Norsery Rhymes, Northern Mythology from A to Z Dufa - The Doves of the Pitching Wave Happy Thorsday in MerMay!
Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, sometimes Celtic) mythological characters. This week I jumped ahead a bit since it’s Mermay. Here we have Dufa / Dúfa / Duva / Dúva. One of the Nine Waves, the nine daughters of the sea, the Billow Maidens, Blóðughadda, Bylgja, Dröfn (Bara), Hefring (Hevring), Himinglæva, Hrönn, Kólga, Uðr (Unn). Born of their Mother Ran and Father Aegir, the Norse Gods of the Sea.
Her name means ‘The Deep diving’, or ‘The Pitching Wave’, or The Dove Topped Waves”. The falling white water as the wave starts to fall over itself. She’s described as being connected to Doves, or the at least the appearance of white water / foam doves formed at the the top of a pitching wave.
Like her Father, Mother and Sisters she could transform between legged and human looking, to a split tail mermaid, or more like a traditionally thought of single tail mermaid. Sometimes with flippered, or clawed and webbed hands, feet, and sharp teeth. Usually when on shore they are described as very pale and fair. With light blue eyes.
Like many of her sisters and other elemental based gods she both provides and protects from the elements she’s associated with. Accepting offerings to overcome bad luck, weariness, and safe passage on the Sea.
When in their Father or Mother’s great halls, they would could be found partying or serving the drowned with golden goblets of mead and food served in shells.
I think I’ll do a couple versions for Mer-May over the next couple weeks. When the sisters were on the shore they were never grouped together in more than three.
For a versions of Bylgia: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/189759931644/norsery-rhymes-northern-mythology-from-a-to-z https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/189885626439/norsery-rhymes-northern-mythology-from-a-to-z
For some examples of Aegir: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/image/152688839722 https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/152694313924/happy-thorsday-aegir-well-here-we-are-another
For some examples of Ran: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/image/138672218956 https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/image/138255035759 https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/image/140421593449
For an example of an old Daughter of the waves sketch: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/140392940137/happy-thorsday-daughter-of-the-waves-short-on For a drawing and note about her sister Blodughadda: https://jeffreystewart.tumblr.com/post/184920722659/norsery-rhymes-northern-mythology-from-a-to-z
