Clown Eddie

Lore & Background

For 'The Book of Souls,' bassist Steve Harris directed Mark Wilkinson to depict Eddie as a figure based on the Maya civilization, who believed souls live on after death. The initial sketch featured wild hair reminiscent of a witch doctor, but manager Rod Smallwood requested Eddie be made bald instead. Wilkinson described the resulting tribal markings as generic and invented, blending Voodoo with Mayan styles. To ensure accuracy, the band hired Mayanist scholar Simon Martin, who translated song titles into hieroglyphs for the artwork. Martin noted that while there is no actual 'Book of Souls' in Maya history, the title fits their cultural focus on souls. Inside the album, the art expands on this theme with scenes of Eddie tearing out his own heart as a sacrifice and totems featuring the carved faces of band members.

In Their Own Story

The visual narrative for this era began when Harris provided Wilkinson with a book on Mayan culture and drew inspiration from the film 'Apocalypto.' Harris insisted on simplicity for the cover, opting for a bust shot of Eddie in darkness to establish an evil presence. The internal artwork delved deeper into the mythology, showing Eddie performing a heart sacrifice next to a witch doctor. Simon Martin's involvement added layers of authenticity; he confirmed the appropriateness of the title while clarifying it remained 'very much Iron Maiden's own thing.' This specific iteration of Eddie serves as the visual anchor for an album that references mortality throughout its 92-minute runtime, culminating in the band's longest song, 'Empire of the Clouds,' which was released as a single on Record Store Day.

Reader's Guide

When examining the artwork of 'The Book of Souls,' look for the specific Mayan motifs that define this version of Eddie. The character appears bald, a direct result of manager Rod Smallwood's instruction to change his initial witch-doctor hair. The cover art is not just decorative; it functions as a narrative device where Eddie embodies the album's exploration of souls and death. Fans can trace the connection between the title track and the visual elements by noting the translated song titles in hieroglyphs, a detail handled by scholar Simon Martin. This version marks a departure from the band's standard logotype used since 1995, yet it retains the essential 'Eddie' identity through its symbolic representation of the Maya belief in the afterlife.

Did You Know?

• For 'The Book of Souls,' manager Rod Smallwood requested that Eddie be made bald, changing the artist's initial sketch which featured wild witch-doctor hair.
• Mayanist scholar Simon Martin was hired by the band to verify the artwork's accuracy and translate song titles into Mayan hieroglyphs.
• The tribal markings on this version of Eddie are entirely generic and made up, described by artist Mark Wilkinson as 'a mix of Voodoo meets Mayan'.
• Inside artwork depicts Eddie tearing out his own heart as a sacrifice to the gods.
• The cover art was created by Mark Wilkinson, who had previously worked on Iron Maiden's Live at Donington and Best of the 'B' Sides.