SarahJoy

Book II Challenge III Cat A: A Lapse in Faith

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Some years ago . . .

"I still don't see why you couldn't have apprenticed with one of our own stonemasons. Dwarves are famous for their sculpture! Famous!" grumbled Hafþór Stronghammer as they strode through the Contemplative Gardens. Ráðgeir kept silent. He'd heard this rant before, more than once.

Hafþór continued, "I don't like it! I know, you spent your year in the cold, and so I have no say in the matter, but I don't like it! And I won't have you living among these greedy thieving merchants, worshipping no gods but the gold coin, with no thought of the spirits of your ancestors! No son of Stronghammer will be corrupted! No, you must have your own spirits, proper Dwarven heroes, even in this heathen land."

"Yes, Da," mumbled Ráðgeir. They reached their goal: a just-completed Dwarven shrine, carved by Ruadh's finest sculptors to Hafþór's exacting specifications: an icon of the All-Fathers, embodiment of all the warriors that came before. Ráðgeir noticed a few small, scrubby-looking flowers planted at the base.

"Edelblau, Da? Really? Surely the All-Fathers deserve something more regal! I know it's the desert, but I'll be here to maintain things!"

Hafþór stopped and gazed intently at his son. Ráðgeir was confused by the look of sadness that crossed his father's face, before the old man scrubbed his hands against his face and down his beard. Quietly, he said, "Son. The All-Fathers will always be here for you, even when our people are farthest from your thoughts."

Hafþór abruptly turned away and stalked back to the inn, leaving his son to scramble behind him.

Present Day . . .

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The clan had issued a call to war, and Ráðgeir knew he must answer it. Just before he began his journey, he paid a visit to the Shrine of the All-Fathers. As Ráðgeir approached the shrine, he noticed the the small edelblau flowers stretching out from the statue, glistening in the sun, and felt guilty. It had been over four years since Ráðgeir came to Ruadh, and over four years since he had visited the shrine. His father had been right to plant the humble, hardy flowers; they'd thrived on their own, without Ráðgeir's attentions.

The icon of the Great All-Fathers, with his piercing lapis-lazuli eyes, loomed over him. As Ráðgeir approached, he noticed the bare feet. Embarrassment flashed in his mind -- Bare feet! How uncouth! -- and then he was instantly shamed. The traditions of his people were old, and worthy, and not deserving of scorn. One felt the call of the mountains, the stone, the mines, through the feet; it was an experience Ráðgeir hadn't felt in a long time, and suddenly he longed for it.

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He trudged onward, and then stopped abruptly. Ráðgeir stared at the stone statues clustered at the base of the shrine. In the tradition of his clan, he had carved an orante figure to pray in his stead, while he went back to Mitgardia and battle. He'd always thought of this shrine as his own, patiently and beneficently watching over him from afar. This cluster of stone statues brought the abrupt realization that while he had been carousing with fellow Ruadhi students for the past several years, other dwarves had been properly venerating the ancestors, properly attending the shrine he'd pushed out of his mind. These orante figures were a harsh reminder of his neglect to his faith, his traditions, and his people.

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Ráðgeir didn't look forward to war, but he had grudgingly answered the call. Now, as he gazed upon the shrine, he realized it was past time to return home to his people, to his clan.

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Notes: The concept of the orante figures is borrowed from ancient Sumer. A few of my favorite Sumerian orante figures are at the Menil in Houston and the Louvre.

Edited by SarahJoy

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A thoughtful creation and a very good statue! Blue eyes!

"Edelblau" - that is, of course, funny. :thumbup:

Posture of statue and feet design are really great.

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Excellent concept and statue! My favorite part is however those small figures and the lore surrounding them, if I'd had a little bit more time I would have made some last-minute alterations to my cat A build to include that :classic:

Edited by Gideon

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Taht is really well done! I like the beard and shinny blue eyes.

Thanks, Zblj! Using white 1x1 plates behind the trans tiles really helped the blue to shine.

A thoughtful creation and a very good statue! Blue eyes!

"Edelblau" - that is, of course, funny. :thumbup:

Posture of statue and feet design are really great.

Thank you! The feet took a bit of attention, but I'm pleased with the way they turned out. I'm glad you enjoyed the Edelblau reference. :wink:

Excellent concept and statue! My favorite part is however those small figures and the lore surrounding them, if I'd had a little bit more time I would have made some last-minute alterations to my cat A build to include that :classic:

High praise from such a skilled builder! I'm humbled. I wish I could take credit for the idea of the orante figures, but it's just remnants of high school Art History class. :classic:

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Really like the story behind this build, and the build is nice! The statue turned out great!

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AMAZING. I really like the story here and that statue is unique and cool for not being warlike. I also really like the choice of Hagrid's hair-beard for a dwarf since it looks overwhelming which is appropriate. As always, your attention to detail and color pays off huge here.

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What a unique statue! I really like those blue eyes! The small statues gives a great touch

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Thoughtful is really the word that comes to mind when viewing this build and story. Such wonderful and elegantly-expressed lore... The internal tensions behind the character's view of his ancestors and their traditions really speaks, to me at least, of some of the failings and trappings of modern Western civilization.

Anyways... the build looks gorgeous too. Some lovely landscaping here. The statue is also well done, looks as if it was cut from the type of sandstone I presume is common in Kaliphlin. I like how you stuck to the overall minifig look when you built this statue. Overall, top notch entry Sarah!

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I wish I could take credit for the idea of the orante figures, but it's just remnants of high school Art History class. :classic:

I like it a lot when builders are inspired by historical facts and reinterpreting them to fit in the fantasy world :classic:

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Neat idea with the small carved figures. The statue is also looks great, just like it was carved out of sandstone.

I must say that when i first say this, the first thing that came to mind was Humpty Dumpty :laugh:

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Good!

I think that's the first version I have seen in tan.

Thanks ArchitectureFan! You may be right.

Very well modeled Statue Sarah! Great entry :wink:

Thank you Gunman! :classic:

This is just beautiful and an interesting story too!

Thanks so much kabel! Glad you enjoyed the story.

Really like the story behind this build, and the build is nice! The statue turned out great!

Thank you! It's not as detailed or greebley as some of the brilliant builds, but this one just wanted to be smooth.

AMAZING. I really like the story here and that statue is unique and cool for not being warlike. I also really like the choice of Hagrid's hair-beard for a dwarf since it looks overwhelming which is appropriate. As always, your attention to detail and color pays off huge here.

Thank you so much. :blush: I hadn't thought about it being not war-like. The pose is modeled after Tarot's Magician card and the Hermetic expression "As above, so below", but it would have been too wordy to work that into the rest of the lore that developed. Plus, there should probably be a limit to how many cultural/spiritual references should be mashed into a single build. :classic:

The Hagrid beard was much, um, larger than I expected when I bricklinked it; the poor fit definitely limited the potential photographic angles. But I liked that it seemed like a particularly unkempt dwarf-hair-beard.

What a unique statue! I really like those blue eyes! The small statues gives a great touch

Thanks, de Gothia! The orante figures ended up my favorite part.

Thoughtful is really the word that comes to mind when viewing this build and story. Such wonderful and elegantly-expressed lore... The internal tensions behind the character's view of his ancestors and their traditions really speaks, to me at least, of some of the failings and trappings of modern Western civilization.

Anyways... the build looks gorgeous too. Some lovely landscaping here. The statue is also well done, looks as if it was cut from the type of sandstone I presume is common in Kaliphlin. I like how you stuck to the overall minifig look when you built this statue. Overall, top notch entry Sarah!

:blush: I'm touched by your interpretation. I spent a fair amount of time on the story, and your take left me a bit speechless, in a good way. Your and mccoyed's responses really emphasize the idea that once art is created -- words, paintings, etc -- the interpretation no longer belongs to the artist; it is what the audience sees that becomes the reality.

The mini-fig shape was the starting point for the shrine, but the straight scaled-up version was dead-boring. I'm glad a bit of it still shines through!

Very nice statue. The color stands out and it really works. Nice job!

Thank you Jakorin! The edelblau started out as edelrosa, but the blue seemed more cohesive. Glad you liked it!

Sweet! I really like how even with the challenge builds you are fleshing out Ruadh!

Thanks! That wasn't my initial goal, but I had builder's block until I thought of setting the challenge where I'm comfortable. It all developed from there.

I like it a lot when builders are inspired by historical facts and reinterpreting them to fit in the fantasy world :classic:

:classic:

Neat idea with the small carved figures. The statue is also looks great, just like it was carved out of sandstone.

I must say that when i first say this, the first thing that came to mind was Humpty Dumpty :laugh:

Hahaha thank you! Now that you mention it, I totally see the Humpty Dumpty -- The exaggerated torso and beard, combined with the flowing hair behind the torso, gives a definite egg shape!

Edited by SarahJoy

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The border/base of this build is lovely :wub: Very good statue too, I particularly like the beard section :thumbup:

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Excellent build, especially the statue, SarahJoy!

The attention to color and balance is very evident in this build. I also like to see fantastical interpretations of real history, and this is no exception! The story is great as well!

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