WITCH - Original Paintings
WITCH - Original Paintings
Original paintings from El-J’s WITCH Series exploring the dark and non-traditional feminine. Painted on high quality 16” x 12” watercolor paper.
PLEASE NOTE: Frame not included
The Witches
Witch #1 - Lilith
Lilith is one of the most prominent female demons in Jewish tradition. She was created as the first wife of Adam (Before Eve). She was made from the same earth as Adam, and created as his equal. Refusing to become Adam's submissive, Lilith fled the marriage, and Eve was created from Adam's rib to satisfy his loneliness. After leaving, Lilith became known to have control over newborn babies for the first few weeks of their life -- often blamed for any complications or for their early death.
Witch #2 - Lussi
Lussi is a demon/witch from Scandinavian folklore. It is said that on December 13th, St.Lucy's Day, the old winter solstice, and the darkest night of the year -- Lussi, would fly through the town and snatch children who didn't help finish chores. If the home wasn't clean before the winter feast Lussi would fly down the chimney and snatch the children. The only way to ward her off was to stay up all night. Lussi is an earlier depiction of St. Lucy, a martyr who was said to wear a wreath of candles around her head to help he see in the night so that she could use both hands to bring food to the needy.
Witch #3 - Sappho
Sappho was a prolific poet from Ancient Greece whose work has been loved and appreciated historically and today, though much of it has been lost over the years. Sappho has been celebrated by lesbians and queer women for her writing about love and sensuality between women, so much so that Sappho’s island home of Lesbos inspired the term Lesbian by its association with her.
Witch #4 - Ammit
Ammit whose name means “devourer of the dead”, was an Egyptian Goddess associated with funerals and the judgement of the dead. She had the head of crocodile, body of a lion, and rear of a hippopotamus. Ammit was feared more than worshiped, as she swallowed the hearts of those deemed unworthy.
Witch #5 - Aphrodite
Aphrodite was the Greek Goddess of love and pleasure. Aphrodite was created from the sea foam produced by Uranus's genitals, which had been severed by Cronus. Aphrodite is known for being the most beautiful and desirable of all the Greek Goddesses. Her feminine powers we're thought to be so powerful she could drive a man to do anything, including self sacrifice. While she is known as the goddess of love, she is also discussed as a killer of men.
Witch #6 - Aranyani
Aranyani is known for wandering alone, dangerously far into the forest, without fear of getting lost or hurt. She dances in the trees, with bells on her ankles. She is believed to be heard, but never seen, whenever travelers have wandered dangerously far into the wilderness.
Witch #7 - Amphitrite
Amphritite was the Greek goddess-queen of the sea, wife of Poseidon, and eldest of the fifty Nereides. She was the female personification of the sea--the loud-moaning mother of fish, seals and dolphins. Her personification of the sea is so strong she is often thought of as the sea itself. She is often shown with a fish, shells, and set crab claw horns.
Witch #8 - Freyja
Freyja was the Norse goddess associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, Seiðr (Norse magic), war, and death. Freyja possesses a cloak of falcon feathers. Freyja rules over her heavenly afterlife field Fólkvangr and there receives half of those that die in battle, whereas the other half go to the god Odin's hall, Valhalla.
