Mary the Head Crusher: Ipsa conteret!

Rubens Immaculate Conception 1628

http://catholicism.org/mary-the-head-crusher.html

When we go to Mass, we often stop at the small fountain and garden outside the front entrance of our church, and the kids have had plenty of time to gaze at the peaceful statue of the head-crushing Virgin Mary. She is adorned in blue and white, and she stands on the head of the fruit-wielding snake.

Mary, the Woman, crushes the head of Satan, as prophesied in the book of Revelation (Revelation 12); and Jesus adumbrates Mary's role as the Woman of John's apocalyptic vision while also affirming her status as the new Eve--the Eve who destroys the snake rather than falling prey to its lies--when he honorifically refers to his mother as Woman.

When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own. (John 19:26-27)

In the unitive genius of the bible, Mary's head-crushing ways follows a trinity of Old Testament/Septuagint head-crushing female warriors in the figures of Jahel (who head-crushes the evil Sihara); an unnamed Woman (who head-crushes the despotic Abimelech); and Judith (who head-crushes Holofernes, King Nebuchodonozor's Assyrian General):

Jahel, Haber's wife, took a nail of the tent, and taking also a hammer: and going in softly, and with silence, she put the nail upon the temples of his head, and striking it With the hammer, drove it through his brain fast into the ground: and so passing from deep sleep to death, he fainted away and died. (Judges 4:21)

And Abimelech coming near the tower, fought stoutly: and approaching to the gate, endeavoured to set fire to it: And behold a certain woman casting a piece of a millstone from above, dashed it against the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull. And he called hastily to his armourbearer, and said to him: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest it should be said that I was slain by a woman. (Judges 9:52-54).

And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence, saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by thee. And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at his bed's head, and loosed his sword that hung tied upon it. And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, at this hour. And she struck twice upon his neck, and cut off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body. (Judith 13:6-10)

From Mary's womb, Jesus crushes death on the skull of Calvary (Latin: calva, skull)! Hail Mary, full of grace: Ipsa conteret!

I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head (Latin: ipsa conteret caput tuum), and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. (Genesis 3:15)