A thin, winged man kneels in front of another winged man holding a sword. The kneeling man’s head rests directly over the genitals of the standing man.
This is a striking photograph largely for its layered imagery and intense symbology. Of course, the picture is of winged humans but, beyond that, the opposing colors of the men’s wings (white in the case of the kneeling man, black for the upright man), their stances, and the ornate sword in the picture all provide elements with which to compose a compelling narrative. Do you see religious references, a mythological one, or a cultural one here? All of these contexts can and often do have certain power dynamics at work in them.
I’m most clearly reminded of the phrase “blind faith” because I think the kneeling man’s eyes are closed. Although such absolute surrender to a force external to oneself can be a sexy thought, especially for those of us who enjoy giving up control in a sexual context, the reality is that submission isn’t about blind faith. While elements of faithfulness often play a part in a relationship where dominance and submission are explored healthily, to be competent at the act of submission requires a great deal of knowledge not only of oneself, but of one’s dominant partner(s). This isn’t knowledge that’s possible to acquire without deliberate and genuine communication from all parties involved.