This picture is a detail of a doorway that was originally carved in Setesdal, Norway. Carved around the year 1200, the doorway is decorated with scenes from the myth of Sigurd the dragon slayer. The episodes of this myth are interwoven in plant patterns, integrating them into a whole while maintaining the scenes as discrete moments in the narrative. This doorway is an example of bas-relief, a term for sculpture that protrudes only slightly from its background surface.
More importantly, this door displays something vital to the culture of the Nordic people. Their culture was built around mythology. We know that a myth is defined as a traditional story that is basically religious in nature. They usually explain a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural phenomenon. In almost all cultures, for example, you will find myths that explain why the seasons change, how humankind learned to make fire, and why we have to die.
Many myths have dragons and other monsters as characters. Traditionally, the dragon guards a treasure hoard that was acquire through deceit or violence. "Sigurd, The Dragon Slayer," a Norse myth, features what might be the archetypal dragon slayer - the model of the hero who descends to the underworld to slay a monster.
No comments:
Post a Comment