The Sacred Trees of Shadowman #3

 

Shadowman #3 Pre-Order Cover by Robbi Rodriguez

Some images burn themselves into your brain. They just grab you and don't let go. You find yourself thinking about them, and wondering about them, long after their time has come and gone.

Recently I've been reading a Hellboy series that features Yggdrasil, or the World Tree from Norse mythology. I grew up learning about the two trees in the Garden of Eden: the Tree Of Life and the Tree Of Good And Evil. Trees feature strongly in J.R.R. Tolkien's stories, whether they be the Two Trees of Valinor, the sentient Ents, or the White Tree of Gondor. 

 

 

The name for the ancient Celtic Druids, who practiced their religion in sacred groves, possibly comes from their word for Oak.

Fire wreathes the trees in the background of Robbi Rodriguez' Shadowman #3 Pre-Order Cover. The ground and sky glow with orange light, seemingly as a result of these fires. While no foliage adorns the limbs, the fire has not consumed the trees.

 

 

So has the fire consumed the foliage, as well as the flesh from the skulls in the background? Are trees sacred in the Deadside? Does the Deadside have a grove of ever-burning trees, similar to the Christian Lake Of Fire?

 

 

How about Shadowman in this cover? Is he playing music to summon demons from their home in a sacred Deadside grove, perhaps to request their assistance in our world? 

 

 

Or, given the way the black circles enlarge as they reach him, is Shadowman playing music to try to close a doorway or veil that would allow the demons access to our realm?

This cover prompts so many questions. 

 

If I ever meet artist Robbi Rodriguez at a convention, I can ask about all the symbolism in this Shadowman #3 Pre-Order Cover. In the meantime, perhaps I'd better consult a Druid.

Dragon Dave