Queen of My Heart Mug

One side features SEDA / SETA. On the other side it says “Eem ankin surdees Takooheen.” In Armenian that translates to “The Precious Queen of my Heart.” “Ankin” directly translates into “priceless” but I think “precious” emcompasses this sentiment’s meaning better.

(Seh-daw / Seh-taw) means “voices of the forest” referring to forest spirits from Armenian mythology. It is also referred to as “light” or “bright.”

The drawing is inspired by a very special lady who is a living legend in the Armenian dance community. Seda has been performing and teaching for over 73 years all around the world. She was the Director of the Vannig Children’s Dance Group as well as the Vasburagan Armenian Dance Group of Washington. In the illustration, she is dressed in authentic Vasburagan garments.

The background is inspired by patterns found in books from the Madenataran, a repository of ancient manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.