Matryoshka

[William Ryan]

Genevra is of course right about Damp Mother Earth. And Matreshka is just an
alternative form of matka, 'womb'. Clearly these are fertility dolls - womb
within womb within womb. Fascinating. And the vaguely phallic shape would
support Boris Uspenskii's explorations of the origins of Russian mat and
symbolic coitus with Mother Earth. So the wolf man would be a bit wide of the
mark. But what about the girl with the cough?

On the other hand there are those who say that matreshki came from Japan in the
19th century ...

Just had a few moments free before my next meeting.

Will Ryan

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