Artwork Title: The Vodyanoi

The Vodyanoi, 2015

Andrea Kalfas

The Vodyanoi is a sort of water demon from Russian folklore, sometimes called the Father of Mermaids, who, when angered, causes floods, breaks dams, and drowns people, dragging them underwater to serve him forever. Victims of drowning were not buried at Orthodox cemeteries, as by taking the souls of his victims away from him, the Vodyanoi would become angry, causing drought or hail in retribution. Kalfas created her own interpretation of the Vodyanoi for Seventh Church Ministries, a small press publisher who is producing limited-edition prints of this in conjunction with their release of Jeanne D’Angelo’s upcoming zine “Unclean Spirits.”

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