What that nose, mouth, eyes and ears, you can clearly see that’s a northern European depiction.
Looks good bit like the. Celtic carved figures called “ the hooded ones” that were used as totems/offerings/kinda creepy “household gods”.
I carved one of mahogany years back.
They’re all famously “faceless”.
Looks good bit like the. Celtic carved figures called “ the hooded ones” that were used as totems/offerings/kinda creepy “household gods”.
I carved one of mahogany years back.
They’re all famously “faceless”.
Edit:
The “hooded ones” in Celtic and Romano-Celtic art refer to the Genii Cucullati (Latin for “hooded spirits”).
What Are the Hooded Ones?
• Identity: They are minor protective and generative deities named after the cucullus, a traditional Gallic and Celtic hooded woolen cloak.
• Depiction: They are typically carved in stone as small, cloaked, faceless, or featureless figures.
• The Triad Pattern: In Roman Britain, they are most famously carved in groups of three (triads), while on continental Europe they also appear as single figures varying from dwarf- to giant-sized.
• Time Period: Most surviving stone carvings and artifacts date from the 1st to 3rd century AD during the Roman-Celtic period.
• Where They Are Found: Artifacts and dedications span across the Romano-Celtic world, with notable concentrations in Britain (such as Hadrian’s Wall sites like Housesteads, Birdoswald, and Burgh-by-Sands) and the Rhineland. An authentic Statuette, Hooded Figure made of dark green sandstone is preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Symbolism and Meaning
• Fertility and Healing: Scholars link them to fertility, agricultural growth, protection of children, health, and healing springs.
• Attributes: Some continental and regional carvings show them holding eggs, moneybags, or open cloaks with phallic symbols representing vitality and abundance.
• Folk Memory: Archaeologists and researchers suggest that these ancient stone figures contributed to later regional folklore, potentially inspiring local legends of guardian land-wights or modern sightings of cloaked “shadow people” and monks in the British countryside