She put on the mantle of furs, made from every kind of bird and animal in the forest. She was safe now.
An illustration based on the story Allerleirauh
[image description: an illustration of a person with light skin and light, shoulder-length hair, wearing a tattered dress. she has bare, dirty feet, is curled into a fetal position, and is wrapping her arms around herself protectively. she wears the head and pelt of a wolf-like animal as a mantle, covering her head and her back.]
LATE to the party but I’ll be damned if I miss any more #drawtober2019 prompts!! Here’s Wolf’s Bane for Oct 11-15. .. #art #illustration #drawing #illo #ipadpro #inktober2019 #procreate #madewithprocreate #wolf #wolfsbane #werewolf #manedwolf #artistsoninstagram #digitalart #digitalartist #doodle #sketch #artoftheday #characterdesign #artist #inktober #instaartist #instaart #drawtober https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pAXyYDbMR/?igshid=1hz9ych4vkmz
Hades wisely entrusted ferocious Cerberus to protect the gates to the underworld. Only mighty Heracles overcame the hellhound through godly strength and guile as the final and most difficult task of his twelve labours. After being dragged up to the surface through a cave and exposed to daylight, a violently agitated Cerberus vomited toxic froth onto nearby aconite plants (aka Wolf’s Bane). Legend has it that this toxic vomit is what made Wolf’s Bane poisonous.
The progression of my Aconite blooms in my poison garden. A most vibrant, striking color contrasting everything else in the garden that’s begun to die back. The daturas have started to wilt, tobaccos taken by the first frost, the mandragoras brought inside. The Queen of Poisons insists on being noticed. The oldest of the bunch, they’re about four years old and stand around five feet tall.
I know I am a little bit late, but I have so so so much to do and almost never time to do my stuff what I wanna do. But here u FINALLY are. One of my favs from the #Wolfsbane2 in Birmingham. It was one of my favourite cons.
This week we had again another “hottest day of the year”. Since June, most of Europe experiences a near ceaseless heat and drought period. These hot days of summer are also referred to as “Dog Days” (Hundstage) and this year they live up to their name.
The Greek called them kynádes hēmérai, Romans adopted it, calling them dies caniculares. Historically the period began with the heliacal rising of the dog star Sirius (actually a star system) in the Northern Hemisphere, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck, while to the Polynesians in the Southern Hemisphere the star marked winter and was an important reference for their navigation around the Pacific Ocean.
For my “Dog Days” incense I took inspiration from the paralyzing and deadly weather phenomenon.
The formula has been updated, with field eryngo (Eryngium campestre) being added to the baneful blend. In German language this type of thistle is also referred to as “Unruh” and “Elend” and the occurrence of clusters of broken off stems, similar to spiky tumbleweed carried forth by the wind, are named “Steppenhexen”. This stingy plant is almost impossible to touch or harvest without hurting yourself. Yet, and despite the heat and drought, it is frequented by dozens of bumblebees and other pollinators.
Beside obvious herbal references to the the dog/wolf totem, such as wolfsbane and mandrake, the incense contains also black and white henbane, which have been used in prophecy, baneful spells but also for rain magic. I burnt a good amount of it on this day, both to cleanse and bless a dog skull I found at the flea market, as well as to call for rain and cooling. It may have been simply good timing, but rain came the following morning.
I am often asked about side effects and dangers of burning venific incense blends – I can only speak for myself, I did not notice anything, apart from feeling more focused and empowered. I also sensed a relaxing effect on myself. A slight dizziness I attest to the burning sun and heat, not to the herbs.
Luckily, the worst heat seems to be over now and I look forward to enjoying the end of summer and working on art.
