Irminsul

Size: 30,3 x 22,6 cm

Materials: Watercolour on watercolour paper

The twentieth symbol in the series I’ve done is the Germanic Irminsul. According to the sources I’ve been able to find, the Irminsul was a pillar shape and symbol used in ritual practices by Germanic tribes. The exact origin and meaning are unknown and debated. It may be related to an Anglo-Saxon deity called Irmin, who may be related to Tyr from Norse mythology, a conclusion they’ve probably drawn from the shape resembling the rune Tyr. It was likely related to the World Tree Yggdrasil as it’s said to represent a pillar of power and what holds the worlds, a world axis of sorts.

The texture of the background was created by allowing both colours and water droplets to blossom.