Thursday, August 12, 2010

St Apollonia, Pray for Me...



As a result of teeth nightmares, I've developed a bit of a fetish. Saint Apollonia ~ The Patron Saint of Dentistry, according to legend, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered. For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems. She is represented in art with a dental pliers in which a tooth is held. "Illustrious virgin martyr, Apollonia, Pray to the Lord for us, lest for our offenses and sins we be punished by diseases of the teeth."


Reliquary containing the tooth of Saint Apollonia, in the Cathedral of Porto, Portugal.

“Eternally omnipotent God, for whose honor blessed Apollonia, virgin and martyr, steadfastly suffered the horrible crushing-out of her teeth, grant Thou as we desire, that we may be made happy in commemoration of her, thru whose most pious intercession we were freed from toothache and all imminent evils. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Toothpaste and Mouthwash via C.O. Bigelow







Coveting this Antique French Vecabé Dental Model Jaw and Teeth





Natural Toothbrushes

Tooth loss dreams generally have negative interpretations. Dreams about teeth falling out symbolize feelings of powerlessness, fear, shame, and abandonment. The most important thing to remember about tooth loss dreams is that they are simply reflections of how they psyche feels; these dreams are not prophecies of the future. Interpreting Tooth Loss as a Dream Symbol



The Tooth Worm as Hell’s Demon”, southern France, 18th Century; This artistically designed ivory carving is contained in a molar, 10.5 cm in height, which can be separated into two halves of equal size. It opens out into two scenes depicting the infernal torments of toothache as a battle with the “tooth worm”. The legend of the “tooth worm” as the cause of toothache originated in Mesopotamia around 1800 B.C. A legend, in much the same sense as that of the Creation, concerning the origin of the tooth worm is to be found in the inscriptions on ancient tablets from 1800 B.C., and from the New Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods of 650 and 550 B.C.




Coveting Victorian Era Porcelain Toothpaste Jars

See also: Holistic Dental Network (cruelty free dentistry)

27 comments:

My Walkabout said...

What a most intersting site you have here...keep it up!

Dale said...

A saint of dentistry? Exquisite. There's a saint for everything nowadays.

Maybe you could list my blog somewhere? I am over at www.lolinterwebz.co.uk

Sam Hain said...

Well I'm never going to look at toothache the same way again. If you had told me as a child that a little worm was going to burrow into my tooth and an epic battle would ensue for the future of my enamel, I probably would've taken better care of them.

If I ever become a Dentist, I'm going to deck out my office in St. Apollonia decor. That's just so...unsettling.

thehalloweenblues.blogspot.com

cloudgathererholdmedown said...

fascinating!

Summer Ross said...

I found this post intriguing.

Waterlily Augestine said...

Cabinet Of Curiosities, you have the most darling blog I have ever come across, you should be very proud of yourself.

Unknown said...

I *LOVE* this! I'm working on an art project right now that involves TEETH and CHEWING TOBACCO! Thanks. (Wow are those images . . . thought-provoking.)

Emily @ Bentobloggy.com said...

Congrats on being a fellow Blog of Note!

Anuja said...

Such a charming blog! Loved it:) And if this post doesn't get kids to brush their teeth without fail I don't know what will!

Ohhhh Snap! said...

Entertaining and unreal at the same time...I liked it!

Jesús Garrido said...

en efecto, hace honor a las curiosidades que cuentas en el blog

Unknown said...

What a wonderful blog!

I have a mexican tooth shaped milagro. I bought it when I had a horrible tooth ache. The dentist may have helped too....

commoncents said...

VERY COOL! Love your blog!!

Steve
common cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

ps. Link Exchange??

berto said...

Teeth are the gems of the body, mined from the gums, the seat of the mouth. Precious and irreplaceable. Hard. And they make for exquisitely unique jewelry. I once had a dream about collecting teeth. I assumed it was because I wanted to make a necklace.

Toni Tralala said...

This is rather interesting. It's amazing that from mint leaves to burnt bread, pulverized chalk and baking soda, toothpaste has finally evolved to what it is now.

The photo of the tooth made me want to brush my teeth right away and I shall as soon as I'm done writing this. lol.

Congratulations on being a Blog of Note! <3

Anonymous said...

The molar carvings are very intricate and beautiful, though I'm not fond of tooth worms!
Very interesting post!!

Padded Cell Princess said...

My husband has studied many female saints and oddly hadn't heard of this one! I have the tooth loss dream often but I have heard that it means that you are simply grinding your teeth in your sleep...unfortunately I have no way of proving if I am or not...

Waterways of Light said...

It has been my understanding that dreams about losing your teeth symbolize the loss of conditioning. (A powerful although painful process.) Our true nature is present at birth, and then is covered by layers and layers of conditioning that we learn from our family, society, religion and so on. To lose your conditioning is to journey back to your true nature.

whisper said...

its very nice keep it up and keep going
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Weight Loss Pills said...

I like your blog, hope you write soon again!

Lyn said...

Swept me off my feet..I am doing a Novena immediately!!

misshotpants said...

I was visited the C.O. Bigelow store in New York City before and the help there was so nice.

Tommy said...

Whoa. This is really cool! Congrats on the blog of note status, as well!

Isabel Marques said...

I have just come across your blog! great stuff! I'm writing my masters thesis on museum studies and one of the chapters is on cabinets of curisosity, which truely fascinate me! I try to keep on here at home where we place our small and weird collections of things we find on our trips

lea said...

Unbelievable! A saint of teeth? Funny.

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JOB said...

surrealism is surrealistic at all anymore...

J.O.B.