Stenciled hands at the Cueva de las Manos in Argentina. Left hands make up over 90% of the artwork, demonstrating the prevalence of right-handedness.
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Verticality in product labels and shelves as a metaphorical cue to quality
This study investigates how subtle visual cues related to the design of a product's package (i.e., label position) and the context (i.e., shelf orientation) influence consumer evaluation and behavioral intention. Extending research on metaphorical cues, Study 1 shows that consumers perceive a product as more powerful when the label on the package is placed in … Continue reading Verticality in product labels and shelves as a metaphorical cue to quality
Book of Changes, first semantic lexicon
Semanticus F. Alpaerts suggests in De Denkbeeldige Ruimte (1980) that the I Ching or Book of Changes, originating from mythical antiquity, is the first semantic lexicon of mankind. In this Chinese classic, unquestionably one of the most influential books in the world's literature, 64 chapters are coded with a double triplet line code called hexagrams. Alpaerts … Continue reading Book of Changes, first semantic lexicon
Black-on-blue and the meaning of words with A-A-O vowels
The meaning of 600 Dutch words that contain the vowels A, A and O, such as in 'vagabond' or 'catacombs', were compared in several languages. AAO-translations of Dutch AAO-words were examined in Hungarian (HG), Italian (IT) and Spanish (SP). In a lesser degree were used: English (EN), French (FR), Old and Modern Greek (OG and … Continue reading Black-on-blue and the meaning of words with A-A-O vowels
Cross-Cultural Color-Odor Associations
Color congruence for each odor in each culture. Colors per odorant (fruity, flower, candy, woody, hazelnut, musty, rice, soap, vinegar, burnt, vegetable, fish, meat, plastic) per country (Dutch, NL. Res. Chinese, German, Malay, Mal. Chinese, US) are ordered by frequency (most frequent are shown lowest on their respective y-axis). Frequency is represented by the height … Continue reading Cross-Cultural Color-Odor Associations
The shape of the Horn of Plenty
The cornucopia, as a symbol of abundant life and prosperity, is classified under the code white-4 on green-4. This code can give an explanation for the shape of the horn of plenty. While the horn is often depicted in white-4, a mixture of white and brown (Fig.1), the shape has elements of the green-4 code, … Continue reading The shape of the Horn of Plenty
Cornucopia
Fig.1/ Venus of Laussel, Dordogne France. The Cornucopia or Horn of Plenty is a legendary object, a symbol of prosperity and abundance, originally dating back to the earliest myths of mankind. One finds the first depictions of a horn already dating back from the Upper Palaeolithic. The Venus of Laussel (France, approximately 25,000 years old) is such … Continue reading Cornucopia
The supernatural sword
The magic sword is a powerful weapon found in many myths around the world. Dating back from the middle ages and earlier, it is associated with knights and saints using supernatural powers to fight demonic monsters or enemies. In the Semantic Colour Space, this construction situates itself as follows: White-on-blue or Yellow-6 : sword, supernatural, … Continue reading The supernatural sword
The hero is a giant
The heroic aspect of clannumen among the Baltic slaves got its plastic representation in the colossal dimensions of certain statues. Vyncke (1969) cites some gods identified as war god or warrior god, such as Gerovit, Pripegala, Sventovit, Tjarnaglofi and Rugevit. The latter is said to have stood 3 metres tall. But Sventovit took the crown … Continue reading The hero is a giant
The white horse and fortune-telling
In Slavic mythology, fortune-telling occupies an important place. Radigast, Triglav and Sventovit were famous for their oracles. The Baltic slaves did not take any important decision without seeking the protection of their numen beforehand. The main medium for this was the sacred horse. That of Sventovit had a white colour and was not to be … Continue reading The white horse and fortune-telling
The number three in Slavic mythology
Triglav/Trzygłów – Slavic Three-Headed God. Source: https://brendan-noble.com/triglav-trzyglow-slavic-three-headed-god-slavic-mythology-saturday/ Not only the Celtic mind is obsessed with the trinity. The Slavs also showed a special interest in the number three. In temple construction, there are triangular structures (Zuarasici), three entrance gates (Zuarasici), erected on the middle of three mountains (Triglav). The priests of Triglav and Sventovit used … Continue reading The number three in Slavic mythology
Black gods and demons
Mihail Petruševski, in his comparative study of the black deities and demons in the history of religion, establishes that all black gods and demons have a chthonic nature and therefore belong to the underworld. According to Vyncke (1969), the Slavic clannumen was to a considerable extent chthonic in nature. This people sacrificed to its numina … Continue reading Black gods and demons
Square shaped temple of Svetovit
Reconstruction drawing of the Jaromarsburg on the island of Rügen, Germany - a medieval West Slavic temple (https://i.imgur.com/zMtp6XA.jpg) Viergesichtige neuzeitliche Statue des Svantevit auf der Burgwallinsel im Teterower See (Landkreis Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). Plastik von Ralph Wedhorn (commons.wikimedia.org) The striking cubic shape of the temple at Arkona is also found among the Celts. According to C. Schuchardt, the Slavs would have adopted … Continue reading Square shaped temple of Svetovit
The home of the dead and the poor
Poverty represented as an empty pouch, a black hole. https://nl.depositphotos.com/ A pit to bury the dead in, another black hole. In the vicinity of most Russian cities, large, open pits were dug into which the corpses of the murdered, drowned, suicides, etc. were thrown. These pits were only filled in after Easter. The people called … Continue reading The home of the dead and the poor
Stack, road, food, and the god Troian
https://nl.depositphotos.com/ The god Troian in old Slavic mythology, is represented as a peasant deity who protects the fertility of the fields. Note also a typical detail: the baking and distribution of cakes with the wish that the harvest will be equally bountiful every year. It was an important element of the ritual at the harvest … Continue reading Stack, road, food, and the god Troian
Thunder gods in old Scandinavian and Slavic mythology
Thor, God of ThunderIllustration for the board game Mythalix, artist David Ceballos Originally the god Perun, also the common Slavic word for thunder, was nothing more than the Germanic Thor in a Slavic disguise. Later texts equate Perun with Zeus. In Mansikka p. 202, the 'Conversation of the Three Church Fathers' Perun is referred to, … Continue reading Thunder gods in old Scandinavian and Slavic mythology
The oven, a flame in a pot
https://rrfirepits.com/ The fireplace among the South Slavs was revered until modern times. When moving, the landlord took fire from the stove of the old house and carried it in a pot to the new fireplace. He addressed the fire with the following words: "We request you, Grandfather, to enter the new home". Here is a … Continue reading The oven, a flame in a pot
Waist-to-hip ratio
With the help of anthropomorphism some shapes can be compared with the human figure. The ratio between waist and hips is called the 'waist-to-hip' (WTH) ratio. Its effect is highly biologically determined and has to do with the physical attraction between the sexes. Waist-to-Hip ratio = circumference waist / circumference hip Research by a medical … Continue reading Waist-to-hip ratio
The protective phallus
The phallus is found as an object of worship in cultures all over the world. It is regarded as a fertility symbol, but mainly has a protective function. It repels the evil forces and thereby brings prosperity (fertility) to the clan. The phallus is depicted in many colours, but a strikingly common one is red-on-black, … Continue reading The protective phallus
Red-on-black and white-4
Sun King film poster. Director Marcus Aubin.
Slavic sun-king gods in the Semantic Colour Space
From the Byzantine Chronicle of Malalas we read: "First, Mestrom began to rule … after him Feosta, who was also called Svarog by the Egyptians. When this Feosta reigned in Egypt, pincers fell from heaven during his reign, and he began to forge weapons, for before that people fought with sticks and stones. The same … Continue reading Slavic sun-king gods in the Semantic Colour Space
Vampires in Slavic Mythology
Art Wallpaper source: https://picstatio.com/wallpaper/wings-vampire-fantasy-art-f32e20 The belief in vampires or Beregyni is common among all Slavic peoples. The basic meaning of the word seems to be 'flying creature' (Russian parit = to hover; pero = feather, plume). A vampire is understood to mean the spirit of a dead person or a corpse brought to life by … Continue reading Vampires in Slavic Mythology
Mother, fate and the vowels OIA
The similarity of certain vowel triplets in keywords with specific concepts, is striking in current Slavic folklore. There one finds a whole series of terms to indicate the birth fairies, who determine the fate of the newborn, often containing the OIA triplet sound. (these vowels in green) (source: Vyncke, 1969) Czech: sudicka Slovak: sojenica, rojenica … Continue reading Mother, fate and the vowels OIA
Fate and supernatural healing power, a semantic construction
Venus of Laussel, Dordogne France. The South Slavic Vily, the Mother Goddess, usually appearing in triplicate, unites several concepts that are given a clear place in the Semantic Colour Space and are represented by a shift in colour combinations. Vily is both the deliverer of abundance (green-4), depicted with a filled horn (white-4), determiner of … Continue reading Fate and supernatural healing power, a semantic construction
Fate and charity
A semantic connection between fate and the idea of charity can be found in the mythology of the Slavs. The Vily, a Slavic mother goddess and pagan clan goddess, who always manifests herself in threefold, brings happiness and prosperity to young people. At night they enter the homes of righteous people to do housework. They … Continue reading Fate and charity
The number three and destiny
The Moiras (Greek mythology) are represented as three women sitting in front of the so-called Wheel of Fortune. This instrument was a special loom on which the sisters spun the threads of existence for gods and mortals alike. The South Slavic peoples believe that three birth fairies (also called 'rodjenice', among others) determine the fate of … Continue reading The number three and destiny
Origins of the colour name ‘red’
The Colour name Red stems from Old Norse rót (“root”), from Proto-Germanic *wrōts, from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”); compare with English wort and the Latin rādīx (“root”). Cognate with the Icelandic rót; Old English rōt (whence the Middle English word root (“the underground part of a plant”) came, whence the English root came). (Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%B3t) Ród Smoka (the bloodline of the dragon) film poster for HBO-serie. A similarity with the god Ród in Slavic mythology, who means … Continue reading Origins of the colour name ‘red’
Rod, the Slavic god
Rod represented as the father-creator of the universe, bringing happiness and prosperity to the clan. The word Rod denotes the 'clan', taken in the broadest sense. in space: the meanings 'bloodline, clan, tribe, relative, tribesman; in time: the meanings 'birth, lineage, generation, descendants, which includes the past (- ancestors, pedigree), the present and the future … Continue reading Rod, the Slavic god
Rod-Rozanica
Rodzanice predicts fate ~ Magdalena Szynkarczuk A numen that recurs in the doctrinal scriptures, ecclesiastical statutes, and confessional questions is described as Rod-Rozanica. These data show that Rod-Rozanicy: seem to personify fate (they are equated with the terms 'fatum, fortuna'); have some connection with the cult of the dead. (On Boxing Day, a church-prohibited death … Continue reading Rod-Rozanica
Good and bad in Slavic religions
Day and Night (Belobog and Chernobog) by Maxim Sukharev (Максим Сухарев) "They also worshipped the sun and the moon and two gods to whom they assigned a higher value than to other gods. One they called Bialbug - that is the white god, believing him to be a good god, the other Zernebug - that … Continue reading Good and bad in Slavic religions