Mythological Beasts and Spirits: The Staff in the Tree

While the topic of mythological beasts and spirits is of genuine interest to me, I think it is obvious by now that I have been using it to shill (shamelessly, I might add) my own poem, The Staff in the Tree. The poem is now available on Amazon. This week’s post is a summary of those creatures from this series which appear in my story. It is primarily pictorial (ouch – alliteration) and is accompanied by some written excerpts.

Padded paws and feathered wingspan, lion’s mane, and all of white,
Softly silent, pale and ghostly, stalked the Shedu in the night.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

In the sky, they flew and galloped while cavorting overhead,
Carried on each horse’s body eagle’s wings and eagle’s head.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

Said the wily, flitting Enfield, auburn fox with wings of gray,
“Have you seen the Spirit Father? What, exactly, did he say?”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

Leonid, with eagle’s talons, wingless, though, with knotted tail,
Through the mist, an Alphyn sentry stared them down and gave them hail.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

“Best to stop,” the Shedu cautioned. “Hidden by the hoot of owl,
I perceive the furtive footsteps of the Freybug on the prowl.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

“Why should you deny my challenge? Is it that I have no wings?
Missing these, I still can best you. Come. See how my venom stings.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

From its place of hibernation, from its lair beneath the lake,
Rupturing the liquid membrane, to the surface burst the Drake.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

With her arms, the Sprite embraced him, pressed her mouth on willing lips,
Then drew back and laughed with pleasure, placed her hands upon her hips.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

“You are in a place of danger. Walk in hope and righteous fear.
Stay your course. Be not distracted. There are winsome spirits here.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

Dignified, the ancient giants, from their homes of bark and wood,
Hearkened to the forest maiden, in the fog before her stood.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

I apologize for the repetitious reference in each caption. To save time, I simply took from my media file some of the images I had included in previous posts. More details about the book can be obtained by clicking here.

Next week: another creature.

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Hippogriff

In the sky, they flew and galloped while cavorting overhead,
Carried on each horse’s body eagle’s wings and eagle’s head.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

The Hippogriff had the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. As the above imagery and verses imply, I have taken some liberties by giving this creature the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a horse. I did this because it was easier for me to draw with my limited technique and because I found it easier to use in rhyme.

This mythological beast appeared on heraldic coats of arms, and its symbolism is varied. In Greek mythology, it was the symbol of Apollo. In later heraldry, it represented such things as love or the dual nature of Christ. Hippogriffs were sometimes considered the incarnation of evil spirits. This flexibility of meaning left me with plenty of wiggle room for my own story, and I felt free to make things up. I enjoy re-imagining older concepts.

Shown below are two representations from Orlando furioso, a poem written by Ludovico Ariosto.

Roger delivrant Angelique (1824) by Louis-Edouard Riouit.

Illustration by Gustave Dore from Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto.

More people are probably familiar with Buckbeak from the Harry Potter series of movies from Warner Brothers.

Credit: Warner Brothers

Val Jones working on a model of Buckbeak for Warner Brothers.

Now that you’ve seen what professionals can do, I’ll end with another of my amateurish drawings from The Staff in the Tree.

“Who consumes this fallen carnage of the armies from the east?
Here the Hippogriffs will gather. Here the Hippogriffs will feast.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

Sometimes I wonder, but my technique might have improved a little since sixth grade. More next week.