Below is the face of the Shigir Idol, it is considered to be the world’s oldest wooden sculpture, older than the Great Pyramids of Giza. It’s on display at the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Russia.
It is named after the Shigir peat bog where it was found in the Ural Mountains in Russia in 1890. It was estimated the idol was made about 11,500 years ago, as reported here in the journal Antiquity in 2018. Now it’s believed it may be even older. Possibly as old as 12 100 years old.
The people who created it would have before the Quaternary extinction event 10,000 years ago, when ice age species such as woolly rhinos went extinct. By comparison Stonehenge is about 5000 year old and the Great Pyramid of Giza 4500 years old.
Use the image as a prompt. Freewrite from the point of view of the Shigir Idol. Consider things like what he/she/they have witnessed, what the idol makes of the world today or what thought of its makers. Since so little is really known you can take this whoever you like.
Set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes, stick to whichever you choose and freewrite from the point of view of the idol.
Rules of the freewrite after Natalie Goldberg in Writing Down the Bones
- Keep your hand moving, don’t stop or cross out
- Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.
- Don’t think, just write
- Go for the Jugular.
- Follow the words, just see what comes.
When you have finished consider what you have just made. Is it is enough as an exercise or does it feel it needs development? Does it welcome a form?
If you feel drawn to it rework your draft. Play with your words until you find a form of words that satisfies you.
A blog post by Anne Enith Cooper
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