Well, tomorrow is the big day; even the (somewhat disreputable) NY Post is running sleazy covers about it. So it’s time to roll up some sleeves and get in touch with my worst angels, so to speak:
We left off with Envy looking kind of dangerous, so I went back and fixed that some.
Envy
Like greed and lust, Envy (Latin, invidia) is characterized by an insatiable desire. Envy is similar to jealousy in that they both feel discontent towards someones traits, status, abilities, or rewards. The difference is the envious also desire that entity and covet it.
Envy can be directly related to the Ten Commandments, specifically “Neither shall you desire… anything that belongs to your neighbour”. Dante defined this as “a desire to deprive other men of theirs.” In Dante’s Purgatory, the punishment for the envious is to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they have gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low. Aquinas described envy as “sorrow for another’s good”
“Envy:
-It has nothing larger or more impressive than the other 6, though its neck might be longer.
-weak, ineffectual, but cunning and devious. Envy plots.
-Almost fearful in attitude, it knows others are stronger/faster/better, and hates them for it. “
For a few moments, I wanted to make Envy look mangy or something, but decided that it should be more of a shrinking violet than a poor cousin compared to the others. I think that this will do, though I’d have liked Envy to be a little angrier, maybe.
And speaking of which, let’s move on to our second reprisal of the night, one Wrath:
“Wrath, III:
-“Bull’s-Thick” neck, to further imply physical power.
-Enormous, forward-facing horns
-Only one of the Seven with ventral armor.”
At first, I had wanted Wrath to have no armor at all; Wrath is about hitting, not protecting oneself from being hit. But it made more sense for the implied “bruiser” look, especially as the others are all so smooth. I left the armor off of the back, and possibly shouldn’t have added any to the underside, though that might work in the long run.
And finally, the (literal) crown jewel (and I belatedly realized that I have not even given a second thought about the diadems that I had said I would not be thinking about), Pride.
Pride
In almost every list, pride (Latin, superbia), or hubris (Greek), is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and the source of the others. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). Dante’s definition was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.” In Jacob Bidermann’s medievalmiracle play, Cenodoxus, pride is the deadliest of all the sins and leads directly to the damnation of the titulary famed Parisian doctor. In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer, pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his resultant transformation into Satan. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the penitents were forced to walk with stone slabs bearing down on their backs to induce feelings of humility.
From the get-go, Pride was supposed to be a mixture of arrogance (whether justified or not) and contempt, hence the unicorn horn and haughty expression. Moreso than Wrath, I think that I pretty much nailed it the first time, and only really needed to refine it some, though really, I would have preferred to take a full day just doing that; after noodling out the other two, I didn’t have much processing power left for Pride.
“Pride
-Pride doesn’t have to be perfect, but it believes it is.
-I feel I should do something else with the head fins, but don’t know what.
-Nevermind, just add more fins.”
If I were coloring this, I would want to make the fins iridescent like peacock feathers, but I would feel constrained by the “fiery redness” of the dragon. I suppose I might get away with some other colors, like oranges and/or yellows, but I would want to put some blues or greens in there, just so it would stand out…
Anyhow, Barring minor cosmetic changes, the seven heads are done. Now it’s just a matter of making them all somehow fit onto a body.
