Zen Sevastyanova | Paul de Luna | Meliae | Blank Magazine #55 |

Photographer Paul de Luna captures purity and sensual poetry in his images of Zen Sevastyanova, styled by Sarah Parlow, for Blank Magazine #55 in an editorial called ‘Meliae’.

In ancient Greek mythology, the Meliae were nymphs of the ash tree and they appeared from the drops of blood spilled when Cronus castrated Uranus, according to Hesiod. From the Meliae emerged the race of humankind of the Bronze Age.

The editorial speaks to the ambiguity of immersing oneself in female sensuality in another form of baptism, the feeling of water splashing on one’s feet. Swans mate for life and are usually depicted in pairs as a symbol of monogamous relationships.

A third swan appearance in Paul de Luna’s images may be an innocent-enough prop or very subtle commentary on the nature of eroticism and sensual love. Associated with Aphrodite, swans represent chastity, which she was not.

Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda. With nowhere to go but into Christian purity, the swan became a symbol for the Virgin Mary’s love — and also her virginity. Video of shoot in Style Briefs.