View allAll Photos Tagged mythicalbeast
While on a visit to the UK, probably in Scotland (where it is their national symbol), I captured this noble Unicorn adorning some monument or other. I took the symbol on a journey through Deep Dream Generator and Topaz Studio, where today it is symbolizing for me, the battle for freedom and peace in Ukraine. May they find their Unicorn and prevail against the evil aggressor, Putin.
"Wherever they may have come from, and wherever they may have gone, unicorns live inside the true believer's heart. Which means as long as we can dream, there will be unicorns."
~ Bruce Coville
1/21/2023 I can only imagine this working back in it's prime. I am assuming it's a threshing machine. Whitewright, TX
I love finding fun things like this "Yowie" faithfully guarding the entrance to the Hat Head homestead on the mid north coast of New South Wales. If he doesn't scare you, the signs at the gate to stop unwelcome entry certainly will. Still having wifi trouble, will get to the main photos when we get home.
In case you don't know about the Aussie Yowie (who may even chase rival soccer (football) teams, read all about this mythical beast here. Seems he has moved from the Outback to the beach!
manipulated layers of fractals - I tweaked this one for a long time before I was satisfied that I had done justice to the underlying forms. I plan to offer it as a limited edition print through my website www.unicoherent.com soon.
Drawn with a Sheaffer Targa Slim with Waterman Audacious Red and a Platinum Preppy with Iroshizuku Take Sumi ink on white napkin.
There are some unusual bench ends. Although some may be old, many were carved by the Baker family in the early 1900s.
The Minster was started in 1190. In 1308 the nave was rebuilt. The West end was built in the perpendicular style in 1420 which completed the building. The Minster was reduced to the status of parish church after 1548 when it ceased to be Roman Catholic. At this stage it was due to be pulled down, but a group of wealthy businessmen bought it for £100. The Chapter House was demolished, leaving only the access stairs.
By 1716 the minster was in a poor state of repair but its collapse was prevented by restorations begun in the C18th.
Whilst the instrument carvings are believed to be the largest collection in the world there are plenty of other carvings along the aisles of the nave. These include grotesques and mythical creatures. All are medieval, some with restoration.
This was a custom request for a buyer who asked for a purple dragon eye with bronze accents. Purple! (I love purple). I love how the yellow of the eye really pops against the purple. Did I mention that it is purple? heheheh
This was a custom order. They asked me to re-create my woodland dragon eye but add touches of purple. I am getting better at etching all of the scales by hand. Takes a while! I painted the eye myself this time and it turned out pretty well. I want to get better metallic paints for this next time. :) It is 2.5" long and can be made into a pendant, used as a little paperweight or you can put a magnet on the back and stick him on the fridge. ^^
All Saints church, Upper Sheringham has an excellent collection of C15th bench ends, some of which are very unusual.
Could this be a bat or is it mythical?
Imperial roof decoration on the Palace of Heavenly Purity aka Palace of Heavenly Peace aka Qianqing Palace, in the Forbidden City, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China.
Chinese imperial roof decoration or roof charms or roof-figures (檐獸 / 檐兽; Pinyin: yán shòu) or (走獸 / 走兽; Pinyin: zǒu shòu) or (蹲獸 / 蹲兽; Pinyin: Dūn shòu) were only allowed on official buildings of the empire. Along the ridges, near the corner, a row of small figures is placed. These are often made of glazed ceramic and form an outward marching procession. The imperial yellow glaze reserved for the emperor. At the tail of the procession will be an imperial dragon, representing the authority of the state. At the head of the procession will be a man riding a Phoenix, one legend suggests that this represents a minon of the emperor who grew greedy for power and was hanged from the roof gable for treason. Another version of this figurine is an immortal riding a fenghuang-bird or qilin. Yet another interpretation is that this is a person serving the emperor, being watched by the following beasts.
In between will be mythical beasts, usually an odd number of them. The mythical beasts are set to pounce upon the man and devour him should he stray from performing his duties with faithfulness and rectitude. At the top there is only one beast; the number of beasts indicating the importance of the duties performed within the building or within the courtyard protected by a gate. The maximum number of beasts is nine, including evil-dispelling bull, courageous goat-bull (獬豸), wind- and storm-summoning fish (狎魚), mythical lion (狻猊), auspicious seahorse, heavenly horse, lion, and chiwen (鴟吻, a son of dragon). Note the addition of an immortal guardian (行什, hangshi) in front of the dragon holding to a sword like a cane.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_roof_decoration
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Heavenly_Purity
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Mythica came to live with me because her parents were desperate to find a safe and loving home for her. There were numerous kidnapping attempts from evil scientists who wanted to study and test on this ½ human and 1/2 dragon girl.
So, knowing she would be safe and loved to death with me, she moved in and this became her home. When she left, her parents would not let her take her beloved dragon, Dragonious, with her. They feared, through him, she would be found.
Well, her heart simply broke. Mine would too if someone even dared to take my kitty babies from me. Plus, the other Monster girls have not really warmed up to her. I think they are jealous that she can fly. Thus, poor Mythica has been sad, lonely, misses/missed her Dragonious, and, of course, her family…
That broke my heart. So, I arranged for Dragonious to come live here too. However, I had to get my kitty babies little fire proof outfits and cover almost everything in aluminum foil until Dragonious learns NOT to roar fire in the house.
I did not tell Mythica; I wanted to surprise her. Her parents gave him the coordinates to our house and he fly in yesterday. Before he entered the house, I gave him the house rules of not hurting one hair of my kitty babies and no fire roaring inside. My boyfriend build a three walled stone area with a stone floor in the backyard for him to go outside when he feels the need to fire roar.
He was so excited when I carried him into the house that he almost roared fire. I had to tap him on the nose to stop my antique chest from becoming toast. I called Mythica and asked her to come downstairs.
Well, when she saw Dragonious... together again at last and never to be parted again…
For my Flickr groups…
New custom ordered dragon eye in my favortie colors...green and purple! It measures 3" x 2.5" and is made of polymer clay with a hand painted glass eye.
Earlier I posted a drawing of a tree I saw on a walking trail near Lake Anne in Reston. Here’s another one located in a more residential area, seen from a small bridge that arches above a stream that eventually leads to the lake. Upon looking at this tree, right away I saw what appeared to be a dragon-like creature hunched over the waterway as if it was guarding over its territory. There are lots of lush gardens growing throughout the nearby yards that, along with the bridge and water further enhance the notion that fantastical beasts could quite possibly reside throughout the vicinity, blending in and hiding among the various natural forms and flora. I’m glad I’ve yet to lose my ability to occasionally let my mind revert to a simpler time when I’d look out the rear window of my parents’ station wagon and imagine the hills coming alive as giants from a prehistoric past. As an adult, I can’t ever revisit my childhood mind for very long, but when I do, it can sometimes soften the edges of what most of us call reality. #trees #nature #art #artwork #drawing #watercolor #natureart #mythicalbeasts #dragon #restonva #lakeannereston #imagination #dmvartist #loudouncountyartist #loudounart
The Minster was started in 1190. In 1308 the nave was rebuilt. The West end was built in the perpendicular style in 1420 which completed the building. The Minster was reduced to the status of parish church after 1548 when it ceased to be Roman Catholic. At this stage it was due to be pulled down, but a group of wealthy businessmen bought it for £100. The Chapter House was demolished, leaving only the access stairs.
By 1716 the minster was in a poor state of repair but its collapse was prevented by restorations begun in the C18th.
Whilst the instrument carvings are believed to be the largest collection in the world there are plenty of other carvings along the aisles of the nave. These include grotesques and mythical creatures. All are medieval, some with restoration.
Today’s HDR photo is of a shachihoko (shah-chee-ho-ko). Ugly guy, isn’t he. You can find these on the tops of Japanese castles everywhere. With their magical dragon fish powers, they protect the castle from harm!
Well, from fire anyways. Or so the story goes. A shachihoko is a mythical beast with the head of a dragon and the body of a carp. It has the power to cause rain to fall. Because of this, the old Japanese stuck this guy on castles and other important structures to protect them from fire.
It’s a rather indirect way to protect from fire, but you can see the reasoning here. Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well. Lots of castles in the past burned up. But how can you stay mad at a face like that, huh?
My friend Daniel O’Grady wrote a bit about Shachihoko at his blog.
I took this shachi’s photo in Matsuyama Castle in Ehime, Japan. It’s a beautiful castle and I recommend anyone in the area go see it. I believe parts of it are original. The main Keep burned down in 1784 (nice going there, Shachi; good work, buddy) and was rebuilt about 75 years later. It was damaged more by WW2 bombings and was subsequently fixed up some more. They did a wonderful job with all the restorations. It feels like a real castle, like Himeji, inside and out.
I happened to stumble across some maiko in the area, having lunch with a customer. But that photo will have to wait for another time…
Mysterious snail-man located in the Mediterranean sea in the Medieval Mappa Mundi in Hereford Cathedral, Hereford, UK.
I decorated the cover of this little book box (looks like a book but is hollow) with a polymer clay design that includes a watch for the dragons eye. :D Watch faces work great as they reflect light and appear to glow.
This little box measures 4-1/2" x 3"
All color comes from the clay. No paints were used except for a light wash of burnt umber and black acrylic to bring out the textures.
In the heart of Basel, where the Spitalstrasse hums with the rhythm of footsteps and the chatter of daily life, a figure emerges that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Adorned with a mask that roars louder than the city's buzz, they are a vibrant reminder of the wildness that dwells within us all. As they stride alongside mortals, their mythical mane dances to the beat of urban drums, turning heads and weaving tales of a world where the extraordinary walks among us. Join the adventure, capture the moment, and let your imagination run wild in the urban savannah. #UrbanSafari #MythicalBeasts #BaselChronicles
Camera: Konica Hexar
️Film: Ilford Ilfocolor 400 Vintage
Devloper: Ars-Imago Colorkit
AI-generated caption by Copilot
The Minster was started in 1190. In 1308 the nave was rebuilt. The West end was built in the perpendicular style in 1420 which completed the building. The Minster was reduced to the status of parish church after 1548 when it ceased to be Roman Catholic. At this stage it was due to be pulled down, but a group of wealthy businessmen bought it for £100. The Chapter House was demolished, leaving only the access stairs.
By 1716 the minster was in a poor state of repair but its collapse was prevented by restorations begun in the C18th.
Whilst the instrument carvings are believed to be the largest collection in the world there are plenty of other carvings along the aisles of the nave. These include grotesques and mythical creatures. All are medieval, some with restoration.
During the Jacobean era, mythical beasts were frequently incorporated into decorative interior architecture, echoing the fascination with folklore and symbolism of the time. Crewe Hall in Cheshire, UK, exemplifies this trend with its portrayal of mythical creatures in various forms such as carved woodwork, plasterwork, and painted murals. These fantastical beasts, ranging from dragons and griffins to unicorns and sphinxes, adorned ceilings, walls, and furnishings, adding an air of mystery and enchantment to the space. Beyond mere decoration, these mythical beings served as symbols of power, protection, and the supernatural, reflecting the cultural and artistic sensibilities of the period.
I began work on this beast over 2 years ago, and have pushed to finish him in the last couple of months. Now I learn that, coincidentally, this is the Year of the Dragon... I still have a lot of "fun" work to do on him, but he's structurally complete. 19" long, 17" high.
Fawkes!
The original Dumbledore, Richard Harris, is said to have complimented the animal trainers on how well behaved the bird was. He apparently didn't realize a Phoenix is a mythical creature. Everyone laughed at him and then he died. Probably not from everyone laughing at him, but it happened in that order.
A mythical beast bench end with a poppyhead top.
Bridlington Priory church, also known as the Parish church of St Mary, was founded c1113 by William de Gant for the Canons of the Order of St Augustine. Only the nave and portions of the towers remains from the stone priory, the rest is mainly C14th - C15th. It was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott between 1846 - 1879. bridlingtonpriory.co.uk/history-of-bridlington-priory/
I designed this one a while ago, and never uploaded it for some reason. Eventually, I'll fold a nicer one. Rhett and Link are comedians on Youtube.
Anglo Saxon Dragon detail from the Dore stone, Dore Village, Sheffield, England.
Anglo Saxon mythology divided 'dragons' into two categories:
Wyrms (worms) meaning "serpent", that had no wings.
and
Draca or Drakes, those with wings which could fly.
Traditionally both types slept inside burial mounds guarding their treasure hoards.
Detail of Dragon Seats part of the Orme the Viking public art instalation Ormesby Beck Regeneration Project, Middlesbrough, England.
Dragon Girl (who has yet to get a real name) got her hands on one of those rare and very powerful, mystical and magical orb wands found only at Enchanticals at Etsy.
That Dragon Girl of mine must have found one of them in my enchanted art studio and decided to “play” with it.
Well, after “playing” with it for awhile today and taking no notice of the chaos she was causing in the house, she got rather disappointed and told me that nothing happened…“nothing at all”.
But, along with all the chaos she caused, as you can see, she did indeed get the orb wand to work and energized herself with the orb’s core energy source. Notice the glow around her?
She can’t see it unless she looks in a mirror. Now, I have to get rid of it before she sees it or she will want to keep it. Well, there goes my day!
For my Flickr groups…
Holborn Viaduct, London, England, UK.
Hasselblad H2 and 80mm lens with a Leaf Aptus 65 digital back.
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