pagan-stitches: I’ve just completed the central motif in the Morana/Marzanna piece I’ve
pagan-stitches: I’ve just completed the central motif in the Morana/Marzanna piece I’ve begun working on.I’ve chosen to work the majority of the piece in black rather than the traditional red to indicate cold, dark, and death rather than the life that red symbolizes. However, I’ve left one bit red to symbolize the seed of life that is found even in the depth of winter and eventually leads to spring.I chose this goddess figure for its ambiguity. It has both lowered and raised arms, something I had never seen before. Maiden goddesses have raised arms and mother goddesses are lowered. Is Morana a maiden or a mother? She is death, but there is life within.This goddess figure is based off a historical embroidery from an apron hem from Vologda in Russia. I found a picture of the embroidery in the book, “Russian Embroidery: Traditional Motifs.” -- source link