BSC2023 Hammers Eastering Shrine to the Dark Lord

[Hammers]

I have somethinig like the below in mind. I read the adventures of Alix as a young boy and the Baal worship and human sacrifice of the Carthagians and other people of the Levante.

I have in later years come to understand that the Baal and moloch ritual of the author and artist Jaques Martin is rather heavily dramatized and much influenced by 19th century fanciful interpretaions of texts and archeological finds. There certainly are indications of human sacrifice (the moloch ritual) and many pots with charred remains of children have been found in Carthage. Baal is villaiized much because of the competing worship of Jahve, but there are indications that the Israelites were to at least some degree given to human sacrifice to.

In Tolkien's writing about the downfall of Numenor, Sauron manipulated the black numenoreans to sacrifice of the Faithful to Morgoth in "the Temple" atop mount Armenelos. The Temple was said to be a round building that was five hundred feet tall, five hundred feet in diameter, and had walls that were fifty feet thick at the base. It was topped by a huge silver dome. This dome had a louver in the center to let out smoke from burnt offerings, and over time became black from the soot.

I am *not* going to do that, but will give the Easterling a large idol, similar to the Baal statue portraied by Martin. Instead of a furnace below a gaping maw there will be a fiery eye into wich the victims will be flung.

[David H]

This sounds impressive - I'm excited to see the outcome!

[Daeothar]

Ah yes, I remember reading that as a kid!

Nice idea 

[has.been]

Sauron wasn't really that bad; he just was misunderstood... 

To paraphrase Life of Brian, 'He's not the Evil Lord, he's just a very naughty boy!'

[snitcythedog]

This is looking interesting. 

[Hammers]

I am working on the concept of a Sauron-moloch alter/statue, and as per usual I don't make things eazy for myself.

I want the idea to work both culturally and technically which is a bit nuts, I agree, but that is just he way I roll.

From a cultural perspective I am considering the following:

Looka at the Kali idols photos attached. Quite impressive, one of my favs of all nonexistant gods. Very convincing as a dark god-entity. She is dancing; sporting club-wear of skulls, various implements, a crown etc. What I *don't* think is transferable to Sauron, from a Easterling perspective, doing the boogie on the vanquished Free Folk, neither to have eight arms. What does work is the dark bronze collour, the crown; him in some other way resting on images of the crushed and opressed elves, men and what have you.

The Wicker Man is a really cool and, as I under stand it, is a celtic type of moloch (sacrifice of flesh). For a primitive type of tribes it spot on, but for the interpretation of Easterlings in the MESBG i am not so sure. They are advanced in metalurgy etc. Also, burning the effigy of the Dark Lord to the ground everytime day of worship doesn't sit right with the Middle-Earth lore.

Now turning to the technical.

I am very much married to using the aforementiond Baal-worship and idolatry. A throne bronze statue with arms mechanicallly tossing human sacrifice into a internal furnace would be the shit. It is however quite intricate to make work convincingly, I notice, when scetching the idea. Using modelling dummies work to some degree.

So far I have come up doing an idol of Souron, crowned, seated on a throne, arms and hand outsteched to receive offerings.

The throne, is of fire resistant brick with openings to recieve fuel. The throne should (inspired by Kali imagenary) should rest on carved images of suffering elves and men. The outer shell of Sauron should be dark bronze, internally lined with brick (a very functional decision). The idol works as a chimney, meaning the crown of the Dark Lords skull is chanelling much of the heat, that the bronze idol doesn't warp. The throned seated statue will have an Iron crown but in other aspects be unadorned/naked, but perhaps for a necklace of gilded skulls (again a Kali reference). The face of the statue will have one cyclopic eye, oversized, in which the sacrifice are thrown.

Now, making the arms work as levers to toss victims into the Eye is tricky. I want this to work, functionally, which means elbow hinges need to be in the rigt place and angle and arms/hands need to be of the right lenght and angle. My art manequins are of a certain help.

[McMordain]

I like the detailed reasoning behind the construction.

[mikedemana]

This sounds amazing, Hammers! 

Any plans for glowing LED lights for the Sauron idol's eyes...? 

Mike Demana

[Hammers]

This sounds amazing, Hammers! 

Any plans for glowing LED lights for the Sauron idol's eyes...? 

Mike Demana

"Eyes" plural? Do your homework and read Lord of the Rings again! 

[has.been]

"Eyes" plural? Do your homework and read Lord of the Rings again! 

What! All of it?  That's a bit harsh.

[mikedemana]

Better tell Peter Jackson that...! 

I was thinking your altar would be pre-3rd Age, when he wasn't yet the lidless eye...

Mike Demana

[Hammers]

Some progress

[snitcythedog]

With a throne that big it will be epic.  Watching with interest. 

[syrinx0]

should rest on carved images of suffering elves and men.

No dwarfs?

[has.been]

No dwarfs?

Nah! It would come up short.