What does that truck say?

Really Big Comics: Prešov’s Kalvarias

Won’t you join us for a walk up Prešov’s own Calvary hill?  It just happens to be one of the biggest comics we came across during our trip:

Lives of the Saints: Agnesa Rimska

I think I fall in love with each saint as I read and translate and draw their stories.  Agnesa Rimska gives us yet another tale of intolerance and excess.  We should note here that, unlike in some of the other stories, characters in THIS legend have the ability to CHANGE… but as you will see, that’s not necessarily a good thing.

My computer crashed and the only AGNESA altar panel image I have on this thumb drive at the moment is this unfinished version (from the St. Ana altar); it lacks her trademark “lamb on a book”, and it also bears her original sour sketch face  — later I went back and made her a bit more peaceful-looking!

Hundreds and hundreds of dumplings

Why are these ladies preparing hundreds and hundreds of dumplings (AND big huge vats of sour cabbage AND pork chops…)?

How we played in the leaves

The younger cousins (and their friends) enjoy a game of “Drop the Leaves on the Kids.” (c. mid-October)

Note grapes and walnuts curing in background.  Whenever I see grape vines in Slovakia, I remember the Roman soldiers who brought them.  The cheap plastic truck and soccerball are evidence of later invasions…

One night while I was shaving

Sketch of Ďačov

Ďačov sits nestled into the southern side of the valley.  Visible above the town is the hillside graveyard we visited for Všetkych Svätych.

In case you’re curious, the official “erb” of Ďačov looks like this:

Erb Ďačova

Erby Slovenska (Erbs of Slovakia)

I have recently discovered this interesting site, which lists all the “erby” of all the towns in Slovakia!

An “erb” is an official symbol used by a particular village or town.  Every municipality in Slovakia has one, and each one refers to a story, product, or idea that is particularly important to that community.  As a cartoonist, I especially enjoy finding the erb of each new town I visit and trying to figure out what it says about the history of that town.

For example, the erb of Lipany (where I lived for two months this Fall) shows the seven linden trees which once grew on the site where the town was originally founded.   The original name of the town was “Sieben Linden”, which of course is German for “Seven Linden Trees”.  The descendants of these original seven trees still tower over Lipany’s downtown church…

Here is a small gallery of a few erby from the towns around Lipany, in the Sabinov region of eastern Slovakia:

Bajerovce

Brezovička

Červená Voda

Krásna Lúka

Lipany

Oľšov

Poloma

Rožkovany

Sabinov

Šarišské Dravce

Tichý Potok

Vysoká

Astute readers will also note the erb of Sabinov, which is basically a head on a plate.  (This erb is what led to the St. John mini-comic.)