Writing by Tarot

I've had a slow start to Camp NaNoWriMo this April but the last few days have been crazy fun... and creative, and rewarding. I've let myself go a little (and there is a card to that affect). I've been using Tarot or 'Healing with the Fairies Oracle Cards' as writing prompts along with the short  story ideas section of John Marsden's 'Everything I Know About Writing' book.

It's been brilliant. I pick a card and work my way through the list of ideas one by one. Then I write a story of any length, genre, or style somehow connected to the two prompts.

At the moment I'm on my fifth short story based on the Teddy Bears' Picnic and the Magic of Nature. Two of the earlier stories I feel are worth working on and that's great because...

I'm determined that this year will be the year I am published. Or better yet the year I actually attempt to get published. I'll actually polish of my stories and send them to magazines and enter them into competitions . Even just that will be a triumph, especially if I persist from the rejection that's sure to come.

Wish me luck, and good luck to you and all your big plans for the year, writerly or otherwise.

Wolves

So I said to my mother, "Mother," I said, "Mother. what should I do a blog post on?"
And she said to me, she said, "Wolves."
The previous night we'd watch the first episode of Game of Thrones on my new Blu Ray box set and so wolves were on the brain.

Nymeria from the Television series Game of Thrones

The wolf is a prominent part of human myth and legend. Primarily they appear as adversaries or villains but in some cases as nurturers, companions or helpers. The later seems to be more popular today as seen in Game of Thrones.

Tyr and Fenrir by John Bauer.

Fenrir is a son of the trickster god Loki. The wolf is one of three creatures responsible for Ragnarok (the end of the world) when he will kill the god Odin. Tyr placed his hand in the mouth of Fenrir allowing to other gods to bind him. They were successful but Tyr lost his hand.

Lycaon becoming a wolf by Bernard Picart

Lycaon was the king of Arcadia but he foolishly sought to deceive Zeus, king of the gods, by serving him the flesh of his own son. As punishment Zeus turned Lycaon into a wolf creating the first lycanthrope or werewolf.

Moonlight Wolf by Frederic Remington

Shepherd Wolf by Gustave Doré

An interpretation of the saying "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" which comes from the line in the bible (New Testament), "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7.15).

Red Riding Hood and Wolf by Trina Schart Hyman

And of course there's the menacing wolf from the well know fairy tale Red Riding Hood.

Catherine's Wolf by Adrienne Segur

Now this seems to be our first picture of a benevolent wolf, however, something about the way he's looking at her is a little suss to me. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by all the red riding hood propaganda.

Spirit Wolf by Miskis (Source)

Much of Native American culture consider the wolf to be a teacher or brother, who shows the way beyond death. This is quite similar to the role of the Dire Wolves in Game of Thrones in which the wolves are companions and protectors to the Stark children.

Angua by Paul Kidby

Another werewolf but this time a character from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Angua may be a werewolf but she's also a Sergeant of the Watch aka she's a cop.

The Caterpillar

There are so many fabulous characters found in the world of Wonderland. Today I will share with various artists representations of the marvelous hookah smoking caterpillar.

By John Tenniel, 1988.

The Original illustrator of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

By Cory Godbey.

By Arthur Rackham.

From the 2010 film directed by Tim Burton.

By Bobby Chiu.

From the 1951 Disney film.

By Kei Acedera.

By Xavier Collettte.

Minotaur

Inspired by the recurring theme in Surrealist art today's post will be focusing on the Minotaur myth.
The Minotaur is the child of Pasiphae and either a sacred bull of the god Poseidon or Zeus in the form. Naturally the Minotaur was born with the head of a bull and the body of a man, his name was Asterion.

The Minotaur by George Fredrick Watts, 1885.

Minotaur Caressing a Sleeping Woman by Pablo Picasso, 1933-34.

The Minotaur was kept in a labyrinth beneath King Minos's (Pasiphae's husband) court and placated with human sacrifices from Athens.

Theseus came to Crete as one of these sacrifices to kill the Minotaur and thus save the people of Athens.

Cover of Weird Tales January 1945, cover art by Margaret Brundage.

Lucky for Theseus, Ariadne (daughter of Minos and Pasiphae) was willing to sell out her half brother. She gave him some string and held onto one end so he wouldn't get lost in the Labyrinth.

Theseus killed the Minotaur.

Theseus and the Minotaur by Chris Harding.

The Minotaur, Steadfast and Persistent by Shag, 1999.

And everyone lived happily ever after... except the Minotaur... oh and Theseus got bored of Ariadne and ditched her on some island. She did meet Dionysus there though and they proved quite the happy couple. I guess that's something.

What's in a Fairy

What indeed?
Not long ago I was looking fondly at an old children's book of mine, an illustrated copy of Enid Blyton's The Folk of the Faraway Tree. One picture in particular caught my eye as it looked very similar to one in book about faeries I had recently bought by Brian Froud and Alan Lee.

The Beautiful Fairy by Georgina Hargreaves from The Folk of the Faraway Tree (1984).

Leanan-Sidhe from Faeries Deluxe Collector's Edition
described and illustrated by Brian Froud and Alan Lee (2010).

It should be noted that the original edition of Faeries was published in 1978 however the collector's edition featured new art and I really couldn't tell you if the picture of Leanan-Sidhe was new or not. According to The Enid Blyton Society the earliest edition of The Folk of the Faraway Tree featuring Hargreaves illustrations was published in 1983.
So which came first? I couldn't tell you. Does it matter? I'm not sure.

In any case I like both these pictures and find it pleasantly spooky that I should end up with both of them on my bookshelf.

Mermaids

In honour of my most viewed blog post, 'Pirates of the Caribbean and Those Mermaid Vampire Things' I am doing another mermaid themed post just few pics, nothing specific, here goes.

Lttle Mermaid by Norman Lindsay.

Mermaid by Franz Von Stuck.

Mermaid's at Play by Arnold Bocklin.

The Mermaid by Charles Haslewood Shannon.

A race with Mermaids and Tritons by Collier Twentyman Smithers.

Catching a Mermaid by James Clarke Hook.

Mermaids Frolicking in the Sea by Charles Edouard Boutibonne, 1883.

A Mermaid by John William Waterhouse, 1901.

The Mermaid by Howard Pyle, 1919.

P.S. the date is questionable on this one, I got it from Wikimedia which also puts Pyle's death at 1911, sooo... yeah.

Going through my post list I've just realised a terrible glitch to the system, Saturday's Wild Things was not my 100th post, I had a few double up drafts which were being counted in my total and this post is only my 99th making my next post my 100th. Tragic though this may be I believe with the support of our friends and family we can make it through.
I'll see you next time for my actual 100th post.

The Unicorn

Gotta love Unicorns, even when they're more goats than elegant and awe inspiring horses there's something special about them.
The Unicorn like the Phoenix is a singular creature, meaning there's only ever one (traditionally anyway, I'm sure there's been contemporary herds of the things roaming our novels and TV screens).

The Maiden and the Unicorn by Domenico Zampieri Domenichino, c. 1602.

The Unicorn in Captivity by an unknown Flemish Weaver, 1495-1505.

Sadly, due to the Unicorn's uniqueness and it's horn's supposed healing properties, this creature is the source of many a hunt and quest.

Chastity with the Unicorn by Francesco Di Giorgio Martini, 1463.

It was said that the Unicorn could only be captured by a virgin (female of course, for some reason virgin males just don't have the same effect) who was basically put out as bait. The poor Unicorn would come lay it's head on her lap and fall asleep leaving itself free to be captured by the waiting huntsmen.

 A Unicorn from the Spiderwick Chronicles. 

 A Mon Seul Désir by an unknown French weaver c. 1410.

 Abduction of Proserpina on a Unicorn by Albrecht Dürer, 1516.

 St Justina with the Unicorn by Moretto da Brescia, c. 1530.

The patron saint of Padua, St Justina is sometimes depicted with a Unicorn to signify virginity.

 Unicorn from Conrad Gesner’s Historiae Animalium, 1551.

 Lady with a Unicorn by Raffaello Sanzia, c. 1505.

That is one little Unicorn.

The Unicorn is found from The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestry, c.1495-1505.

 Allegory of March – Triumph of Minerva and sign of Aries by Francesco del Cossa, c. 1468-70.

 The Lady and the Unicorn by Luca Longhi.


To keep up to date with the words and pictures I'm sharing now head on over to my new website, www.sarahfallon.net.  I'm talking reading, writing and all kinds of daydreamy things.

Sirens

Siren Whisper Sweet by Edward Kwong.

Satiated Siren by Gustav-Adolf Mossa, 1905.

In some versions of the myth, the sirens were once nymphs and companions of the goddess Persephone. When Persephone was abducted by Hades the nymphs prayed for wings so that they could search for their lost friend. Their wish was granted and they became half bird and half woman. Another version (Ovid V, 551)) states that as punishment for not intervening when Persephone was abducted, Demeter changed their form.

The Siren by John William Waterhouse, 1900.

The Sirens sang songs promising fulfilment of one’s greatest desire, luring sailor’s and fishermen to their deaths.

The Fisherman and the Syren by Frederic Leighton. C. 1856-1858.

Little Siren by Sulamith Wulfing.

Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert Draper.

When Ulysses passed by the island of the Sirens he had his crew fill their ears with wax so they would not hear and be tempted by their song. He however was tied to the mast so his curiosity could be satisfied. He is the only man to hear the Sirens song and live.

 Proserpina’s Companions are turned into Sirens by Johann Ulrich Krauss, 1690.

The Siren by Edward Armitage, 1888.

Despite the written descriptions of Sirens as part bird, it seems more common to depict them as either beautiful women or part fish.

The Sirens by Gustave Moreau, c. 1872.

Fisherman and the Siren by Knut Ekwall.

Sirenen by Arnold Böcklin, 1875.

Böcklin takes an unusually comic approach with the physicality of the Sirens.

Les Sirènes by Louis Adolphe Tessie.


To keep up to date with the words and pictures I'm sharing now head on over to my new website, www.sarahfallon.net.  I'm talking reading, writing and all kinds of daydreamy things.