Chapter two of Van Der Leeuw talks a little about human nakedness and the belief that it is “primitive” and “heathen.” He begins by exploring how the belief that the human body in its natural form was considered a beautiful and nearly sacred thing within Greek artistic culture. Some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures survive from this era; the naked male and female body being an especially popular subject of the time. Van Der Leeuw notes that interestingly enough within primitive Greek art the Gods are usually featured clothed (pg. 169.) This made me think of the implications of our human nakedness within modern-day culture. It seems counter intuitive to me that our nakedness belies our removal from the divine.
I would think if we are made in the image of the Gods/God, then our defined anatomical forms would be a means of connecting with the divine in a primal way. We were born without clothing – formed in the same way Gods/God are depicted – so too it seems a return to our primordial nakedness would bring us closer to our makers/s. To take this belief one step further it would seem prayer would be better served naked – if we are to humble ourselves before God, to strip ourselves of material goods and present a clean and honest self, being naked seems a perfect vehicle for it.
Maybe because our Christian heritage within our Western culture, nakedness still seems demonized, “witches are naked, and the devil; anyone who wishes to engage in magic in the dead of night must usually unclothe himself for the purpose” (169.) Maybe as a legacy to the scripture that notes within the bible that we were only ashamed of our nakedness after eating the forbidden fruit, we continue a tradition of belief whereby we associate nakedness with disobeying; as an act against God. However if we are made in God’s image it means our naked bodies are a reflection of the divine.
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