Marching With Myths

Shahmaran

         

Pixiu

       

Madremonte

          

Mad Masquerade

       

Kubadabad

       

Ganesha

        

Fall 2017-18 “Marching with Myths” Collection of Rumisu is very much a multicultural celebration of our fascination with mythological and folkloric figures.

With our love for all things mystical & magical, we have started paying tribute to some of our favorite characters and their tales, knowing we weren’t alone in our enchanment with the otherwordly! 

This borderless collection includes prints inspired by Australian, Chinese, Colombian, Indian, Persian and of course a few local legends.

Ready for a parade of our lead characters?

The wide-eyed “Wandjina”s from Australian aboriginal mythology surely were a delight for us to illustrate. Dating back more than 4000 years, these spirit beings are believed to wake up the monsoons and banish droughts & scarcity.

These creators of the land and the people deepened our love affair with aboriginal rock art even further, reminding us to treasure nature.

Mesmerized with the mystical semi-human semi-snake figure of “Shahmaran” since childhood; we were thrilled to finally have the ultimate excuse to draw her.

She is not only the queen of all serpents, but also an Anatolian goddess of wisdom and guardian of the secrets, out-smarting her enemies with her incredible wit & wisdom in all the tales told about her. 

When she dies, it is said that her eternal spirit will pass on to her daughter.  Perhaps a strong nod to all those secrets we learn from our mothers?!

As her tales are still told and retold, from Middle East to India with different variations, we feel lucky to have grown up with her enchanting image through the folklore of the Kurdish people in Eastern Turkey.

Another character we loved discovering was “La Madremonte”, aka the mighty mother mountain, from the Colombian myths, who does not hesitate to punish those who harm the nature and its children.   Wishing we could bring her to life now, more then ever, we loved hosting her during this collection.

And then came “Pixiu” hailing from the vast universe of the Chinese mythology.

This mystical good luck creature is the ninth son of the heavenly dragon, warding off evil spirits, converting their essence into wealth with his fierce fangs. 

Represented as a hybrid winged lion with a voracious appetite towards gold and silver, he is a mighty protector of good fortune trusted by many, especially among the faithful practitioners of Feng Shui.

Last but not least; we portrayed Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed chubby deity who is our favorite from the very vibrant Hindu Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses.  As a very joyful figure who knows how to enjoy his life and the sweets he is so fond of, he is revered as the Lord of Auspicious beginnings, & celebrated at the beginning of every great adventure.   With the axe that he carries, he reminds his worshippers to sever all attachments that weighs one’s soul, to be truly free.  His obedient mouse symbolizes the role our ‘egos’ should ideally play in our lives, a skilled servant, no more.  He rushes to the aid of his followers and removes all obstacles on their paths with his mighty and nimble trunk. 

Wishing you all a wild imagination and life full of enchantment!