12 Mar 2011

Pagan Art: Slavic Creation Myth by Ivanov


This painting by the Russian pagan artist Vsevolod Borisovich Ivanov appears to depict the Slavic creation myth.

According to this myth, the universe started from a golden egg surrounded by dark nothingness. The primordial god Rod emerged from this egg, depicted in this picture as the emanating light. At the same moment the mother goddess Lada was created to serve as Rod's helpmeet. We can see her immediately below the universal egg as a spectral and angelic figure.

Ivanov is hardly a purist. In true Neo-Pagan style, he incorporates many anachronistic elements, including what appear to be aliens and pyramids. The whole composition also seems to invoke the Big Bang Theory. I could easily imagine this as an Iron Maiden album cover.

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