Ele Willoughby, PhD

I have been making some art, like this monoprint, about some of the many folk traditions around May Day. May Eve is celebrated with bonfires for Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht (Walpurgis night and Witches' Night as celebrated in Germany). May Eve is the feast day of Saint Walpurga in celebration of her canonization May 1, 870. But folklorists tie it to a more ancient …

#monoprint #monotype #gelprint #gelplateprinting #bonfire #Walpurgisnacht #Hexennacht #folklore #spring #MayEve #witches

Apr 30, 2023 at 1:26pmWeb
Show threadEle Willoughby, PhDApr 30, 2023
celebration of a moon festival for Walpurga, another name for the Norse goddess Freya of love and beauty who also represented women's magic, sexuality, and independence as well as war and death in battle. She had a magical cloak of falcon feathers and gold necklace, trusty sacred boar friend and a chariot pulled by two cats (cats!). The May Pole can likewise be linked to Yggdrasil, the world tree. …
Show threadEle Willoughby, PhDApr 30, 2023
Saint Walpurga, amongst other things, apparent fought off witches, so in various European countries, people continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga's Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches. But in some places people celebrate "Witches' Night", when revelers dress as witches and demons, set off fireworks, dance and play loud music, to drive the witches and winter spirits away. …
Show threadEle Willoughby, PhDApr 30, 2023
In the Harz mountains the tradition goes back over 1,000 years ago, when people celebrated the arrival of spring making offerings to the god Wodan (or the Norse god Odin).
Show threadHeather (הדר) GilmerApr 30, 2023
@minouette I keep seeing the figure from The Scream in this piece.
Show threadEle Willoughby, PhDApr 30, 2023
@hadarbatjoyce oh, interesting!