Round the sacred yew trees in the great wilds of Asturias, Lord Busgosu, the great spirit of the forest, leads the fay-folk in their night-time revelry. The satyr-like deity protects the forest-people from any humans who find themselves lost in Cantabria's sacred woods, guiding them safely home.

Thank you for all the love for this piece. If you're at all curious about the references I used for this piece, where I drew my inspiration, and the research involved, I just posted a short writeup on my patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/inspir...

In Asturias, xanas dwell in hidden caves near waterfalls and springs. Her cave is filled with the treasures of the old moros, giants who once ruled Asturias. The xana gives birth to young spirits called xaninos. When one is born, she wanders from her cave, seeking an infant to swap with her own.

Dionysus traveled deep into the depths of Hades with the aim of resurrecting the playwright Euripides. Charon aided him by ferrying him part of the way, but as they neared the shore they were swarmed by the great frogs of Hades. Their cry of "Brekekekex-koax-koax" greatly irritated Dionysus.

The Carrot Hunt

The Amazing Digital Circus X Phantom Thread (commission for my buddy Maddy) #funnybunny #tadc #theamazingdigitalcircus

Polyphemus dwelt on the far-off island of the cyclops. He is best known for his confrontation with King Odysseus who, with his men, ransacked Polyphemus' food-stores. Polyphemus trapped them in his cave but Odysseus tricked him by getting him black-out drunk before blinding him with a wooden stake.

When Peleus and the Thetis were married, they threw a lavish wedding to which all the gods were invited except Eris. In anger, she crafted a golden apple on which was inscribed "For the fairest" and threw it among the guests, and so she set in motion the events that would lead to the fall of Ilium.

Modwen, an Irish noblewoman by birth, traveled to England and became a Nun. Among her many miraculous deeds, she is said to have tamed a ferocious wolf who was terrorizing a local village and devouring her cattle. Following her intervention, the wolf would instead protect the cattle.

Isaiah, a prophet of the Lord Yahweh received a vision from his god of a host of Seraphim, the great six-winged "burning ones" who served the Lord. One of the Seraphim flew down to him, touched his mouth, and cleansed him of his sins.

The great witch of the Thrice Ninth-Tsardom, the dreadful Baba Yaga of the bony-leg lives in the enchanted forest in her chicken-legged hut. She flies around in a giant mortar which she steers with a giant pestle and decorates the forest with the heads of her victims.

Hans Trapp is a frightful being said to emerge on Christmas to terrorize misbehaving children. He was once a proud Knight named Hans von Trotha who turned to foul magic and cannibalism. As punishment, God transformed him into a scarecrow and cursed him to eternally wander the Palatinate woods.

Little Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, lived in the forest with Father Frost and the fairy-folk. She went to the village to play with the human girls at jumping over a small fire, as is custom on St. Johns Day, but when Snegurochka's turn came she turned into steam and became a small cloud.

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The faraway Thrice-Ninth Tsardom is a magical place cut off from the world of man. Home to firebirds, great dragons, and myriad other mystical beasts, this other-world can be accessed by a number of means. Some find a path to it in an underground cave whilst others find it at the bottom of a lake.

The faraway Thrice-Ninth Tsardom is a magical place cut off from the world of man. Home to firebirds, great dragons, and myriad other mystical beasts, this other-world can be accessed by a number of means. Some find a path to it in an underground cave whilst others find it at the bottom of a lake.

I just posted a breakdown of this piece to my patreon. If you're at all interested in the story behind this piece, the visual references I drew upon, or just want to support me, please consider checking it out: www.patreon.com/posts/inspir...

A young merchants daughter asked her father to gift her the feather of Finist the Falcon; a magical feather which brought the man-falcon to her, and the pair fell in love. The girl's elder sisters grew jealous of her. They placed knives in her window so that when he flew to meet her, he would be cut

The great old man Frost or 'Father Frost', lived in the snow-blanketed forests with the other fantastical fairy-folk. To those lost in the forest he could be a kindly presence, offering blankets and warmth, or he could be cold, leaving wayward travelers to the mercy of the frost.

Sivko-Burko was a magical wild stallion from Slavic-speaking lands said to be able to shoot fire from his nostrils. A great many fantastic deeds are attributed to him and those he saw worthy of harnessing him.

The Frog Princess was a powerful sorceress who used a giant frog's skin to transform herself into a Frog. Tales tell of how she was wed to Prince Ivan and made great use of her skills in magic to win over her husband. Some say that she was cursed to use the skin by Koshchei the deathless.

The fearsome and tyrannical Sea Tsar dwelt in his oceanic palace in ages long past. Many tales are told of his conflict with the sorceress Vasilisa the wise, said by some to be the Sea-Tsars daughter. #russianfolktales #slavicmythology #traditionalart

In the faraway land of Lukomorye lived the powerful sorcerer Koshchei. He was called 'Deathless' for he was known to have granted himself a kind of immortality by trapping his death within an egg which he hid away. Should the egg ever be found and destroyed, however, he would instantly die.

Creature design commission for @dalilu.bsky.social

Ivan "the bears son" was a peculiar hybrid boy born of a human mother and a bear father. Because of his parentage, he displayed a superhuman strength which often got him into trouble. #russianfolklore #fantasyart #fairytale #inkart

Have you ever known a man who was usually right-minded but who suddenly became a lecherous drunk? He may have been under the influence of Little Master Misery. Little Misery sits on men's shoulders and drives them to indulge in self destructive vices, drawing out the darkness within them.

Leshy is an elusive forest spirit, told of in Russian folklore. This wild man of the woods was once revered and feared as a powerful deity by the pre-Christian Slavs, but now lives in obscurity. He shuns humankind and is seen little, but is not known to be cruel to the few who encounter him.

The anchoress Christina, though born to a wealthy family, rejected a life of luxury and hid herself away in a cell attached to a church in Markyate. She had frequent visions of Mary,, to whom she was devoted and who in turn protected her when her cell was attacked by toads and lesser demons.

Ragnar Loðbrok, the fierce viking king and slayer of dragons, sought in his old age to bring all of England under his dominion. His aims were thwarted, however, by the forces of King Ælla of Northumbria who captured the old, hairy-breeched King and threw him into a pit of snakes. #norsemythology

Satan, the arch-fiend ruler of Hell, was worshiped in secret by small sects of Witches. He was said to grant witches great arcane power with which they could wreck havoc on whomsoever they chose. #folkhorror #fantasyart #inkart #traditionalart

Incubi are a type of demonic being who seek to seduce and impregnate mortals. Witches are often accused of seeking out Incubi as a part of their Satanic rites and such accusations are common during instances of paranoid witch-hunting mania. #folkhorror #inkdrawing #traditionalart #fantasyart

Followers of Cthulhu gather, even now, in hidden, tucked away spaces. They move under the guidance of erratic and unpredictable priests who have fused their minds and bodies with the lesser spawn of their great dreaming god. #cthulhumythos #fantasyart #inkart #traditionalart

Ymir was a primordial giant who lived many ages ago and from whose body the landscape was formed. The dwarves are known to have been given life from the blood of Ymir, and so many make a journey to visit what remains of the great old ones body #norsemyth #folkhorror #mythology #inkart

The term 'Hulder' refers to a strange type of forest creature who is said to seduce humans. Stories are told of them luring men and women alike to come live with them amongst the fairies and hidden folk of the forest, never again to be seen by another human. #folkhorror #scandinavianmythology

The mysterious 'Hidden people', also called Huldufolk, are a race of strange beings said to live alongside humans but who choose to remain mostly invisible to them. They are sometimes said to steal human children, hiding them away to live among the hidden folk. #icelandicfolklore #folkhorror

'Sendings' are a type of magical slave popular among wizards of a particularly morbid disposition. They are formed from the bone of a dead person; one bone per sending. They must carry out their masters bidding but can be killed if a blade is wedged in their bone. #scandinavianfolklore #folkhorror

The Hel-Horse, also called 'Helhest', is a ghostly three-legged horse sometimes seen limping around church-yards. Some say it is the spirit of a horse that was buried alive when the church was first built, thought to be a common practice in the days of old. #inkart #tradart #folklore #folkhorror

Whilst preparing for war with Troy, King Agamemnon kills a deer in a sacred grove of Artemis, prompting her to send harsh winds, trapping his ships. To appease her, Agamemnon is commanded to sacrifice his eldest daughter Iphigenia. In some tales she is killed, but in others she is saved by Artemis.

The wandering Odin sought out the Volva, a great prophetess, who related to the all-father the story of the world; the rising of earth from Ginnungagap, its formation from the body of primordial Ymir, and its submersion at the end of Ragnarok. #norsemythology #fantasyart #inkdrawing #tradart

The Four-headed heavenly creature was witnessed by Ezekiel, a prophet and priest of ancient Israel. Ezekiel saw the creature, with the heads of a lion, human, ox, and eagle, stand beside the heavenly chariot of Yahweh. #biblicalart #inkart #traditionalart #fantasyart #ancientmyth

Just posted 5 new pieces over on my patreon, all inspired by scandinavian folklore www.patreon.com/posts/128018...

Gawain, the nephew of King Arthur, accepted a challenge from the Green Knight, who dares him to deal any blow on the condition that in a year and a day, the Green Knight may deal Gawain the same blow. Gawain decapitates the Green Knight, who survives and commands Gawain to seek him out in a year.

In parts of Scandinavia it is said that if a woman murders or exposes an unwanted child, that child will become a Myling. These small phantoms are forced to roam the wilds, wailing in anguish at their mothers crime. #scandinavianfolklore #inkdrawing #traditionalart #horrorart

Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, was taken from her home to marry Paris, Prince of Troy. Whether she went willingly or was taken by force, accounts differ, but however it came about, her marriage to Paris marked the beginning of the brutal, ten-year-long Trojan war. #greekmythology #inkart

The Fish Monk #traditionalart #fantasyart #inkart

Cybele, the great mother of the Phrygian hills, took the shepherd Attis for her Lover. Though their love was strong, it was doomed to end in tragedy when Attis was driven mad upon seeing Cybele's true, godly form. He would die of blood loss after castrating himself beneath a pine tree.

During the reign of King Lud, the Coraniaid came to Britain to torment its inhabitants. This strange brood had hearing so precise that no plot could be made to expel them, for it would always reach their ears. #welshmythology #mabinogion #fantasy #inkart #traditionalart

Lleu Llaw Gyffes, a powerful Welsh warrior, was cursed by his mother Arianrhod to never have a human wife. Gwydion, his father, and Math, his great-uncle, counteracted this curse by creating a wife, Blodeuwedd, from the flowers of the forest. #welshmythology #inkart #tradart #fantasyart

My boy is here. I like his discolored eyes. it's like he has jaundice 💕 @slimyswampghost.bsky.social

The Giant King Bran the Blessed waged war against King Matholwch to save his sister Branwen from an abusive marriage. He is successful but is mortally wounded and his forces decimated, and so he has his seven surviving men decapitate him and carry his head to London. #welshmyth #fantasy #inkart