In the Time of
The Lioness!
This month the Dollmaker got to work.
..t...in selecting magical accessories, a Wise Woman considers her Choices...
Hat - or No Hat.
...hmmm... now that might depend...
on how Witchy she felt that day...
anyway, it's good to have Choices...
(and especially jolly to have First Pick of those choices...)
In Sunny August it was Time to Acquire
bright and cheerful new Dollmaking materials...
With all the new Yarns, Fleeces and Furs, the Dollmaker had gangs of fun
making Fancy Doll Wigs!
and Fancy Doll Hats!
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Layering on these new Feathery "Tinselized" FABrics resulted in this -so beautiful she must be dangerous- -Overgrown-Mossy look- for a reclusive Wise Woman highlighting her triangular shape.. (Triads have special significance this month)
...also significantly in possession of several Good Fortune Coins... each engraved with tiny pictographs intended to bestow well... Good Fortune.
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This Season many of the Dolls (unless they have a real good excuse) will wear or possess at least one Good Fortune Coin.
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Smoothly transitioning right into the Time of the Interesting
like this one:
(Two of the) Four Seasons Special Order
a very Special Request, indeed, from the Folks at
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Right Ho! Once upon a seasonal and cyclical Present Time there was a magnificent old Victorian Inn on the coast of Maine surrounded by a huge Blackberry Patch! Bed and Breakfast!! British Chef! BLACKBERRY SCONES! Detour! The Dollmaker enters the story, not as a hungry traveler, (she Wishes...) but because it was determined that this fruitful Inn needed a Wee Goddess of the Blackberries...! Of Course! Of Course! The very thing!
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https://www.blackberryinn.com/
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But How did the Proprietress of the Blackberry Inn KNOW that she needed
a Wee Goddess of the Blackberries for her Inn?
She knew, because she was from Houston, Texas
and already owned a few Wee Peeple Dolls
(ancient ones, from the mid-nineties!)
who sit proudly on display in one of the charming Sitting Rooms
in the Inn.
These Wee Peeple Dolls in residence were, in fact, recently recognized
by a visitor from (none other than) Texas
Who exclaimed: "OH! You know Kandra??"
aha!
It turned out that they both knew the Dollmaker
and both had Wee Peeple Doll Collections!
(the ones in the Blackberry Inn are actually 26 years old!)
oh my!
and one of them was even Dedicated!
So then, the Proprietress of the Blackberry Inn, (Catherine Hobson) decided that she needed MORE Wee Dolls for the INN. and Not JUST a Blackberry Doll, but Dolls for All Four Seasons!!
(so far Autumn and Winter are finished)
The Spring Doll will be next...
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in Maine does have Four distinct Seasons a fact that Catherine (from Texas) finds delightful!
A great idea to have a Doll which represents each one! Huzzah!
Tune in next month to see the other two Seasons in the Sequence.
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The Four Seasons Theme
has come up a few times in the Past...
The Dollmaker says of this: "Always a pleasure!"
ah... lovely. oh yes.
but then.. there were
OTHER
This time not so benign...
Introducing The Morrigan,
Celtic goddess of prophecy, sovereignty, war, and death on the battlefield.
Oh, there are countless stories of her, sightings that go back thousands of years
all the way to the present day.
She is found where armies gather, where wars rage, where wisdom and warnings are needed,
where courage and bravery require strengthening…
and where the dying are in need of a comforting guide to the eternal realm beyond.
-Kim McNamara-Wilson, historian
So... the Dollmaker was commissioned to make this
Legendary Irish Witch-Goddess...
this memorable character from Norse Mythology...
noted for her ability to shape-shift into a crow...
or a Woman of Any Age (Maiden, Mother, Crone)
...proficient in the delicate art of inciting wars...
her Celtic Name is translated as "Phantom Queen"
goddess of war, witchcraft and death, protection and retribution
(Yikes!)
so, the Dollmaker got started...
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and the Morrigan Doll arrived swiftly, almost as if "channeled" ephemeral.. crow-like, cloaked in feathery Darkness...
And then, after further research, the Dollmaker discovered this similar image of the Morrigan on horseback (she's in the middle) with her two sisters all together representing a fearsome version of the Triple Goddess..
by Ion Ander Ramirez of IonAnder Art.
The Celtic goddesses, all of whom were goddesses of sovereignty, were usually depicted in threes known as triads.
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Interesting!
Just pray that you never see her washing your clothes!
(a sure sign of impending doom)
So, the Dollmaker had to ask... What are her GOOD Qualities?
Well, the Morrigan represents the really Scary Woman who Stands Up
for Herself and for the Sovereignty (self government) of her own Land;
who uses stealth and magic against Deliberate Evil in such a way
that the Evil destroys Itself...
She's a Queen with the Heart of a Crafty Warrior..
who is generously right there to escort the perps to the Afterlife.
WOW! Some Vibe! And
That's not all! The
continued through the month....
as if in an attempt to out-do the others- check this one out...
Certain present-time inhabitants of the Scandinavian Norse Lands
find themselves in tune with the Old Ways...
A European Band called
HEILUNG
demonstrates their connection with ancient Shamanic Rituals- Onstage!
A present-time Shaman... and Rock Star!
Heilung!
personifying none other than
remember her?
Remember that Shamanic Tradition in Slavic Countries
to honor and revere the Deer Goddess...
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The Horned Headgear is about the Female Reindeer! “carrying the sun in her horns” ushering in the Return of the Light.
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a Heilung-esque Nordic Shaman in progress... |
And if it is possible to stand any more excitement
The Dollmaker has more good news to share:
The Dollmaker 's Best Birthday Present Ever was
waking up at Toonview with a functioning shower and toilet!
A HUGE Thank you goes out to Rob Johns
who persevered through the many obstacles to making this happen!
He also fixed a few other little annoyances:
such as installing new plywood on the nightmarish floor in the bathroom;
patching Giant holes in the outside walls (until the new siding goes up);
A door (to the "varmint room") which was laying on it's side is now hung
and trimmed out so that it even closes!
This means that Varmints can no longer access the interior walls!
oh God, Yay.
yes, Toonview is really coming along.
It's almost like a real house now!!!
It's been a very busy month!
All the while, every day, getting ready for the
Dollmaking is Well Underway!
with One month to go!
