Rachel Victoria Hillis Illustration

Time management was also tricky because often corresponding with staff could take a while as they are so busy and did not read some of the emails straight away, which meant that the project was initially delayed. This is understandable though and when this happened I made sure I worked well independently.

My illness during the time frame also made this more difficult, as it meant I had to work independently most of the time. However, I did not mind working independently as I feel that my initial archive visits were very productive and I managed to take lots of photographs and sketches to work from later on.

•To create a series of illustrations based on my experience of the World Museum Liverpool entomology archives.

•To research and convey appropriate stories, narratives, tales, folklores and myths relating to particular species of moths, as a response to my findings from the World Museum Liverpool archives.

•To inspire the viewer of my work, to look more closely at moths, and to appreciate the species and consider how interesting they are.

•To inspire people to look back at stories attached to them from the past and consider what they mean, and if those stories have any personal relevance to themselves.

This could inspire visitors of the World Museum Liverpool to visit the Natural History section to learn about moths, and even to consider visiting the entomology archives (if permitted).

The Black Witch Moth - Ascalapha Odorata - The Butterfly of Death.

This is a large species native to Southern America and the Caribbean. Wingspan can reach 7″ across. In Caribbean folklore, this moth is believed to be an actual witch in disguise, which can cast spells on people. In Jamaica it is called a Duppy (ghost) Bat, and believed to be a lost soul. In folklore from the Bahamas, they are known as Moneybats, that with them prosperity.

People are believed to have thought that the worst fate this creature could bring to them would be to fly into their house, and the more corners of the house the moth visits, the more doomed the household would be.

According to one source, this particular moth has 12 very frightening names which are derived from different countries/regions local folklore’s:

Mariposa de la muerte (butterfly of death) – Mexico / Costa Rica

Pirpinto de la Yeta (something like ‘jinxing butterfly’) – Argentina

Tara Bruja (witch moth) – Venezuela

Miquipapalotl (black death moth) – Mexico

Taparaco (something like ‘messenger in black’) – Peru

X-mahan-nah (‘borrows your house’ [eh? Ed]) – Mayan

Duppy Bat (lost soul / ghost /malevolent spirit) – Jamaica, Caribbean

Money Moth, Money Bat – Jamaica, Caribbean (including Bahamas)

Other names include Papillion-devil, La Sorcière Noire, Mourning moth, Sorrow moth.

http://www.aquaticsportsadventures.com/Articles/Nature/Black_Witch_Moth/Black_Witch_Moth.html

The Luna moth, drawn from my photographs from the World Museum Liverpool archives.

The Luna moth is native to North America and is one of the largest moths of the Saturniidae family. This species of moth is often known as one of the most mystical and spiritual animal totems. The spiritual reference is thought to derive from the transformation the creature goes through from the cocoon. However this moth is also often associated with positive connotations, unlike most other moths. People also believe the Luna moth resembles love, intuition and wisdom, and according to old Appalacian folklore, people believe coming across a group of these white/green coloured moths was a message of protection and love from lost loved ones.

https://www.thoughtco.com/butterfly-magic-and-folklore-2561631

http://mothsymbolism.com/luna-moth-symbolism/

http://www.maynardlifeoutdoors.com/2013/05/luna-moth-photo.html

What is it that people fear about these creatures? According to one source the behaviours of a moth, which are quite erratic, can lead a person to become nervous of them. Another source notes how the fear of moths can stem from the fact that they destroy crops, and another source states that moths often retreat to dark and dusty places, like attics, and then can fly out suddenly when disturbed, which could be quite shocking to someone. All of these factors, over time can lead to a creature being demonized by myths, hearsay and old folktales, because over time the irrational fears people may have can recur in literature and stories.

The Night Butterfly.

Kikimora is a legendary female spirit from Russian/Slavic folklore (not usually depicted as a moth itself). It is a noisy house-baring spirit from the cellars and the swamps that has been used as a traditional explanation for sleep paralysis in Russian folklore.

In Polish folklore the word mora in Kikimora refers to the souls of living people that leave the bodies at nighttime, often symbolized as a flying moth. Respectively, in Czech, Kashubian and Slovak folklore, můra refers to a “Sphinx Moth” or a “Night Butterfly”. The word mora, can also be directly derived from the German word mar, which can be translated as specter (ghost). 

The Oxford English Dictionary links mora to mare from nightmare. Similarly, in Croatian, mora refers to a "nightmare". Mora or Mara is one of the spirits from ancient Slav mythology. Mara was a dark spirit that takes a form of a beautiful woman and then visits men in their dreams, torturing them with desire, and dragging life out of them.

This illustration by myself, along with some words of its folkloric background will be on display at an illustration exhibition in Hamilton House, Bristol from 6th April 2018 until 18th April 2018. The exhibition is entitled Illustrated Stories of the World and will be showcasing some brilliant work from all over the globe!

From this point on, after looking at the moth specimens, I decided that the fuel of my research within this project was going to be looking at folklore, mythology, narratives and ancient stories surrounding moths.

I am fascinated by the ambience and the emotions moths create throughout generations. Some people fear them - why is this? I wanted to find out what makes these creatures so special.

Despite initially looking at native British moths when I arrived at the World Museum, I feel that I am always drawn to the Saturniidae family of moths. It is almost like a magnet pulling me towards them and when I am observing them I am fully absorbing every aspect of them. To me they are some of the most fascinating creatures on earth and I feel so lucky to be looking at them so closely.

Atlas moths, Cecropia moths, Cynthia moths and Luna moths to name a few here. The colours and shapes are astonishing. I look at them as though they are already illustrated, each individual one with its own precious narrative.

Some sketchbook work observing two of the species of British moths I was looking at in the entomology archives - The Belted Beauty and The Brindled Beauty.

One of the most interesting species of moth I was taught about in the World Museum this week was the Belted Beauty (Lycia Zonaria Britannica) moth. This is a rare native species to the UK and their habitats are confined to sparsely grassy coastal sand dunes around the North West of England, North Wales and parts of North West Scotland (Scottish populations known as L.Z Atlantica).

In this photograph you can see the male Belted Beauty (left) and the female (right). During the females 2-3 year life-span she will never fly, nor even grow wings. Because their habitats are generally in very windy and often wet places, the female has evolved so that she is unable to fly. The female is precious as she is the carrier of eggs. By not flying, she is arguably safer as she is less likely to get swept away at sea and die. She is confined to the grass or trees where it is safer.

However, this species is in great decline because of habitat destruction (successional change in vegetation, land development, horse riding and trampling due to increased access to sand dunes). To maintain the survival of this species, conservation volunteers undertake regular monitoring at locations, and also captive breeding of the species.

My new postgraduate collaborative project at the World Museum Liverpool began yesterday. I was introduced by Donna Young and shown around the Entomology archives by Tony Parker and Tony Hunter. I was particularly interested in looking at the Entomology, Coleoptera and Hemiptera collections.

When I arrived there was a specimen case that had been presented for me to look at. This was a case featuring British Lepidoptera including native species such as the Swallowtail Butterfly, the Peppered Moth and the Belted Beauty Moth.

In my photographs above you can see various species of Moths including the Luna Moth and Atlas Moth. I am always drawn straight to the exotic Moths because of their unbelievable shapes and colours.

It is possible that this could be due to technology and the internet, perhaps specifically Instagram. People’s interests are more varied than ever before; you can get a clearer insight into other peoples lives without actually experiencing it first-hand. I believe that you can have an interest in nice things and taking care of the world without being overly privileged. You can still have those views!

A double-page spread illustration for my story. This is Tabitha’s room where she draws all of the animals in the world. This is where her ideas and perceptions of the world and nature are built.

According to Hourihan (1997), stories of the hero and their quest are always “essentially the same”. Tabitha is the hero - she is inspired by nature and extinction and her quest is to save the world from further damage.

Regarding the layout of this illustration - Hunt (1990) states that a character shown on the right-hand side of a page, or the right side of a double-page spread, is “likely to be moving into a situation of risk or adventure”. Furthermore, if the picturebook illustration is unframed, or full-bleed, like this one is, it successfully gives the reader a “total experience; the view from within”. I believe that this makes the picturebook illustration totally engaging when it is related to the story.

Hunt, P. (1990) Children’s Literature, The Development of Criticism. London and New York: Routledge. Pp. 140, 141

Hourihan (1997) also states that in order for the Western society to become less destructive of nature, we need to tell different stories, especially to children, but also to understand the hero story and its appeal.