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 National russian, trampling the Communist flag. The words "ХРИСТОС ВОСКРЕСЕ" roughly translate to "Christ is risen".
Harald Haarmann and Orlando Figes see the goddess Mokosh a source of the "Mother Russia" concept.[2][3]Mikhail Epstein states that Russia's historical reliance on agriculture supported a mythological view of the earth as a "divine mother", leading in turn to the terminology of "Mother Russia". Epstein also notes the feminine perceptions of the names Rus' and Rossiia, allowing for natural expressions of matushka Rossiia (Mother Russia).[4]
Usage
During the Soviet period, the Bolsheviks extensively utilized the image of "Motherland", especially during World War II.
"For the Motherland!" on a 1965 Soviet stamp. The literal translation is "Motherland calls!"
Statues
During the Soviet era, many statues depicting the Mother Motherland were built, most to commemorate the Great Patriotic War. These include:
The Motherland Calls (Russian: Родина-мать зовёт, tr.Rodina-mat' zovyot), a colossal statue in Volgograd, Russia, commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad
^Figes, Orlando (2002). Natasha's Dance: a cultural history of Russia. New York: Metropolitan Books. p. 321. ISBN9780805057836. [...] the goddess known as Mokosh, from whom the myth of 'Mother Russia' was conceived.
^Epstein, Mikhail (1997). Rosenthal, Bernice (ed.). The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture. Cornell University Press. p. 332. ISBN9780801432583.
