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.