Random thoughts on the Stinger:
As far as the religious icon "excuse" for LEOs, The Stinger could be viewed as the Maori fertility idol as already said. It also bears some resemblance to crosses, both typical crosses, Tau (T-shaped) crosses, etc. In fact, it's explainable as a combo of the two.
It also could be looked at much like a Thor's Hammer, a commom neo-pagan/Norse symbol. If you filled in the space between the base, and the part your fingers rest on, it would be essentially a Thor's Hammer. With a little bit of imagination, it resembles an ankh, egyptian sign for eternal life. I'm cosidering fooling around with some epoxy and seeing if I can make a design similar to the Stinger, but with pieces joining the ends of the lateral base part to the longitudinal part right behindthe lateral finger part. It would look much more like a recognizable religious symbol, and lose none of the efficiency of execution, IMO.
The Stinger could also be seen as the Voodoo loa(deity) Legba. Legba is one of the(some would say the most) important deity to practicioners, as he's called before any others. He rules over the crossroads, and has under his dominion roads, paths, etc., similar to the Greco-Roman Hermes/Mercury. Since one of his symbols is the cross, as representing the four cardinal directions, and he is also know for his fertility and sexual appetite, the Stinger could easily be construed as a symbol of him, carried for good luck and safe travel. In Santeria, I believe the corresponding entity is called Eleggua.
Finally, for those coming from a Christian or Jewish prespective, it's not too far a stretch for the Stinger to represent the tree of life from Kabbalah. Viewed as a magic system by some, a philosophy by others, some would tell you it's a way of looking at the world, God, reality, ourselves, etc. that makes perfect sense in Judaism or Chritianity. The tree of life can represent personal ascension in knowledge, the creation (and on-going sustaining) of the universe, the connection between God and ourselves, or even the workings of our our consciousness and what we perceive to be reality.
I would love to see a picture of how JAK painted his to resemble a fertility idol, or hear a description from someone who's seen it.
I apologize in advance to anyone who's take offense to any of the pseudo-religious content: my intent was merely to provoke thought and provide help on ways in which the Stinger may be more easily carried and accomodated to anyone's lifestyle. Plus, my Stingers are still new to me, and as such, I wanna talk and read about them.
Stay Sharp,
Joe S.
[This message has been edited by Joe S (edited 06-16-2001).]
As far as the religious icon "excuse" for LEOs, The Stinger could be viewed as the Maori fertility idol as already said. It also bears some resemblance to crosses, both typical crosses, Tau (T-shaped) crosses, etc. In fact, it's explainable as a combo of the two.
It also could be looked at much like a Thor's Hammer, a commom neo-pagan/Norse symbol. If you filled in the space between the base, and the part your fingers rest on, it would be essentially a Thor's Hammer. With a little bit of imagination, it resembles an ankh, egyptian sign for eternal life. I'm cosidering fooling around with some epoxy and seeing if I can make a design similar to the Stinger, but with pieces joining the ends of the lateral base part to the longitudinal part right behindthe lateral finger part. It would look much more like a recognizable religious symbol, and lose none of the efficiency of execution, IMO.
The Stinger could also be seen as the Voodoo loa(deity) Legba. Legba is one of the(some would say the most) important deity to practicioners, as he's called before any others. He rules over the crossroads, and has under his dominion roads, paths, etc., similar to the Greco-Roman Hermes/Mercury. Since one of his symbols is the cross, as representing the four cardinal directions, and he is also know for his fertility and sexual appetite, the Stinger could easily be construed as a symbol of him, carried for good luck and safe travel. In Santeria, I believe the corresponding entity is called Eleggua.
Finally, for those coming from a Christian or Jewish prespective, it's not too far a stretch for the Stinger to represent the tree of life from Kabbalah. Viewed as a magic system by some, a philosophy by others, some would tell you it's a way of looking at the world, God, reality, ourselves, etc. that makes perfect sense in Judaism or Chritianity. The tree of life can represent personal ascension in knowledge, the creation (and on-going sustaining) of the universe, the connection between God and ourselves, or even the workings of our our consciousness and what we perceive to be reality.
I would love to see a picture of how JAK painted his to resemble a fertility idol, or hear a description from someone who's seen it.
I apologize in advance to anyone who's take offense to any of the pseudo-religious content: my intent was merely to provoke thought and provide help on ways in which the Stinger may be more easily carried and accomodated to anyone's lifestyle. Plus, my Stingers are still new to me, and as such, I wanna talk and read about them.
Stay Sharp,
Joe S.
[This message has been edited by Joe S (edited 06-16-2001).]
