THE MOTHER GODDESS AND THE BULL

In pre-nuraghic Sardinia the earth, conceived and venerated as an erotically nude mother portrayed with synthetic forms and stylised decorations, becomes a procreative goddess, the origin of all forms of life and the central element in the cycle of nature. In the earth (under ground) the destiny of both vegetation and humanity is played out through the process of birth-death-rebirth. Maternal figurines and protomes (ancient decorative elements in the shape of heads) of bulls are the feminine and masculine features that synthesise the life cycle. The taurine heads are the predominant figurative elements in the necropolises of the pre-nuraghic period, evoking the strength and fertility essential for the reproduction of the unceasing life cycle. The mother goddess and the bull, respectively perceived as the moon and the sun, are cyclical and complementary and as they alternate they determine the existence of all forms of life.