Spring is in no hurry to attack, as well as the rise in oil prices and the increase in pensions and the lifting of international sanctions. Well, elections with at least some intrigue. A symbol of all this for the Russians was Idun.
Appeared in Holland a sculpture of a grey, loose, but cute character with the head of the elephant and crossed on the abdomen with your hands with astonishing speed was built by the Russians to the status of national hero.
Sculpture Loxodontus Homunculus was created a year ago, Margriet van Brevoort (Margriet van Breevoort) and since then stands in the yard of the medical center of Leiden University. According to the authors, it symbolizes patient waiting for a doctor’s advice. In Russia, the Homunculus dubbed Jdoom.
After the first appearance in January on a humorous website Idun incredibly quickly gained universal fame. Russian society, which has developed a reputation for passive and patient, are so identified with him that the phenomenon has interested political scientists.
The irony
“Idun — optimist. He did not despair. He crouched and waiting. At the moment, waiting for the presidential election in 2018, after which we are promised the long-awaited reforms,” writes Professor of the European University of St. Petersburg Dmitry soul Train in serious economic newspaper “Vedomosti”.
“This strange character fills the void, and the company is waiting for, itself not knowing why, — says the sociologist Alex Rosin. — People are afraid to disturb the stability, because in their view, any change always leads to the worst. This is the Putin consensus. Therefore, as a sign of self-irony appeared Edun”.
“He started to live its own life (…) and is completely out of control,” said the sculptor on his page on Instagram, which is now besieged by hundreds of Russian fans. The success of this “Mascott” (today it can compete with the Donkey and the bear Misha) does not enjoy anywhere else.
It got to the point that the famous cartoonist Sergei Elkin depicted an angry Putin with phone in hand: “Who is this edun? His rating is already higher than mine? Find enough dirt on him!”
Still vivid memories of the secular age
For the first time since Zdoom we met on 1 February in the hall of the Kirov court. While Alexei Navalny was present in their already which account for the process (at the end he was given five and a half years of imprisonment conditionally for “embezzlement of funds”), in the network appeared the photo on which the judges took some kind of a curious character. This is laid out directly during the trial, “photoshop” was followed by hundreds of others.
A new meme has taken over the virtual world. It appears that in the paintings in the Tretyakov gallery, at a reception in the Kremlin in front of Vladimir Putin, which unusually looks at some of the guest, then on the Kerch bridge, which still does not end the construction work.
Idun can all go back and sit down next to Lenin or to simply look at a plate of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. The important thing is that he is always waiting for something.
The fact that Idun still evokes vivid memories of the Soviet era, when it was early in the morning to queue in front of groceries or months of waiting for furniture. Associated his image with the reforms which to this day without end are accepted, but not applied.
Deep anxiety
Among the victims were famous for delays and queues Mail of Russia. After the announcement of the company programme to reduce queues Idun appeared on his logo.
According to Aleksey Rosin, despite all its charm, the image of Idona evidence of a deep anxiety: “It is a sign of General impoverishment of the intellectual and spiritual situation, because in Russia there is nothing more interesting.”
“Idun — is everything, — says in conclusion, the political scientist Dmitri Trenin, after reviewing all the profiles of Iduna. — The Russian Idun is the opposition waiting in the depths of Siberian mines, that the heavy chains will fall, will come some brothers and give him the sword. The Russian Idun is a dynamic youth, releasing energy at the disco’s song “Changes! We are waiting for changes!”. The Russian Idun — business, years of waiting, while the Central Bank reduces the interest rate, and the government will create conditions for domestic producers. The Russian Idun is the government itself expects growth of prices for oil and gas, instead of creating these conditions for the manufacturer. The Russian Idun — diplomats waiting to trump, who will come and remove from us sanctions. The Russian Idun is the Church, offering to wait for judgment day, when will triumph those who quietly waited and were obedient to the authorities, and bustler going to make a fuss on the pans in places not so remote from the hot stove. The Russian Idun is a revolutionary waiting for the objective conditions under which subject to change”. In short, Edun is a mirror of the Russian soul.
