Arcane Idol Yardan

I create something for the Deviantart original character challenge. Just wanted to participate in the challenge.

My character’s name is Yardan - he is a Roman galli and born prince of Anatolia. I drew him in the appearance of god Attis, the ancient Phrygian god of vegetation. Seeing that most characters are cis males or female I wanted to make a tribute to non-binary gender people, and in ancient times they were considered hermaphrodites and androgynous.

I used soft pastel colors like pink, gold and white and choose the green for background to display the peacefulness of nature, as the resurrected sun-god Attis is also the god of spring and fertility.

Ancient mythology serves as the main source of my inspiration for creating Yardan and his backstory. There are many references on this matter in antique myths (ancient Greek myths), philosophy (Plato), and Hindu Vedic literature (where most gods are gender-fluid), and of course history of ancient cultures such as of Mesopotamia and Anatolia.

Here are three elements of my Arcane Idol:

1. Talisman – Yardan’s crown shaped like sun-rays. His teacher saw Attis reborn in him and therefore crowned him as his chosen disciple and the next Archigallus of the galli community. The crown has special secret power that no one knew, as the legends tell anyone who owned this crown could rule the Rome. In fact, this crown was the symbol of freedom.

2. Equipment – his ceremonial weapon is an axe, also an attribute of Attis, in ancient times, it was not only a weapon of Zeus (lightning), but it symbolized the severing of ties to the material world: sex, gender, body, views and values, thus, the divine androgyne becomes a creature beyond material norms, a being from spiritual dimension.

3. Logo – the symbol of my Arcane Idol is a pomegranate, an ancient “apple” from the legend about Attis, according to which his mother nymph Nana has put the fruit to her belly and became pregnant with Attis.

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And my reply to three questions:

1. Do you have a backstory when you create an original character?
Always. When I create an original character concept, I already have in mind its story, so either I write it first or after the concepts, but the backstory is born first, in my head.

2. How do you think you would handle a meteoric rise to fame?
Surely. I’m calm about it. Popularity is never my goal, yet it is a chance to show artist’s world to more people, so I welcome the fame as a very good opportunity.

3. What are your favorite tools to use in the creative process?
Definitely the information I read: books, articles, literature. If some facts seem very interesting but they lack depiction and illustration, I want to ‘bring out’ what has been formed in my imagination. I always choose something rare and what is “ignored” by the majority. Secondly, other tools that help me to be motivated is beautiful photography or old paintings.