Personification of Russia

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The personification of Russia is traditionally feminine and most commonly maternal since medieval times.[1]

A cover of Sentry (ru) magazine, approx. 1932, depicting Russia as a woman in a traditional costume liberated by a warrior in medieval armor with a shield depicting the Tsarist flag, trampling the Bolshevik flag.

Most common terms for national personification of Russia are:

  • Mother Russia (Russian: Матушка Россия, tr. Matushka Rossiya, "Mother Russia"; also, Россия-матушка, tr. Rossiya-matushka, "Russia the Mother", Мать-Россия, tr. Mat'-Rossiya, Матушка Русь, tr. Matushka Rus' , "Mother Rus' "),
  • Homeland the Mother (Russian: Родина-мать, tr. Rodina-mat' ).

In the Russian language, the concept of motherland is rendered by two terms: "родина" (tr. rodina), literally, "place of birth" and "отчизна" (tr. otchizna), literally "fatherland".

Harald Haarmann and Orlando Figes see the goddess Mokosh a source of the "Mother Russia" concept.[2][3]

Usage

1914 Russian poster depicting the Triple EntenteBritannia (right) and Marianne (left) in the company of Mother Russia.

During the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War, the image was in the propaganda of the supporters of the White movement, which interpreted the struggle against the Bolsheviks as a battle with "aliens" who were "oppressors of Mother Russia".[citation needed] The Bolsheviks also used the image of "Motherland", including during the fight against Nazi Germany during World War II.

Statues

During the Soviet era, many statues of Mother Motherland were built, most to commemorate the Great Patriotic War. These include:

See also

References

Further reading

  • Ellen Rutten, Unattainable Bride Russia: Gendering Nation, State, and Intelligentsia in Russian Intellectual Culture, 2010, ISBN 0810126567. The book discusses personifications of Russia as a bride in 20th century Russian literature and art.

External links

  • Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons