I wasn’t going to post anything about this video, but I am so in love with what Kanye has done here I had to say something. I’ve been watching his Power “moving painting” since it came out yesterday and I must say that I am absolutely inspired. I love what he did here…the imagery is amazing. I read another blogger’s interpretation of the power video and I wanted to add something to what she said…To read the blog post I’m speaking of, please go to Find The Pieces. In her post Alisha L. Gordon points out that the women with staffs represent Kanye’s mother and I don’t think a lot of people really got that so I have to say brilliant observation because I absolutely agree. I just wanted to add something….so here goes:
The women with staffs: In Egyptian mythology there was a goddess by the name of Hathor …she was the goddess of motherhood, joy, love, sky, beauty, and music. Hathor was also the eye of Ra and considered his daughter, when Ra became Horus in later myth, Hathor was his mother who in myth, carried him between her horns. She is also depicted as the “Mistress of the West” in the tombs of royal and common people in ancient Egypt. I don’t know about anyone else but I can definitely see why Kanye used this as a representation of his mom. We all see our parents as representations of certain elements in our life. I thought that was really deep.
Check the story of Horus here .
The woman sitting in front of Kanye looks to be Maat who in ancient Egypt, was the concept of morality, order, law, balance, and truth. The name is translated as meaning “that which is straight”. She is depicted in other ways ( one way is as having horns like the goddess Hathor). The halo above his head with the sword in the middle was something that I was kind of lost on, but my initial interpretation of is that he is a divine being (as I believe we all are…made in his likeness and image and things like that *shrugs*) and the sword…i don’t know what to think except that it is the sword of God protecting him from his enemies. If anyone else has another interpretation, please let me know.
Honestly I see something different every time I watch his musical painting. I could go on and on with the symbolism because I have always been a little fascinated with Egyptian mythology.
This actually turned me on to Marco Brambilla who actually directed Kanye’s music painting. Check out Marco’s other works of art here . Anyway….here’s it is…watch and let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Being Je'neen 
Ah! I didn’t even THINK about the Egyptian mythology aspect of the video. Your interpretation and inclusion of that info really adds a whole ‘nother element to the video.
It was disheartening to see so many people on Twitter and other sites bashing the video, and this was before I saw it.
One look at the video and I was like WHOA! I couldn’t believe so many people missed the symbolism in it. If I can figure it out, I’m going to link THIS blog to my blog to give people even more insight.
Thanks!
thank you for the feedback. Yeah, a lot of times people look at something without really thinking about it. It was very disappointing to see how some people on twitter an other sites reacted to it. When people learn to stop being what I like to call “surface thinkers” and dig deeper they will be amazed at the things they see and learn. I appreciate you linking this to your blog which is pretty cool by the way. I am actually going back and reading through your older posts right now.
thank you for making total sense out of this video. i was really getting weary of the satanic/Illuminati references to the images in the video (as well as his BET performace…really? kanye worships satan? pfffft!). is it too much to ask for people to reach back and read a little bit about art & world history as well as mythology? something truly different and amazingly put together comes out of the hiphop world for once, in this age where music videos are just product placement ads, and it gets pissed on. shameful.
i am confused about the length of the video. i’ve read were this is just a ‘trailer’ or preview for the actual video, while other posts state that this is it. is there any truth to their being more? could we see a full on ‘Sistine Chapel’ display as the entire song plays?
also, the sword above his head is a reference to The Sword of Democles. http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Damocles.html
thanks for the comment. I’m not sure if there is going to be more to it or not. I haven’t heard about what was released being only a preview or trailer. I think that what we saw is all there is but with Kanye you never know. If he lengthens this I would right there glued to the screen to watch it. I absolutely loved it.
Sword of Damocles
thanks!
Thanks! I linked your blog to mine on the story, so you should be getting some ping backs. My page says you’ve gotten a few so far!
Feel free to peruse the blog…there’s some good stuff on there. If you’re on twitter, follow me at @dstarwriter59 and let me know its you so I can follow back!
sure thing…i just followed you on twitter i’m @asetdevine
If I remember my mythologies and symbolism correctly, the sword with the halo that is suspended on top of Kanye’s head in the video is the “Sword of Damocles”. Since the video and song is about POWER, it means is that he who possessed the most power, also lives in constant fear. So you could say that even with all the riches and protection that is laid out for him, the mere fact that sword above his head will just fall anytime without warning. The symbolism in the sword could be anything, his personal demons, people who can betray him or something else….
for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles
hope that helps.
that does help…thanks for that info. thanks for the link and the comment.
Found something. The sword above Kanye’s head sets the tone for the video…
It’s called The Sword of Damocles and it is frequently used as an allusion in classic literature. It epitomizes the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. More generally, it is used to denote the sense of foreboding engendered by a precarious situation, especially one in which the onset of tragedy is restrained only by a delicate trigger or chance. Shakespeare’s Henry IV expands on this theme: “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”
The sword usually hangs by a thin string.
Looking back, I wonder if Kanye believes his mother’s death on himself…
the Shakespeare quote is interesting…I like that. Someone else said the Sword of Damocles also. As far as his mom’s death…I don’t know..it’s possible that he could feel that way. I recently lost my mom and I can say that I can understand that feeling if that is what’s going on. He credited his mom with a lot of his success and who he was as a person I think…when he lost her he lost a lot of himself. If you haven’t already…go check out Find The Pieces ( http://tiny.cc/qoazw ) for her take on the vid also.Thanks for the comment.
Great Piece, I Really Enjoyed It. I Aplaude Those Willing To Look Beyond The Obvious And Dig For The Hidden Meanings While Silently Chuckling At The Closed Minded Individuals They Encounter. Keep It Coming; I Also Look Forward To Perusing Your Archives As Well [ P E A C E ]
Great Piece, I Really Enjoyed It. I Applaud Those Willing To Look Beyond The Obvious And Dig For The Hidden Meanings While Silently Chuckling At The Closed Minded Individuals They Encounter. Keep It Coming; I Also Look Forward To Perusing Your Archives As Well [ P E A C E ]
Great Piece, I Really Enjoyed It. I Applaud Those Willing To Look Beyond The Obvious And Dig For The Hidden Meanings While Silently Chuckling At The Closed Minded Individuals They Encounter. Keep It Coming; I Look Forward To Perusing Your Archives As Well [ P E A C E ]
thanks for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post