Michael J. Tresca reviewed:
Vandorendra, Snake Demon (1) Miniature
This review is from: Vandorendra, Snake Demon (1) Miniature (Toy)
Everybody loves to sculpt the Marilith, AKA the Type V demon, and sculptor Julie Guthrie is no exception. The demon is noteworthy for being an attractive (usually bare-chested) female with six arms and the lower torso of a serpent. The Marilith's unique appearance is likely heavily influenced by Ray Harryhausen's "Sinbad" creatures, as postulated by Christian Lindke at Topless Robot:
Given that the AD&D Monster Manual features this fusion of Harryhausen's "Avatar of Kali" from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and the serpent woman from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, is it really all that surprising that Pat Pulling or Jack Chick thought that D&D was destroying the souls of children?...I have never found a specific reference to Marilith, or Type V Demon as we "old school" gamers call her, in any mythology that I have read. It seems pretty clear that the demon is based on Hindu mythological references. Given the lack of references to the Ramayana or the Mahabharata in Appendix N, my guess is that like most Americans the primary image of a multi-armed swordswoman that inspired Gygax and Arneson were the two Harryhausen figures. If they weren't, they most certainly should have been. The fight between the "Avatar of Kali" and Sinbad's crew in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is pretty spectacular.
For the enterprising sculptor there's six arms to play with, which means the artist has a multitude of weapon combinations. Vandorendra wields a wavy-bladed dagger, two scimitars, a longsword, a straight blade, and a pata.
But by far the best part of this miniature is that it's all one piece. This is why Reapers' Bone line is the best; comparable painted miniatures go for four times the price.
Given that the AD&D Monster Manual features this fusion of Harryhausen's "Avatar of Kali" from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and the serpent woman from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, is it really all that surprising that Pat Pulling or Jack Chick thought that D&D was destroying the souls of children?...I have never found a specific reference to Marilith, or Type V Demon as we "old school" gamers call her, in any mythology that I have read. It seems pretty clear that the demon is based on Hindu mythological references. Given the lack of references to the Ramayana or the Mahabharata in Appendix N, my guess is that like most Americans the primary image of a multi-armed swordswoman that inspired Gygax and Arneson were the two Harryhausen figures. If they weren't, they most certainly should have been. The fight between the "Avatar of Kali" and Sinbad's crew in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is pretty spectacular.
For the enterprising sculptor there's six arms to play with, which means the artist has a multitude of weapon combinations. Vandorendra wields a wavy-bladed dagger, two scimitars, a longsword, a straight blade, and a pata.
But by far the best part of this miniature is that it's all one piece. This is why Reapers' Bone line is the best; comparable painted miniatures go for four times the price.
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