A Slightly Odd Request

[ecosophia]

I am in need of a rather specialized object, and figured my readers are strange enough that they might be able to help.

What I need is a wooden statue of any one of a small number of Celtic deities revered in the Druid Revival tradition:  either Hu Gadarn, Ceridwen, Hesus, Sul, or Elen. It needn't be especially fancy -- something as simple as the statue of Njord on the left would be fine. What makes this a challenging request is that it needs to be hollow: that is, there needs to be a cavity in the middle of it into which certain items can be placed.

I am entirely willing to commission such a piece and can provide ample details of the iconography I have in mind. The details noted above, however, are inflexible: the image has to be made of wood (and not any other substance), it has to be hollow, and it has to represent one of the deities named above.

If anyone can help I would be most grateful.

Comments

[jenniferkobernik]

I’m not sure I could carry it off with any flair, but if you don’t get a better offer, I do have the tools and probably the skills to make something like that, and would be willing to take a crack at it. Assuming there are no restrictions on use of steel and/or power tools for the making?

[ecosophia]

No restrictions at all, fortunately. Let me consider the options -- but I'll certainly include you as one of those.

[jprussell]

AncientGods on Etsy has at least Ceridwen and Elen, but they don't seem to be hollow by default - perhaps the seller could modify? https://www.etsy.com/shop/AncientGods?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=888884246&from_page=listing§ion_id=27233693

Alternatively, do you have any reasons not to make a statue hollow yourself? Physically, it seems like it would be pretty straightforward with a drill and a vice, which ought to be available in any makerspace or woodshop friendly enough to let you borrow the equipment. That would widen your options for purchase significantly. But I don't know if that would have any magical/spiritual implications you might want to avoid.

Also, I figure you would have said so if so, but any chance you can share what the significance of these specifications is? If not, no worries, just curious.

Good luck!
Jeff

[brenainn]

I second "AncientGods" over on Etsy. I've had multiple custom orders with them (there's a spot on the left side of their page for it) and I have no complaints. My altar statues of Anat, Hercules and Juventas, as well as several Anglo-Saxon and Celtic deities were all done by this Etsy seller. They don't normally come hollowed out but I'm guessing they're capable of doing so as part of a custom order.

[ecosophia]

I don't have the necessary tools or workshop space these days, or I'd have considered that. As for the other, ahem: to know, to dare, to will...

[jprussell]

Fair enough, and I assumed as much was likely, but figured I might as well dare to ask :)

[(Anonymous)]

I like the designs but I'm not wild about the "Satanic Idols" section on that page.

[jprussell]

Yeah, that gave me some pause in sharing the link. I don't have any personal experience with his/her work, but the fact that brenainn has had good experiences speaks well.

Special order

[(Anonymous)]

I think you can obtain special orders for a deity statue at this etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ExclusiveWoodenCraft

[(Anonymous)]

I got a very compelling wooden statue of Father Odinn from this seller: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ZolotoyKlyuchik

It got to me quite rapidly too for having come from a warzone on the other side of the planet.

[(Anonymous)]

Fascinating and beautiful work, and I wish him the best, but I notice the link is for *Etsy Australia*.
He may have been able to escape the war zone.
Perhaps "Sumy, Ukraine" is where he escaped from and hopes to return to someday?

- Cicada Grove

[arth_cerdded]

I see you already have plenty of other options to go with, and I would be willing to give it a go as well. I have a small wood shop (garage) and the tools needed to do this. I will say I have never carved statues, but the principles are the same and should transfer easily enough. Just another option to consider.

Regards,
Bert

[ecosophia]

Thank you. I'll certainly consider you as one of the options!

[fringewood]

How large of a cavity do you need? This would dictate the size of the statue. Any particular kind of wood? I can email pictures of the staffs I make to give you an idea of my work if you like.
Thanks.

[ecosophia]

The diameter of a pencil would be fine, though I can use a larger cavity than that. Please do send me a picture or two -- thank you!

[fringewood]

a couple of staffs and a statue. Statue is 2" diameter.
Do you need a plug for the bottom?

[(Anonymous)]

He mainly works in stone, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d take a wood commission:

https://www.instagram.com/stonemadcrafts?igsh=MWs0Z28xOHA4aXByeg==

His Etsy shop is: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StoneMadCrafts?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaajFEfQyvqeMhsK4iUIZ_z9wZOYvxfcuQ_bfNmBYVOvqvcbdRZzx9HrtjM_aem_bpWAYTFRCLErQwN_CAS1aQ

I’ve followed him on Instagram for a long time and he seems like a jolly, personable, skilled carver who has a strong personal devotion to the Celtic pantheon.

[mountainchild]

Throwing in my hat as another option. I've got a woodshop and would be happy to help. I just finished carving my own Coelbren tiles for divination (made of hickory, all hand tools if it matters). I'm looking for another project in a similar vein, and would love to help out.

Do you want the hollow inside to have a lid of some kind or to be closable in some way?

(I'm having trouble finding a way to add a photo. Is there something obvious I'm overlooking?)

Hollowed statue

[emily07]

Dear JMG,
probably not worth it, but who knows: my family once was involved in children vacation for childen that live around the Schernobil-area and sometimes we hosted the teachers and/or translators. They always brought guest-presents, once a hollow man figure that could contain a bottle, we jokingly put inside an empty bottle with "vodka" engraved on it. It was set up like a matruschka (the doll-figures with seemingly endless same figures inside) but only one not many and of course bigger, to hold the bottle.
So maybe there are bielarus or rus-Ancestry people around you with coresponding workshops, that might have something on offer?
Best wishes,
Emily07

If nothing else works out...

[(Anonymous)]

JMG-

.You could send me a drawing of what you need. I would prefer to work no larger than a 3" diameter.

-*Lathe*chuck*-

PS- When I saw that "weird" had a flurry of activity as a political label, I fantasized getting a T-shirt made up: "WEIRD (probably weirder than you can imagine)".

[ecosophia]

Thank you all for your help! I've got someone working on the project at this point. (Rubs hands together in glee...)