 
Mari is the main Deity of the Basque people of western France and northeastern Spain. Her name may mean either ‘Gift’ or ‘Mother’ in the Basque language, and She is closely associated with Mount Anboto, a mountain in the northwestern Pyrenees, taking the title Anbotoko Mari, ‘the Lady of Anboto.’ She is said to live there in a cave on the eastern face, where She lives with Her husband, the God Sugaar. Mari has many other homes in the Pyrenee mountains, and Her travels between Her homes are associated with the weather; when She leaves Her home, She causes rain or hail to fall. Depending on which home She currently lives in, the season may be wet or dry. Her associating with rain may have connected Her with thunder and lightning, and therefore fire; She is often described as a beautiful woman all in red, and red animals are sacred to Her. I have shown Her here as a rain Goddess, all in red and gold, with ornaments from the so-called Atlantic Iron Age, which encompasses the area that is the traditional homeland of the Basques (in Roman times known as the Vascones tribes), with Mount Anboto in the background. Done as a commission. This design is available on prints through ArtPal. |