Folktale Week 2021: Awakening//Robin

Day three of Folktale week is Awakening, and for this day I have chosen the Robin. Robins are associated with the spirits of those passed, coming back to visit us. I experienced this intensely the day my Grandma passed away and despite every cynical and non superstitious bone in my body telling me she didn’t visit me via a Robin – I’m gonna believe it anyway. In British folklore, Robins are highly respected birds that are considered extremely unlucky to harm. They were said to take a drop of water every day into the fires of hell in order to protect children, and their red chests are believed to have been burnt by the flames. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to write a story for today and I really want to do this justice so I will have to circle back to it. I know I want it to be about hell though. Here are some of my sketches and studies - impossible to draw them un-cute!