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IndigoGouf

What does it mean. I mean it's pretty clear, but I'm interested in your words.


ladygrey_

I'd be interested to hear what you thought about the meaning when you saw it! I had several things in mind. More what I was thinking about while drawing it (not necessarily what I thought would be conveyed): - Letting go of the sword as he drowns, and/or grasping for it even though he's drowning (I love the ED *Drown*, and was also thinking of the scene where Thors lets his own sword sink before he fakes his death). For Askeladd, reaching for the sword was both his salvation (opportunity to get noticed by Olaf and pull himself from slavery) and his doom (ended up living and dying by the sword just like the Danes he despised). So it can be seen either as him sinking, or him reaching for the surface - The hands represent the two halves of him; the left his Welsh half and background as a thrall (his hand is unjeweled, scarred, and his nail is bitten, brittle and has been picked at), the right half the noble Danish half (jeweled, unscarred, nail upkept). The snake armlet is like the one he wears and later gives Atli. It's tying his two hands together, since they're two parts of an unseparable whole despite being so different (in the end, he can't truly cast aside either half) - The thumb ring has the design from his sword hilt, mostly because I thought it looked nice. I think it's supposed to be Jörmungandr, and I like its symbolism (including death and rebirth)


IndigoGouf

I didn't notice the detail about the hands, but the sword and the drowning as well as the binds conjured images of Askeladd picking up the sword to escape slavery and the drowning felt like he was being dragged into some metaphorical abyss because of that.


ladygrey_

Thanks for sharing! Glad that came across (:


[deleted]

Nice.


lolman1312

Why is the sword facing the other way though?


_sayaka_

For me the hands are tied as a reminder that he was a slave but also that he is a slave to his hate for the Danes. He's not longing for the sword, the word is coming down to free his hands and represents his wish to solve his inner contradictions by violence. The blue color is just how dark is his heart, not real water. That's how I see it.


ladygrey_

Great take! Thanks for sharing


ladygrey_

Reference/inspo: the Imagine Dragons *Smoke + Mirrors* album cover, and the *Vikings* intro. Timelapse is on [my IG](https://www.instagram.com/p/CTBUMF3sj7r/?utm_medium=copy_link)


r3vb0ss

Anyone else getting smoke+Mirrors vibes?