#mythopride

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Continuing the concept of this post, here's a redraw of the Saraswati painting by Raja Ravi Varma in aroace pride flag colours.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, learning, and the arts in the Hindu pantheon. Hinduism doesn't have one 'canon' and it's not that there isn't a scripture or lore where Saraswati is partnered with a god, even if the partnership is for heteronormative compliance. However, in most of Saraswati's widely known lore, she remains detached from romance or sex and solely dedicated to learning, arts, and knowledge.

Pun credits for both this and previous illustration to @callonpeevesie!

I had been thinking a lot about how historic and religious celibacy or abstinence from romance (or sex) is seen as sacrificial, when it could have just been gathering of people who would likely fall under the aro umbrella, just living life. I'm making an entire series out of redrawing mythological characers in classical paintings in pride colours.

Find all illustrations in this series here.

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So happy to finally share this piece I worked on for the Aromantic Experiences Zine project organized by @morb1dcan1d!

The illustration is a redraw of a baroque painting, Diana Returning from the Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens. I had been thinking a lot about how historic and religious celibacy or abstinence from romance (or sex) is seen as sacrificial, when it could have just been gathering of people who would likely fall under the aro umbrella, just living life.

Diana/Artemis was a hunting goddess in the Greco-roman pantheon and her iconography would often show her accompanied by nymphs on a hunt. For Diana, the Hunt took precedence over romance, and companionship meant partnership within a hunting party. She primarily uses a bow, and 'Arrowmantic' is supposed to be a pun on that.

I got so invested into this idea that I decided to make a whole series out of redrawing mythological beings in classical paintings and colouring them with pride flag colours. More to come!

The Aromantic Experiences Zine features works of 23 aro creatives and I'm so proud to be one of the people who could contribute to this phenomenal project.

You can download a pdf version of the Zine here -

Aromantic Experiences // Digital Zine - Morb1dCan1d's Ko-fi Shop

A zine containing works written by a group of aromantic people. There is barely any representation for this peculiar identity, and finding c

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They look pretty good side-by-side, don't they?

Link to individual posts: Aro Artemis, Ace Gefjon, Aroace Saraswati

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Happy Pride!

I'm still at it and redrawing classical paintings of mythological characters with pride flag colour schemes! Here's a redraw of Gefjon ploughs the earth in Sweden by Lorenz Frølich in ace pride flag colours.

Gefjon is a Norse goddess associated with ploughing. She is responsible for the creation of the island of Zealand by ploughing away Lake Mälaren. Gefjon is also associated with virginity. Gefjon's connection with unplowed, virgin land made her a symbol of virginity itself and belief arose that all who die virgins become Gefjon's attendants.

I had been thinking a lot about how historic and religious celibacy or abstinence from romance or sex is seen as sacrificial at least in current majoritarian narratives, when it could have just been gathering of people who would likely fall under the aroace umbrella, just living life. Identities don't map cleanly across cultures or history, but this is a small attempt at 'colouring' the past in ways it's not usually done.

Find all illustrations in this series here.

P.S.: I have no personal cultural connection to Norse Mythology. If you do and you spot something wrong here, feel free to send a polite ask/DM/reply and I will edit my post accordingly!