Against All Odds or Crusader Battle on the Ice
There is no reason to be furious that all odds are against you; you would better be happy that your real tenacity is driven by you only. The true miracle is that desperation sometimes gives upsurge to profound hope. This image has been contemplated as an entirely different scene and a subject matter. However, here we are, against all odds. The motif has been inspired by the battle on the ice, Russian bitva na Chudskom ozere, with happened in medieval times 1242, at Lake Peipus. According to the legend, countless hordes of Northern crusaders had been defeated ingeniously by Alexander Nevsky. He managed to lure the heavy weighted, mounted knights to the lake were they broke the thin ice and drowned.
While exploring more info about the battle on the ice I stumble upon surprising historical data which subsequently ruined my childhood believes. It turns out that the battle or even an Ice Massacre how it named in Russia was not a significant historic event at all. The more disturbing news was that the Teutonic knights Russian soldiers had similar type of armour, therefore, that was a popular misconception that the thin ice on the lake broke under the weight of only plate armor of German’s warriors. The heavy full plate armor began to be used only in XIV—XV century. In fact, the downing event was not documented in any chronicles at all. In addition, the knight loses after the battle counted only 20 crusaders killed and 6 captured. That is quite small casualties for the major battle of the century. Russians had so many troops that there were easily sixty men for every one invading knight.
And one more thing; the famous catch phrase of Alexander Nevsky "Who comes to us with a sword by the sword will die" is a modified version of the Gospel (Matthew, 26, 52.) which reads as "Those who take the sword – by the sword will perish". It appears that the “legend” was instigated by the movie "Alexander Nevsky" which was released in theaters 1938 and not once cited in newspaper articles and posters, as a genuine historical events and a phrase of Alexander Nevsky. From my childhood I had a vision of a frozen crusader knight standing alone in the middle of an icy snowfield; I even painted it onetime 40 years ago. Still, it came back to me again in a new form of depiction.
(Title Rus) Наперекор Судьбе или Крестоносец на Ледовом Побоище
Software used: Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe Illustrator®, 3ds Max®, Photo Stock
George Grie, June 2016
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Against All Odds or Crusader Battle on the Ice, historic allegory surrealism