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#MythicMay Day 25 #xolotl . Its June but I'm still grinding these! I have a couple more sketched so it shouldn't take long to finish the rest of these. . Xolotl is a canine-headed god of the sun from Aztec mythology. It's said that Xolotl guides souls to the underworld. . Previously I introduced the guard hound of the underworld in Finnish mythology, the hound of the north. I used it as an inspiration for this design as well but I felt like it lacked a certain kind of flashiness so I also took inspiration from the mythical fox, Repo, also known as the fiery fox. According to most myths Repo creates the auroras and according to some Repo's fur may spark fire. I've read descriptions of Repo running through the forest and as its sides hit the tree trucks sparks and fire is born. I thought the flashy fiery element would be fitting for Xolotl. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth #canine https://www.instagram.com/p/ByLQa2mJd0X/?igshid=1dlzi7ddesgwy

#MythicMay Day 31 #sleipnir . The last drawing for the Mythic May challenge! Thank you everyone for following! I'm currently working on a zine with my creature drawings, I'll keep you updated about the progress. . The last creature is Sleipnir, a mythical eight-legged horse from Norse mythology. Sleipnir is child of Loki, the steed of Odin and the best horse to ever have existed. . Sleipnir is one of my favourite mythical creatures. I think one of the reasons is a painting of Sleipnir I saw as a kid which inspired me a lot back then. . For this interpretation of Sleipnir I drew some inspiration from the devil's horse (Hiiden hevonen), a horse born of fire, made of iron. I seem to have grown fond of drawing skeletal/skinless horses so for this drawing I tried to make the horse look like it has been pieced together from parts and that it has a fiery element to it. I had a ton of fun with this one! I think I reallu want to draw more horses in the future. Their anatomy is so fascinating and the fact that you can portray extreme power and elegance with the same creature is so inspiring. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth #horse #equine https://www.instagram.com/p/ByxyoVKJlLB/?igshid=14meuatm4z0ug

#MythicMay Day 27 #manticore . Manticores are some of my favourite mythical creatures, I don't know why exactly, I just think they're neat! Manticores originate from the Persian mythology and they are described to be deadly, man eating beasts with varying appearances. Most commonly they're described as lions with a man's face and a scorpion's tail but sometimes they can have wings and horns, too. . I did a slightly bigger twist here. I guess I was partially inspired by the giant hornets I saw in Japan (HUUUGE but surprisingly chill) but another reason is that lions and scorpions aren't native to Finnish nature, so I based mine on a bee with some ambiguous lynx features. . You know the drill with lynxes already but the bee is a new creature. In Finnish mythology, like many others, the bee is described as a messenger between the dead and the living or heaven and earth. For the most part they are portrayed as good creatures. In the Finnish epic Kalevala a bee brings medicine from heaven to help a sick boy. This manticore probably has a closer connection to the dead though. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth https://www.instagram.com/p/ByNlgpBpasb/?igshid=5bd2pbaa951n

#MythicMay Day 20 #banshee . I'm back at home and I finally have a chance to get better photos of the drawings! I hope I can catch up before the end of the month because I am planning to do another challenge in June. . The banshee originatws from the Celtic lore and is considered the herald of death. She is typically descibed as a wailing old woman with flowing hair and is said to dwell around burial mounds. . I treated my banshee as a type of poltergeist. Poltergeists can come in varying forms and have different powers. In the Finnish folklore the keepers/sprites (haltijat) can sometimes turn into poltergeists and pester people. I gave my banshee bat like features since there have been quite a few old hags in this challenge and I wanted some variety. Bats posses some power according to the Finnish folklore but they are creatures that are "wrong" and are associated with the devil. Perfect for the screaming herald of death. . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx9wAIOF1tL/?igshid=vjebyt3l4hdr

#MythicMay Day 2 - #barguest . The origin of this demonic hound is in the English folklore. It's described as a black dog that haunts the moors, and while it may not attack you on sight seeing it will be fateful. . There are no moors nor wild hounds in Finland. But we have forests and wolves. The folk has always had a very complex relationship with the wolf. While a lot of beasts were feared they were also respected. But not the wolf. It was loathed and hated, an attitude that carries on even today. There are several expressions in the Finnish language that derive from the word "hukka", another name for the wolf. "Hukassa" means lost or gone, "hukka perii" means devastation. There are so many myths about wolves but based on the attitude towards them alone makes the wolf sound like a true forest demon. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth #canine #canineart #wolf #skull #skulls https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-F-CXpJFS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zdeu5lnct54n

#MythicMay Day 26 #torngarsuk . Torngarsuk originates from the inuit people of Hudson. It is described as an enormous white bear. It is the master of seals and whales of the Ungava Bay. . The bear is by far the most important animal in Finnish mythology and folk beliefs, so it was very easy to see the importance of Torngarsuk. There are so many tales and so many beliefs about the bear. No creature was more respected and I don't think any other creature has as many names. The bear was feared and out of this fear people avoided speaking its name. It wasn't hated like other beasts, wolf and wolverine for example. The bear was and to some still is a very spiritual animal and there are many rituals related to it. One of them is "karhunpeijaiset" which is essentially a celebration for a bear that was successfully hunted. The purpose of thus celebration was to appease the bear's spirit and thank it for its sacrifice. There have been sightings of white bears in Finland and I think that a giant white one would have been quite an important animal to ancient Finns. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth  #bear #torngarsoak https://www.instagram.com/p/ByMqW41pHtx/?igshid=1mv8nwxp6whr3

#MythicMay Day 23 #paiyuk . My reaction to learning about the paiyuk: HECK YES A MONSTER WATER ELK!! . The paiyuk originates from native American Ute folklore. It's described as an evil elk that dwells in fresh water and eats people. . I based my interpretation of the paiyuk on moose since it is one of the most important and arguably one of the scariest creatures of Finnish nature. Mooses are huge and you just don't fuck with them. In the Finnish folklore the best known moose is "hiiden hirvi", a moose that is created by the dwellers of hiisi, the underworld. The moose is created from all kinds of bits and pieces of the forest. . Originally I wanted to base my design on water plants etc. but I didn't feel like putting that extra effort into the design process so I focused more on working to make a moose appear monstrous with only a few twists. Also, mooses are great swimmers. I once heard a story of how a group of people were rowing on a lake and suddenly a moose bull swam by. It was basically in the middle of the lake and the moose was tired so when it came by the boat it tried to climb on board. Didn't end well, for the boat at least, but I don't think anyone got hurt. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth #moose https://www.instagram.com/p/ByF8QwWJJOc/?igshid=19zd5bc3ia7hk

#MythicMay Day 29 #cuero . Only two more to go! Pokemon new happened so I got distracted but I will wrap up the challenge. I'm going to make a zine of these drawings that will hopefully be available this autumn! . Cuero originates from Chile and it is said to have come from a donkey that drowned in a river. It's described as a living hide that has tentacles or eyes on its edges. It wraps around and drowns its prey. . Creatures that lure people into water to drown them are present in many mythologies. I've previously introduced a few Finnish myths, waterfolk being one. It's said that waterfolk isn't always evil and is usually described as beautiful men or women, but they're also known for luring people into water to drown them just as often. Sometimes thet can even take the form of an animal. . There is another water creature that inspired me, vesihiisi (water devil/goblin). Hiisi as a place is essentially a type of hell or underworld and the hiisi are devils that created creatures sucg as the flaming iron horse or the moose consisting of parts of forest. I didn't find anything on water creatured made by the hiisi folk but I'd like to think there could be some. . . . . #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #pencildrawing#pencilart #traditionaldrawing #traditionalartist#traditionalart #dailydrawing #dailyart #instart#instartist #artistsoninstagram #smltart #authenticpad #mythology#mythicalcreatures #creatureart #creaturedesign#myth https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqIvi2pwW3/?igshid=pvj08g0auft1