-god stops his chariot to listen.

In Egypt it was usually depicted as a heron, but in the classic literature as a peacock. ["Design by Kate and Peacock" on back of CD booklet? *] The phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. In that aspect it was often placed on sarcophagi. The name Phoenix to the Egyptians, as to other pagan nations was a name that symbolized the Sun-god under the names Ra and Osiris. The name Phoenix means "Shining One" (and so does the name "Lucifer"). It is associated with the Egyptian Benu (or Bennu)... And of course the somewhat planetary photograph accompanying AERIAL seems very much to show the immortal and invincible arisen Phoenix Heron Bird...

In the 'Book of the Dead' from the New Kingdom the Benu is represented as a grey heron (Ardea cinera), with two long head plumes and a straight beak. Though primarily associated with Atum and Re, the resurrection aspect led to an association with Osiris, and the heron was sometimes depicted wearing the 'atef' crown. In ancient Egyptian, the hieroglyph for 'Benu' means to 'rise in brilliance' or to 'shine'. The standing heron appears in naturalistic or symbolical scenes connected with the sun-god or life after death. Often the sun-disc was shown above its head, pointing at the connection with the myth of the sun-god and its day and night journey. The heron also represented the 'Ba' - the soul of Ra. By the cry of the Benu bird, existence was announced as coming into being. The silence of the primeval night is broken and light and life is brought to creation.

There are depictions of the heron perching on a cliff or a little piece of land which is rising above the flooded waters. In this way it became an adequate image of life emerging out of the primeval waters at the first time of creation, just like the sun was said to do, and thus symbolising rebirth.

Because of its association with rebirth, the heron also became a manifestation of the resurrected Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and brother/husband of Isis. The goddess Isis, a moon goddess, gave birth to Horus, the god of the sun. Together, Isis and Horus created and sustained all life and were the saviors of their people. Isis is closely connected with the Greek Moon Goddess, Artemis...

"On this Midsummer night Everyone is sleeping We go driving into the moonlight..."

Isis was a winged goddess who represented all that was visible, birth, growth, development and vigour. Having wings, she was a wind goddess. The kite was sacred to her, and she could transform herself into this bird at will...

"The sands run red In lands of the Pharoahs..."

"Where sands sing in crim-son, red and rust..."

Inscribed in the temple of Isis: "I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; No mortal man hath ever me unveiled. The fruit which I have brought forth is the ‘SUN’."