Cerbul din Corlata

This terrific image—from Charles Fréger’s series Wilder Mann—was one of the last he shot in his series in Romania (after having photographed in 17 other European countries). It also happens to be one of his favorites. During this particular ritual, either the goat or the deer is dancing and dying. And then he is resurrected. The death connects to winter and the waking to spring and fertility.

Charles says it best: “The idea is to pay homage to the beauty of these living sculptures spawned by rituals that remain vital. Here we can sense the sap of primitive human nature, rising beneath the horns, the fur and the antlers. In a very civil way, they remind us of the animal within.”