Mother Earth, Pisces and the Two-Tailed Mermaid. Mother Earth, Pisces and the Two-Tailed Mermaid Lloyd D.
Graham A fascinating paper by Nikos Chausidis in a recent British Archaeological Report tracesthe development of “Mother Earth” iconography in a trans-historical and pan-geographicsynthesis that identifies five conceptual types. The category that concerns us here is thatof the “zoomorphised female figure,” an archetype consisting of a birth-giving goddesswhose lower anatomical features (most obviously, legs) are represented by creatures of the lower earth – snakes or fish. Mother Earth, Sirens and mermaids Many of the illustrations of the fish-legged Mother Earth offered by Chausidis aremedieval depictions of creatures that are more conventionally identified as Sirens, two-tailed mermaids or melusines. In many Romancelanguages, the word for “mermaid” is actually a derivative of “siren.” Sirena bicaudata – that conforms to the birth-giving Mother Earth template (Fig. 1). Melusine (Alchemical Siren, Twin-tailed Mermaid)
A typical illustration of a twin-tailed siren or mermaid.
This creature is associated with numerous stories and legends, and is imbued with symbolic meaning in alchemy. The most common iteration of the siren is as Melusine, a creature from medieval legend. Melusine (sometimes, Melusina) was, according to legend, beautiful woman with a disturbing tendency to transform into a serpent from the waist down while bathing; it is the discovery of this nature that triggers calamity. As the story is most often told, the cursed maiden is discovered in the forest by Raymond, the Duke of Aquitaine, who begs her to marry him.
She agrees, on condition that he never disturb her on a Saturday, when she bathes. Starbucks 101: What is the story behind the siren logo? - National Starbucks. The Starbucks logo is considered one of the most recognized logos in the world.
But what is it? Is it a mermaid, or is it a siren? The topic is debated in Starbucks stores across the globe, and technically, both sides are correct. In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous seductresses that were half-bird and half-woman and lived on an island surrounded by cliffs and rocks. They would seduce mariners with their enchanting music and song luring them to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island home.
So how did this mythical mermaid become the double-tailed siren we now know as the Starbucks logo? Norse woodcut art First Starbucks logo 1971 “Terry [Heckler]…pored over old marine books until he came up with a logo based on an old sixteenth-century Norse woodcut: a two-tailed mermaid, or siren, encircled by the store’s original name, Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice. Il Giornarle logo 1986-1987 Starbucks and Il Giornale logo hybrid 1987-1992. Greek mythology, Seirenes, w/ pictures. 10 Things You Don't Know About Starbucks (But Should!) Starbucks is the coffee icon people either love or love to hate. The Seattle company opened its first shop in 1971, and all these years later, the coffee giant is still brewing up addictive drinks and venti-sized controversy across the globe.
Here are 10 things you might not have known about Starbucks. 1. It Could Have Been "˜Pequods' Nothing says marketing genius like an extremely vague literary reference. When the first Starbucks opened in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971, it didn't sell coffee drinks, just beans. 2. At close inspection, the Starbucks logo makes no sense. There's some lady with long hair wearing a crown and holding what appears to be two"¦ giant salmon? Conspiracy theorists have had a field day with the cryptic image. Since Starbucks was named after a nautical character, the original Starbucks logo was designed to reflect the seductive imagery of the sea. 3. For three years, Annamarie Ausnes was just another Sharpie-scrawled name on a paper cup. 4. 5. 6. 7.
The Endicott Studio Journal of Mythic Arts, Summer 2003. How the Starbucks Siren Became Less Naughty. [update] Starbucks logo changes again.
You are probably here because you looked closely at the Starbucks logo and were a little confused about what is depicted on it. Is it a mermaid? What are those things that she is holding up with her hands? Wasn’t the logo different before? What’s the history of it? I asked those questions myself and did a little bit of digging. Meet the Starbucks Siren. Starbucks announced yesterday that it's going to this March.
This iteration. So, Who is the Siren? Great question.
It’s one we kept asking ourselves during the evolution of our logo (and yes, that’s right, a writer was involved in a logo project). We all needed to really, deeply understand for ourselves who she is. So, a little history. Let’s go all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be. In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on.
Over the last 40 years we’ve made some changes to that identity.