Design Semantics Database CITY of 8

angel

sky

ANTONYM

COMPARE

MOVING AXIS

BUILDING BLOCK

ray

QUOTES

Fate and supernatural healing power, a semantic construction

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 fate (white-on-green), she does charity (white-on-green), and in addition does she possess supernatural healing powers (white-on-blue). (Vyncke, 1969)

The movement here is then from green-4 to blue. Keywords under this sign includes: womb, fortune.

_{Relief on a brick of the parish church in Altenkirchen, depicting Svantovit with his emblems, the horn and the moustache (a sign of warriors). Source: https://viaelectri.com/tpost/uo06lny2m1-pilgrimage-to-arkona}

Later on, the horn attribute is taken over by male gods, who combine fertility, abundance, and male potent power in one deity. A good example is the Slavic god Sventovit, who was not only a warrior god but also a famous oracle, who determined the fate of the clan’s endeavours. (Vyncke, 1969)

(I. Michiels, red.)

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, holy, knight and hero.

Black-on-red or Green-4 : demonic, destructive forces depicted by dragons, serpents, griffins, and the weapon itself as a means to kill, to destroy.

_{Book Cover Tales From Camelot Series 6: Excalibur, Paul Green.}

Excalibur, in the Arthurian tales, is the magic sword of King Uther Pendragon, King Arthur’s father. In the account of the Sword in the Stone, Arthur obtained the British throne by pulling a sword from an anvil sitting atop a stone that appeared in a churchyard on Christmas Eve. The act could not be performed except by “the true king”, meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon.

In the account of the Lady of the Lake the sword Excalibur came from the lake. And when Arthur was dying, he ordered Bedivere to throw the sword back into the lake. He ignored this command at first, but did so anyway, and an arm clad in white brocade took the sword to the bottom.

White-on-green: the swan (lady of the Lake), fertility.

_{King Arthur Asks the Lady of the Lake for the Sword Excalibur, illustration by Walter Crane}

_{Ridder Soler de Vilardell doodt een griffioen met het beroemde zwaard. Bas-reliëf bij de poort van Sant Iu van de Kathedraal van Barcelona}

Vilardell’s legendary sword is one of the strongest medieval legends in Catalan courtly literature, comparable to the famous Excalibur from the Arthurian tale. The bearer of the sword is said to be invincible. There are mentions that knights are said to have killed a great serpent and a dragon with the sword.

The saint story of St George defeating the dragon with his sword or lance is related to the myths described above. The Christians turned it into a moral battle between good and evil.

The yellow-6 hero with his sword fights against the green-4 dragon. The keyword ‘fight’ is classified under yellow-on-green.

_{heraldisch wapenschild van Kagran, Wenen.}

i.Michiels, red.