Folktale Week Illustrations: Dawn - The Firebird and the Maiden of Dawn

The Maiden of Dawn and the Firebird, 11" x 14" linocut print by Ele Willoughby, 2025

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now the final day, Day 7: Dawn.

Here is The Maiden of the Dawn & the Firebird inspired by Edmund Dulac's retelling of a Russian Fairytale.

A Prince is prophesied to fly away on the Firebird on his 15th birthday & marry the Maiden of the Dawn. So the King imprisons him in a luxurious tower prison & holds an elaborate 15th birthday, without him. 

Frustrated, the Prince escapes by the window to the garden, unobserved by the guards enjoying the festival. At the edge of the garden he found a cave, illuminated by a giant bird. In the crystal pool below he saw an image of a beautiful Princess & fell in love. The bird indicated that he should climb aboard & they flew thousands of miles to a beautiful crystal palace at the Home of Dawn with the beautiful Princess asleep in the garden. The prince alighted & failed to wake the Princess. They returned the next night, to no avail but on the 3rd night she awoke at dawn as the Firebird stopped to pluck & give her a feather before leaving the Prince with her. They fell instantly in love & blissfully wandered the garden together. 

But her evil jealous sister enchanted the Prince & his body fell as if dead. The sorrowful Princess kissed his lips, which trembled & she understood her wicked sister must have enchanted him. In desperation she searched the palace then remembered the feather & used it to call the Firebird & fly far west to a cave. There her sister the witch was singing by her cauldron containing the Prince's heart. The Princess rushed forward, overturning the cauldron; the icy brine splashed the witch, killing her. The Princess grasped the frozen heart to her chest & they flew home. 

As they reached their destination, the Princess realized the heart had melted & was gone! Terrified she rushed onward. The Firebird alighted on the roof & the Prince himself came out to greet them. They embraced & she understood that his heart was back where it belonged in his chest, beating against hers. The Firebird's work was done & he flew away, but returned to circle their garden for their wedding, & brought them a feather each anniversary. They ruled as King & Queen of the People of the Dawn for many years & lived joyfully together.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Storm and the Cailleach

The Cailleach, Beira Queen of Winter, linocut print, 8" x 10" by Ele Willoughby

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now Day 6: Storm.

In the Gaelic mythology of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, the divine old woman, or hag, created the landscape itself and the storms and weather of winter. Known by many names, she is the Cailleach (literally the old woman or hag) or Cailleach Bhéarra in Ireland, she is Cailleach Bheurra, or The Hag of Beara or Beira, Queen of Winter in Scotland, and the Caillegh in Manx. In Old Irish, Caillech  means 'veiled one', and her name may be a reference to her woollen cloak. 

She is a giant created with making the mountains and she carries a hammer to shape the landscape. Her staff freezes the ground. She is said to be the mother of all the gods and goddesses. She is the personification of winter, especially of destructive storms. She is associated with prominent, craggy mountains. Her skin is blue and her teeth coloured like copper. She rules from Samhain (November 5) through Beltane (May 1), when despite her efforts to fight against sprint, the goddess Brìghde takes over and rules summer through to the next Samhain.

As well as her cloak, staff and hammer, she is dressed in a great plaid, in accordance with folklore from the west coast of Scotland which tells how she ushers in winter by washing her great plaid in the Gulf of Corryvreckan (which means a whirlpool of the plaid). Over three days the roar of the tempest can be heard across the land and then her cloak is washed white as snow, which then blankets the landscape.

This print is part of my ongoing series of slightly sinister winter and yuletide folklore.

A thing that entertains probably only me, the word Cailleach is related to the Gaelic caileag and the Irish cailín ('young woman, girl, colleen') and my middle name is Colleen. Plus she rules from Samhain through to my Beltane May Day birthday.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Charm and East of the Sun, West of the Moon

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now Day 5: Charm.

My 8" x 10" hand-carved and hand-printed lino block print illustration of the beloved fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon shows the bewitched polar bear prince holding the charm, a magic silver bell along with his bride with the aurora in the night sky beyond them. Printed in dark blue ink, with fluorescent green northern lights, pink cheeks and silver bell, on lovely, delicate, Japanese paper.

The Norwegian fairytale tells of a bewitched polar bear who persuades a peasant to grant him his youngest and prettiest daughter's hand in marriage, promising riches in return. The kindly bear makes her a magnificent castle, and presents her with a magic silver bell that she can use to summon him. He is able to return to his man form at night, but only appears to his bride after she extinguishes the light, so she never gets to see his original form. Feeling homesick, she asks to visit her family; the bear grants her wish on the condition she never be alone with her mother. Her mother makes persistent attempts to speak with her privately, and when she succeeds and hears her daughter's tale, she assumes the bear must be a troll and tells her daughter to light her candle at night and check.

When the daughter examines her husband she falls in love with the handsome prince asleep in bed whom she accidentally awakes. He explains he has been cursed by his wicked stepmother the witch-queen. Had his wife not seen his true form for a full year the curse would be broken, but now he go to witch-queen's palace which is east of the sun, west of the moon and he must marry the witch's daughter. 

The young wife then goes on a long quest to find and rescue her husband and free him from the curse. It's a wonderful tale of courage, kindness and adventure and she ultimately frees her prince.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Book - The Master and His Pupil

The Master and His Pupil, 8" x 10" hand-tinted linocut print by Ele Willoughby, 2025

 

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now Day 4: Book.

My hand-tinted linocut illustrates the English fairytale ‘The Master and His Pupil.’

A learned man of the north lands who knew all the languages of the world and mysteries of creation, had a big black book with iron lock chained to a table and forbidden to all others which contained the secrets of the spiritual world including details of angels and demons. 

His pupil and servant was a foolish lad, barely allowed into the same room as the book. One day when the master was out the curious pupil snuck into the room keen to investigate the magical and alchemical objects but he got nowhere without knowing the magical words hidden in the book. He noticed the master had forgotten to lock the book and he rushed over to read it! He could understand little but he sounded out the words and the room turned dark and there was a clap of thunder and the demon Beelzebub appears with glowing eyes, breathing fire. “Set me a task!” the demon roared, and threatened to harm him. Frantically the boy looked around and noticed the geranium. “Water yon flower!” he cried.

The demon left and returned with a barrel of water, he poured on the flower. And then he left and returned with more and more barrels, flooding the room. The boy pleaded with him to stop but he didn’t know the right words and the demon gleefully continued till the water rose so high that the boy climbed onto the table. The water continued to rise higher and higher and would have flooded all of Yorkshire had the master not recalled that he had left the book unlocked and he returned home as the water reached the boy’s chin. He spoke the right magic words and banished Beelzebub back to his fiery home!

This story has ancient roots, and can be linked to the Sorcerer's Apprentice, but I chose this version because it focuses on the book.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Rain and the Magpie Bridge

The Magpie Bridge, 11" x 14" linocut by Ele Willoughby

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now Day 3: Rain.

My hand-carved, hand-printed lino block print of the well-known, ancient Chinese folktale of the magpie bridge linking the lovers, The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, separated by a great river, which is the Milky Way, is printed on lovely Japanese paper, 11” x 14”.

There are variations of the folktale across Asia, but the story tells of lovers, the Weaver Girl, symbolized by Vega, and the Cowherd, symbolized by Altair, banished to opposite sides of a heavenly great river, symbolized by the Milky Way. Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, a flock of magpies make a bridge across the river to reunite the lovers.

The story is the inspiration for the Qiqiao or Qixi Festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month in China since the Han dynasty, as the Tanabata festival in Japan and the Chilseok festival in Korea.

It is said that if it rains on the day of the festival it means the river has swept away the magpie bridge or that the rain is the tears of the separated couple. 

I had planned a colourful image but sometimes the trick to relief printmaking is knowing when to stop. I took my 11 year old son’s advice and stuck to black and white.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Echo and the Yama orabi

Yama orabi The Echo, 8" x 10" linocut by Ele Willoughby, 2025

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here. And now Day 2: Echo.

Seeking less well-known folklore about echoes I found this Japanese echo yōkai. 

This hand-carved and hand-printed lino block print illustrates the mythical Yama orabi (山おらび) or “mountain shouter,” a small, tree-dwelling, birdlike yōkai or spirit who shouts replies, mimicking people’s voices and repeating their words creating an echo. They resemble small birds but have very large heads and sharp, pointy teeth. Any hiker in the mountains who is foolish enough to engage in a shouting match with the Yama orabi will soon die unless they can break the curse by ringing a cracked bell.

Folktale Week Illustrations: Night and La Chasse-galerie

La Chasse-galerie, linocut, 11" x 14" by Ele Willoughby, 2025

I look forward to it every year! It's time for Folktale Week. Hosts post their 7 prompts for artists and/or writers to create illustrations or tell stories on these themes inspired by folktales, folklore, fables, myth and fairytales! There’s always a lot of magic submissions and it’s open to all. Most of the action is on Instagram (see @folktaleweek for more information) but you can find artists and writers sharing on other socials too. I am going to post my new illustrations here, starting with Day 1: Night.

I wanted to once again make sure I included some Canadian folklore. So for the Day 1 prompt Night I knew what to illustrate!

This hand-carved, hand-printed 11” x 14” lino block print on lovely Japanese paper illustrates the famous French Canadian folktale of the Chasse-galerie, or the Flying Canoe. The tale tells of some hardworking voyageurs in their timber camp, who miss their sweethearts back home, 100 leagues or 500 km away. After a night of heavy drinking on New Year’s Eve they decide they need to visit, despite being required to work the next day. The only way to make it there are back in time is to run the Chasse-Galerie; that is, they have to make a pact with the Devil so their canoe can fly through the air and speed them home and back in time. The Devil demands that if they mention God or touch the cross of any church steeple during their voyage they will forfeit their souls. The voyageurs swear off any more rum to keep their heads clear and they paddle as they speed through the air to the New Year’s Eve festivities where they dance and celebrate with their sweethearts. Eventually they notice it’s getting late and they rush back to the canoe, but their navigator is drunk. Their course back is dangerous and erratic. The navigator narrowly misses church steeples and begins swearing and blaspheming. The men are terrified they will loose their souls so the gag the navigator and elect a new navigator, but the first one tries to resume and they crash into a pine tree. Several versions exist of their various fates, either outwitting the Devil or doomed to fly the canoe through hell and reappearing in the sky each New Year’s Eve.

The popular folktale is believed to a a syncretism between a French version of the Wild Hunt folklore where a man named M. Galerie is chased by the devil all night and local Indigenous tales of a flying canoe. I love how you can trace a sort of family tree of folktales and find familial connections between stories. For me this print is another in my ongoing collection of slightly sinister Yuletide folklore.