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Here's a portrait of my character Elowen, where I decided to draw her in the folk tale she's based off. A quick history for those who are interested: She's based off the character Princess Olwen/Elowen from the Cornish folk tale The Romance of Princess Olwen/Princess Elowen/Elowen and the Bramble Bush. The funny thing is that the tale started out as 'The Romance of Princess Olwen' in Cornish Saints and Sinners (1906) by J.H. Harris, which may have been inspired by Cornish folktales, but were not necessarily retellings. Despite this, Donald R. Rawe decided to make a retelling of Harris' story for his book Traditional Cornish Stories And Rhymes (1971), where he titled his retelling 'Princess Elowen'. Funnily enough, Elowen isn't even a traditional Cornish name, as it was first suggested as a Cornish girls' name by Christopher Bice in 1970, in his book Names for the Cornish. Bice took words from a Unified Cornish dictionary to use as girls' names, as there were not a lot of distinctly Cornish girls' names at the time. In 2013, we then get another retelling titled 'Elowen and the Bramble Bush' as part of the Mazed Tales project.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙊𝙡𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙣

-A Cornish Folktale

Long ago in Cornwall, on a hillock called “the Gump,” there was a Fairy Ring. Many a good old man or woman, on moonlit nights, had seen the Fairies dancing there at their revels, and had been rewarded with gifts small but rich.

Now, there was one greedy old man, who, having heard his neighbours tell of the Fairy Gold at the revels, decided to steal some of the treasure. So on a moonlit night, when all was quiet, he stole softly up to “the Gump.”

As he drew near he heard delightful music, which seemed to come from inside the hillock. The notes were now slow and solemn, and now quick and merry, so that the old man had to weep and laugh in one breath. Then before he knew it, he began to dance to the Fairy measure. He was forced by some unseen power to whirl round and round; but in spite of this he kept his wits about him, and watched to see what would happen.

Suddenly there was a crashing sound, and a door in the hillock opened. Instantly the old man saw that everything about him was ablaze with coloured lights. Each blade of grass was hung with tiny bright lamps, and every tree and bush was illuminated with stars.

Out of the opening in the hillock marched a band of Goblins, as if to clear the way. Then came a number of Fairy musicians playing on every kind of musical instrument. These were followed by troop after troop of Elfin soldiers, carrying waving banners.

Continued ⬇️