Sköll & Hati, Sol & Mani

Ink. Sköll (One Who Mocks) and Hati (One Who Hates), chasing Sol & Mani (the sun & the moon) until they devour them & Ragnarok is upon us.  北欧神話のオオカミのスコールとハティは太陽と月を追いかける。捕まえるとラグナロク(世の終わり)が起こる。 Skoll is the name of the wolfWho follows the shining priestInto the desolate forest,And the other is Hati,Hróðvitnir’s son,Who chases the bright bride of the sky. There’s … Read more

アマビエ Amabie

Ink. In 1846, a strange light appeared off the coast of Kumamoto. An official rowed out and met a wondrous creature, with sparkling fishy scales, pointed avian beak, and flowing long locks. This Amabie prophesied the coming of a mixed fortune for the area: ample produce in hand with pestilence. But, fear not, for it … Read more

Sour Grapes

Oil pastel. Aesop’s Fables “The Fox and the Grapes” When delicious things are out of reach, we might scorn them to protect our egos.  イソップ物語:「キツネとぶどう」いくら頑張っても、ある狐は美味しそうなぶどうを取れなかった。ついに「酸っぱいに違いない!」と思って、諦めた。英語の慣用句の「sour grapes」という負け惜しみ〜  Hanae Rivera.

鶴の恩返し Tsuru no ongaeshi

Oil pastel. 思わぬ方向に展開した瞬間: 子供の頃から好きなおとぎ話の一つだけでなく、一番大事かもしれない。過去に、この話を描いたことがある。彼岸花は「別れ」を表す The moment it all falls apart: This story (also Tsuru Nyobo [The Crane Wife]) has been one of my favorite stories since childhood & perhaps the most important. It begins with an injured crane who is saved by human kindness. Later, a young woman appears at the rescuer’s door during a … Read more

The Bully Goat

Oil Pastel. The Bully Goat (Коза-дереза) is a Ukrainian* folktale about a bratty goat who steals a bunny’s home. Many animals try to help the bunny, but even wolf and bear are scared of the threatening voice coming from the house. “I’ll bash you with my horns! I’ll trample you with my hooves!” Finally the … Read more

Kamaitachi

Ink. 鎌鼬. A 3-weasel yokai of unusual intrigue and great energy that you barely see, barely feel, and soon forget. It is the source of mysterious little booboos you notice after the fact & can’t remember getting. Hanae Rivera.

賢淵 Kashikobuchi

Ink & watercolor. This spider yokai lends its name to a deep pool in the Hirose River that I visited on a trip to Sendai. Similar stories can be found all over Japan: Once upon a time, a man was fishing when he noticed a spider had looped its thread around his leg. He, in … Read more

The Wendigo

Ink. There’s nothing charming about the Wendigo. It is a creature of the lore of Algonquin-speaking peoples of the First Nations representing the loss of humanity to cannibalism, greed, and desperation in harshest winter. The most haunting stories tell of its luring victims by imitating the voices of their lost loved ones. It is perhaps … Read more

The Crystal Ball

Ink. Grimm fairy tale #197. A lot going on in this non-classic. Youngest Son’s Enchantress Mama turns both his older brothers into beasts so he flees. This is the scene after he’s managed to kill the bull and get the magic bird to drop its egg with the crystal ball in its yolk with the … Read more