Folklore Images

folklore takes many shapes when drawn, every depiction looks different.

Irish Folklore. The Dullahan or more commonly, the Headless Horsemen.

Celtic belief was that the soul was held in the head, without a head a warrior is nothing. Headhunters were rampant, stealing the souls of those who were seen as unworthy of the title opponent. The heads would be used to gain recognition, often put on stakes in front of the headhunters abodes. This man, the Dullahan, could be your coachman to the afterlife or could be after you and your dying soul. He carries a spine whip In order to take the onlookers eyes. he is often found with his or someone else’s severed head, tossing it around.  This possessed man, hidden in shadows, rides through the night in search of his next dying victim. both of these images show the creature on horse back. one of them show him completely cast in shadow while the other played with colors but keeps the pallet darker. the one on the right is a a shot taken father away from the Dullahan, he has been seen by a man with a gun. on the right, a zoomed in picture of just the Dullahan and his horse. his horse has a severed head that floats in place while he holds his whip ready, as if planning to use it on a man right off screen. both of these images have the same feel to them, they are posed and very sure of their actions, they are in no such rush.

Finnish Folklore. The Ajattar, or I as like to call her, the Devil’s mother.

 

A Evil female entity often said to resemble a dragon in newer stories. When she first came to be she had a long serpentine body and long hair down to her ankles. Most say the sight of her would leave you sick. To the left, the depiction of her is on par with older ideas of the Ajattar. She seems to be crawling into  a different dimension, perhaps to hell, to see her son. To the right, a more contemporary look at this entity, more dragon like then anything. She stands proud on the hill side, unlike the one to the left who seems to be out and ready to cause havoc. These two give off two very different depictions, showing how these descriptions and stories change over time and morph into an entirely different creature. these stories change every time someone tells it, and its clearly shown with these two images. Both creatures sit with the same name but wildly different looks, its amazing.