Sunday, August 17, 2014

A New World Lesser Spangled Bandicoot

Maerwynn peering at me
 My friends and I were talking about familiars yesterday.  Lucia's and my imaginations have long been stirred by this concept.  Cathy, who had her iPad with her, did a little research about the meaning of the term and it turns out that familiars are spirits associated with witches and "cunning folk."  Some and malevolent and some beneficent.  (Two words whose root meanings are interestingly different, "malevolent" meaning "wishing ill" and "beneficent" meaning "bringing good.)

I decided to adopt a different view of a familiar and then give my personal familiar definition and form.  For me, my "familiar" is a spirit the holds and protects my power.  I made this little felted creation, whom I named Maerwynn, to provide the spirit a home. 

I created Maerwynn as my mythical creature, the New World Lesser Spangled Bandicoot, of which Maerwynn is the only example.  She is a marsupial and carries a special treasure in her pouch - a shiny farthing with a wren (one of my favorite birds) on one side, and King George VI's (a hero of modern British history) portrait on the other.  The coin has a minting date of 1945 which is my birth year.  In addition to this treasure token, Maerwynn and I have a secret message that we share with each other.

Here are some other photos of Maerwynn.   And, in the art blog spirit, I'll tell you that she's needle felted and has 9mm dark amber glass eyes.
Maerwynn resting

Maerwynn observing the cats on the floor

Maerwynn looking for a book

Maerwynn asking me for help in finding the book on micro-macrame

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