informal survey

[SplatterTone]

One never knows until one has been there and done that. But my best guess is: I'd probably think they got a wild hair up their *** one day when they had some spare cash.

[MikeMason]

satanist? Did you hear about the dyslexic devil worshipper?He sold his soul to Santa.... The fact that the statue is intentionally out of view and in a remote location makes me wonder about hooded figures and animal sacrifices.Too many X-files episodes in my brain maybe...

[MartyNeilan]

A) Someone with money to blow who likes dragon-themed art. There seems to be a lot of this around now, perhaps related to the Goth craze or Medieval / Renaissance fairs. I have seen a lot of it in crystal in specialty shops at malls. Some of it is cool in an art or mythology way, and some of it seems downright Satanic. A lot of the buyers are just too naive to have a clue about what they are really owning. Nothing like giving the Enemy a foothold in your own backyard.

B) The antichrist lives in Memphis. Explains a lot.

FWIW, I would probably not be taking too many strolls around that pond.

[prototypedenNIS]

satanist? Did you hear about the dislexic devil worshipper?He sold his soul to Santa....

I agree but it's spelled "lysdexic"

[Carroll]

did you also see my Garden Gnome collection while you were back there?

[Chuck(G)]

...person of means.

[Kevin Hendrick]

satanist? Did you hear about the dislexic devil worshipper?He sold his soul to Santa....

I agree but it's spelled "lysdexic"

Thought it was "dilsexyc" ...

[oldbandnerd]

......... person with a sense of humor .

The idea of this concrete creation of a serpent weaving through the bank of a pond seems both funny and creative to me .

[finnbogi]

...person of means...

Of course. Rich people are never crazy, merely eccentric.

[Joe Baker]

Just for kicks I threw "serpent" and "head of a goat" into a search engine. Surveying the responses, I found that the symbols are common in everything from Greek Mythology to Hinduism, Druidism, satanic cults, and new age "life force".

I would not draw any conclusions without knowing more about the individual in question, other than that I would be skeptical of any claim to be Christian or practicing Jew. Not even to say that these are not possible, but I'm hard-pressed to think of why a practicioner of either of these faiths would possess an item with ties to so many diametrically opposed beliefs.
_____________________________
Joe Baker, who observes, though, that the person COULD just think it looks cool.

[Philip Jensen]

I'd vote for a middle-aged computer geek who, during their college days, when they weren't parked in front of a computer eating corn chips and pepsi for lunch, they were with their friends playing dungeons and dragons, and eating potato chips and coke for dinner

[P.J.]

I think "outrageously wealthy" probably fills in the blank.
I don't know who could afford a pond with a bank and a statue that size no matter what the statue is.

[Joe Baker]

I think "outrageously wealthy" probably fills in the blank.
I don't know who could afford a pond with a bank and a statue that size no matter what the statue is.

You're not from the south, are you? Ponds down here aren't exactly a symbol of wealth. Anyone with more than 10 acres (which includes a lot of not-wealthy folks) is just about GUARANTEED to have at least one pond, if only for drainage reasons. When the pond is dug, the dirt is mounded as a bank.

The statue itself? Could have been a decoration for some road-side attraction the guy's uncle used to run, or could be this guy's altar to Satan. I'd have to know more about the person before I'd even guess.
____________________________
Joe Baker, who doesn't see so many ponds in the hills of E. Tennessee, but saw LOTS of them growing up in the flatlands of Texas and Oklahoma.

[Chuck(G)]

...person of means...

...who chose to spend significant money on a not-easy-to-maneuver set of objects (a three-part sculpture, with each section weighing hundreds of lbs.) that symbolizes specific nearly universal meaning (regardless of beliefs).

You asked for an impression and I gave it to you. Very wealthy people are not infrequently eccentric. Said person could also have an interesting sense of humor. Said person could also be ignorant of the symbolism attached to some of these objects and simply bought in to a proposed artistic "project".

Serpents have varied meanings in mythology, not all negative:

http://www.mystae.com/restricted/stream ... rpent.html

Goats have varied meanings in mythology. In Christian mythology, a goat is a symbol for the devil. But in Hindu mythology, it's part of the creation myth. In Chinese mythology, those born in the year of the goat are shy and creative. Goats pulled Thor's chariot in Norse mythology.

"Wealthy" doesn't always equate with "smart". But building a massive concrete sculpture to decorate your private pond usually equates to "wealthy".

[Tubaryan12]

.."Wealthy" doesn't always equate with "smart"

I think Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie prove this fact without a doubt.

[Daryl Fletcher]

[Chuck(G)]

Christian mythology

Christian symbolism

My guess is that goats have more symbolic meaning in the occult rather than traditional Christianity. I don't recall hearing a sermon in church that had a whole lot to do with goats or any other form of livestock.

"Are ye washed in the blood of the Lamb?"

[Lew]

...person of means...

...who chose to spend significant money on a not-easy-to-maneuver set of objects (a three-part sculpture, with each section weighing hundreds of lbs.) that symbolizes specific nearly universal meaning (regardless of beliefs).

I think some people read too much into the meaning of something.

I would think that it's a person who wanted a scupture to add interest to their garden/pond, saw something they liked, and had enough money that the expense of the item and its installation was worth it to them.

[windshieldbug]

OK, since no one has, I'll ask: is this the kind of serpent with finger holes and a mouthpiece? Since it's made of concrete and not wood, is it low pitch? Silver accents or lacquer? And, if the mouthpiece is a lawyer, is it under water?

[Daryl Fletcher]