Shiva-Pennywise: Dark Half Dune

Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and meditation.

Pennywise is the demonic clown from the iconic American horror novel It (Stephen King).

Shiva represents a focus on free will and transcendence of pain, while Pennywise represents anarchy and an obsession with criminality.

When we pair these two folk avatars together (i.e., for discussions about populism and folk mysticism), we get a clear picture of anguish, the proverbial 'perceptual dark half.'

If Shiva is like Darth Vader, then Pennywise is Darth Maul. Pennywise is the ferocious (and hysterical) foil of Shiva who is a symbol of calmness (and power).

Such folk avatar pairings reveal the true artistic appeal of modern confrontation-themed comic book adapted films such as "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" [2016].

Shiva

Pennywise

Literary Support

I think Stephen King is such a literary master of conceptualizing the 'dark half.' We see relevant themes in works as varied as The Stand, Christine, and The Dark Half.

The Dark Half (Stephen King)