Meet The Blue Hippo

Meet the blue hippo.
I have had questions about my avatar so I thought I'd introduce you to him.



The avatar is a stuffed animal version of the Blue Hippo figure that is found in ancient Egypt from 3,000 years ago. It is especially found in tombs from the 12th dynasty. The statues were made in faience, a ceramic material made of ground quartz. It would be glazed in blue-green and painted with river plants that were found in the rivers where the hippos lived.

The Egyptians liked to use the color blue when dealing with royalty and with the gods. The color represented the universe because it is the color of the sky and therefore considered to be the color of the heavens.

Ancient Egypt Online - Why Egyptians Used Blue

As blue is also the colour of water and hence the colour of the Nile and the primeval waters of chaos (known as Nun). As a result the colour blue was associated with fertility, rebirth and the power of creation. Blue glass or faience hippopotami were a popular symbols of the Nile and the creator god Amun was often depicted with a blue face. According to myth, the hair of the gods was made of precious Lapis Lazuli (khesbedj). A number of Pharaohs imitated the god and were depicted in art with blue faces or hair.

Online Collection - NYC Met Museum

The seemingly benign appearance that this figurine presents is deceptive. To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was one of the most dangerous animals in their world. The huge creatures were a hazard for small fishing boats and other rivercraft. The beast might also be encountered on the waterways in the journey to the afterlife. As such, the hippopotamus was a force of nature that needed to be propitiated and controlled, both in this life and the next.

This past fall I went to the NYC Met for the first time since I was a teenager. I used to love going to the Egyptian exhibit and I enjoyed it this time as well. The Met has adopted the Blue Hippo as it's symbol. (Much like the Philadelphia Museum of Art has Van Goghs Sunflowers as it's symbol). I saw the original Blue Hippo statue there, and saw tons of blue hippo stuff in the gift shop. I bought a small version of the Blue Hippo funeral statue and have it on my bedroom dresser, next to another Egyptian statue - Bastet.

I have been playing with my avatar for the past few months .. trying to find something that felt right. It has been changing with my changing mood. Then today I remembered my little Blue Hippo statue and decided that would be a great avatar for my mood at this time. So I found a picture of a stuffed animal version and ... poof ... new avatar.

Gotta' have an avatar to fit the mood ... ya' know?
Anyways, that's the story of the Blue Hippo.

I noticed your new avatar earlier, and really like it!!!!

The background is appreciated.....and it's always good to be able to say you learned something new today

a reply to: FlyersFan

It feels very serene

:-)

a reply to: FlyersFan

Ah, that's "William" the MET's "unofficial mascot". I have the earthenware one, which I bought at the MET store many years ago, after seeing the real one on display. Mine sits on a bookcase.

since its arrival at the Museum in 1917 the Egyptian faience sculpture has been a favorite with visitors, and for many years has been known as "William"—the Metropolitan's unofficial mascot. Like the original, our figurine is decorated with drawings of lotus blossoms and marsh plants which remind us of his favorite habitat, the shallow banks of the Nile River.
Glazed earthenware. 8''L x 3''W x 4 1/4''H.

store.metmuseum.org...

Like the avatar.