Original - Durga

The Hindu Goddess, Durga.

In Hindu mythology, Durga is an incanation of the head goddess, Devi. When a demon started rampaging across the land, killing innocent mortals, harrassing the gods, and generally causing trouble, none of the other gods were able to stand against this demon nor it's power, so they turned to Devi for aid. Devi then created a new warrior incarnation of herself with eight arms, three eyes, and armed with sacred weapons such as a Lotus, Chakram, a Sword, and a Trident among others. Her beauty enchanted the demon, and her strength overwhelmed him, ensuring her victory. Since then, Durga has remained one of the most popular Hindu Goddesses and is a well-known form of Devi, and a revered woman warrior throughout mythology.
(It should also be noted that Durga also had a giant war tiger (sometimes a war lion, depending on the version of the story) that aided her in battle and served as her steed. Awesome-sauce! XD)

On an artistic note, I read the legend of Durga somewhere, and this juicy little piece of mythology stuck in my head and refused to go away unless I put it out on paper. And since I'm a mythology buff and a fan of strong female characters (and goddesses!), all the better. ^^ To make it a little easier on myself and for the sake of a simpler composition, I drew Durga with only four arms and three of the weapons (sword, chakram and trident) she wields. I tried rendering her in her true form with all eight arms and all, but it didn't look right... ¬¬ Ah well... This turned out quite well. ^^ (Agh, I am so irritated by DA's categories. I'm never sure if I'm putting something in the right place... ¬¬ )

This was fun; I should do other well-known and not so well-known goddesses in mythology. ^^

Materials: Paper, Pencil, Pigma Pen, Photoshop CS2
Music: "Inner Universe" - Origa, "Beyond the Night" Joel Goldsmith/Rachel Luttrell, "Tomb Raider Underworld Theme"

Artwork and character © Cheetah Smith.