Illustration til St. St. Blicher, De tre Helligaftener 1846

Christen Dalsgaard rendered this illustration to St. St. Blicher’s “De tre Helligaftener” with pen and ink. The motif of an old man scattering seeds before waterfowl is charged with symbolic weight. Such imagery echoes ancient agricultural rites, where scattering seeds promised fertility and renewal. Think of Demeter scattering grain, or the Sower in Millet's paintings—gestures of hope and provision, deeply embedded in our collective psyche. The recurring presence of birds also speaks to a broader cultural narrative. In ancient mythologies, birds often act as messengers between worlds, symbols of the soul’s journey. Dalsgaard’s old man, like those figures, carries a certain melancholic weight. We recognize the cyclical nature of life, the ebb and flow of time. In our subconscious, such figures evoke not only hope but also the awareness of mortality. The act of scattering becomes a poignant reminder of our shared human fate.