As Halloween approaches, I’ve been seeing many very talented makeup artists recreate the face of the bride in Tim Burton’s “The Corpse Bride.” I thought this would be a good oppertunity to make some art and remind one and all that the “The Corpe Bride” (known in some tellings as “The Finger” or “The Demon in the Tree”) is a beloved Jewish folktale. Folklorist Howard Schwartz traces the orgins of “The Finger” to 16th century Levant. Aftrer hundreds of years of retelling, the story, like all folktales, has undergone many iterations and also became highly informed by the violence of life in the Pale of Settlement (specifically towards women and young brides).
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NIEDŹWIEDŹ ✷ THE BEAR ✷ (Ursus arctos)
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"Jak mawiano niedźwiedzie mają duszę, a duch drapieżnika mści się na swoim zabójcy, np. prowadzi go na bezdroża lub w przepaście."
"Niedźwiedź był również zwierzęciem demonicznym, symbolem płodności, urodzaju, sił wegetacyjnych, a z racji swojego trybu życia (sen zimowy) - odwiecznego zmagania się zimy-śmierci z życiodajną wiosną."
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"As they say, bears have souls, and their spirit takes a revenge on it's killer, for example, leading it astray or into the precipice."
"The bear was also a demonic animal, a symbol of fertility, harvest, vegetative forces, and due to its lifestyle (hibernation) - the eternal struggle of winter-death with life-giving spring."
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From "Góralskie czary. Leksykon Magii Podtatrza i Beskidów Zachodnich"
by Katarzyna Ceklarz i Urszula Janicka-Krzywda.
published by Tatrzański Park Narodowy
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Born in the town of Kecskemét, Agnes Herczeg is a talented Hungarian textile artist. She graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 1997. While studying, she has learned many traditional handicraft techniques, from embroidery and lace-making to macramé, and weaving.
Creating her works, Agnes uses only with natural materials – tree branches, roots, fruits, seeds, yarns, threads, textiles, which supplement in a single composition.
As sunrise clings to the hills & lights a bright, new Autumn day, fires roar in the hearth of a stone house & smoke spews happily from the chimney. Leaves of orange, red, & yellow fall from the trees & create a colorful playground for a flock of friendly crows. All is well in the gold-twinged valley. And if you desire, a warm welcome is waiting for you at the cottage door, If only you choose to knock.