Friday, January 22, 2010

Mermaid and Starfish/ Visionary Digital Art

     



                From Out the Pool of Starfish
               2009
               by Eric Whollem
               mixed media digital art
                                Copyright by the artist.




Readers interested in Mermaids may want to view my posts on this link:

For posts about Fairies see:



*
Mermaids, selkies, undines, water nymphs, water sprites, Nereids, Naiads, Oceanids by Eric Whollem.
*
CLEAN WATER FOR THE PLANET
*

Selkie/ Contemporary Figurative Digital Art by Eric Whollem






                                        Selkie
                                        2009
                                        by Eric Whollem
                                        mixed media digital art
                                                                          Copyright by the artist.


The Secrets of the Selkies

The Selkies appear in Scottish and Irish lore as the mermaids of
legend. They are often described as taking the forms of seals.
The movie, The Secret of Roan Inish, gives a good account of
the legends of the selkies.

The selkies can take on the forms of bird, men, animals, trees,
and even stones. This is the doctrine of metempyschosis, or
reincarnation that exists in Buddhism and Hinduism as well as
traditional Celtic religion. In Hindu scriptures, specifically, The
Yoga Vasistha there is a discourse on consciousness in stones.

In a sense this lore delineates the selkie as a form of ghost, but
more than a ghost--a varied transformation into animate and
supposedly inanimate objects, but more accurately describes
the processes of reincarnation and the rarer phenomenon of
 "transference of consciousness." An interesting story of this
transference is found in the biography of Sri Shankara, where
a yogi enters the body of a drowned man and brings it to life.



THE RUSALKIS AND THE SELKIES

In Russia the Rusalkis, or river mermaids, may well be linked
to the selkies. The Russians call themselves the Rus. They are
one of the Aryan tribes that migrated north out of Persia.

The Celts also migrated originally from Persia and Scythia. The
Fenian migrations out of Persia were led by Fenius Farsa. Farsa
means Parsee, or Persian. The Irish Chronicles of the 12th
century describe these migrations through Egypt and Iberia into
Ireland.

The term Rusalki may possibly be read as "Russian selkie,"
 or "Rus-selkie," according to my own interpretations of folklore.
Since both Celtic and Scandinavian peoples were originally Aryan
these etymological speculations are not too far afield.

The Rusalkis are said to be the daughters of the Tsar Morskoi.
Morskoi is the Sea King.


THE VALKYRIES AND THE SELKIES

The selkies also seem to correlate with the Valkyries of Norse
legend. The Valkyries are "gatherers of the slain," taking on
much of the same role as the Celtic Morrigan, who as a raven
goddess would gather up the dead. Morrigan means literally
Sea Queen and is a goddess of the sea.

Morana is the Russian name for the Goddess of the dead. As
such she corresponds to Morrigan and also the Moirae of
the Greeks. The Moirae are prophetesses and seers.

Ravens and crows are often referred to as Psychopomps of
the Dead. A pscyhopomp is a conductor of souls. They lead
the departed into the next world.

The Valkyries are also related to the swans, birds of trans-
cendance. Interested students of mythology may want to
examine the lore of the Swan Maidens.

In my studies of Mermaids, I have found many, many bird
symbols. Dolphins and hawks are interconnected. Many
stories could be told of the hummingbird. But enough for
now.

My post of December 14, 2009, where I talk about the
Rabbit Man of the Sea, contains more information on the
selkies.

______________

Readers interested in my posts on the SELKIES may find them on this link:

My general posts of MERMAID ART may be accessed here:


*
Mermaids, selkies, undines, water nymphs, water sprites, Nereids, Naiads, Oceanids by Eric Whollem, mythology, anthropology.
*
CLEAN WATER FOR THE PLANET
*

Artistamps of the Empire of Delphys/ Post Rider/ FANTASY STAMPS BY ERIC WHOLLEM




"POST RIDER"
Delphys Post Office
2003
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
Copyright by the artist.


Mail Delivery in Delphys

This stamp shows a postman blowing the traditional Delphys
post horn. He is riding the Delphysian goat, a species known
only on the Isle of the West, which lies just northwest of Delphys.
 
 
 
A MAP OF DELPHYS
by Eric Whollem

This long-necked goat was imported into Delphys specifically
for use in mail delivery. It originally was recommended for this
function by an antiquarian, a certain Mr. Ceto, who greatly
admired the effectiveness of the Pony Express, which was
created in the far-off continent of North America.


DELPHYS STAMP VIDEO

The principal difference between the North American pony and
the Delphysian long-necked goat is that the latter is among
the slowest of animals. This gained the beast a great popularity
in the Empire, as the Delphysians love to savour the receipt of
the mails in a muted decorum, characterized by close and
careful scrutiny of stamp design and postal markings, the
sign of true philatelists. Speed is not a hallmark of excellence
in Delphys. Ettiquette is based on deliberation, rather than
promptness.


DELPHYS STAMP VIDEO

Thus there is no Express Mail in Delphys. And those requesting
it at the post office are regarded as mere tourists. This is the
sort of thing that one must expect from such an ancient land
as Delphys. The Delphysians are proud of their 3000 years
of uninterrupted postal history, not marred by Stamp Wars,
or the intrigue of perforation boundary disputes.

The art in this design is from one of my ink drawings from
1974, colorized by collage technique.

See more stamps from DELPHYS on these posts:

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE


BIRD PEOPLE
Delphys
by Eric Whollem

See my online image gallery of FAUX POSTAGE STAMP creations:


SYRINX
Urissakzillian fantasy stamp
by Eric Whollem

*

Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps by Eric Whollem

*

Cinderella Stamps From Delphys/ A Stamp for the Selkies





"THE SPAVIET PEGASUS"
Delphys Royal Post Office
2003
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
Copyright by the artist.


A STAMP FOR THE SELKIES OF DELPHYS

The design above shows the spirit of Bobbie Burns
above his mystic mount, "the Spaviet Pegasus."
Spaviet means spavined in Scottish dialect.


Mermaid Artistamps/ Faux Postage From Delphys





"MERMAID OF THE SEA OF ORANGE"
Delphys Royal Post Office
2003
by Eric Whollem
edition of 100, plus ten artist's proofs
63 X 86 mm.
Copyright by the artist.



ORANGES, MERMAIDS AND IMAGINATION

This stamp depicts in the upper left hand corner a classic
stamp of Atlantis, a mother country of the Delphysians.

The mermaid on this stamp is Imagination, Queen of
the Mermaids, known as Queen Madge on a more familiar
basis. Madge is one of a number of Queens who swear
loyalty to the Fairy Empress Persephone XXXIII, chief
ruler of the Empire of Delphys.