lately i have been reading a fair bit about mermaid folklore.
rusalka
18 x 24 paper.
rusalka is from russian folklore:
According to most traditions, the rusalki were fish-women, who lived at the bottom of rivers. In the middle of the night, they would walk out to the bank and dance in meadows. If they saw handsome men, they would fascinate them with songs and dancing, mesmerize them, then lead them away to the river floor to their death.
lorelei
18 x 24 paper.
lorelei is from german folklore:
It describes the eponymous female as a sort of siren who, sitting on the cliff above the Rhine and combing her golden hair, unwittingly distracted shipmen with her beauty and song, causing them to crash on the rocks.
ondine
18 x 24 paper.
Ondine was breathtakingly beautiful and possessed of a streak of independence, truly what we call a 'free spirit'.
Like all nymphs and mermaids, she was leery of men. If a nymph ever falls in love with a man and bears his child, she will begin to age like a mortal woman, losing her eternal youthfulness and everlasting life.
water spirit
18 x 24 paper.
mer
18 x 24 paper.
