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Inktober 52 2024 - Week 18 - 'Spirit'
This week's word is 'Spirit' and it's also Mer-may! So my first thought was maybe to a tie in to an existing fish spirit, and I was surprised to find there isn't much info on real concrete fish spirits. There are plenty of water spirits (...that are often people or horse shaped for some reason) but not many that out right resemble fish.
Some places suggested the salmon as a 'Native American' or 'Celtic' spirits, but sources looked super dubious (the 'healing crystals' and 'Celtic zodiac' kind of dubious. And if real, I didn't feel right doing a 'salmon mermaid spirit' lest I attracted the wrong ideas).
A few fish came up as part of legends (that inevitably get eaten) but yeah, not a lot of out right 'fish spirit'.
But my research reminded me of some so called 'spiritual' (see what I did there) fish people, and that's the legends of the 'Sea Monk' and the 'Bishop Fish':
And I felt more safe having fun drawing them. I imagine them tending the much overlooked fish spirits of the vast waters that cover our earth. Maybe people can suggest some ones they know of if they know of any.
Boyfriend took us to Pike place market! I got to see the fish being thrown and even more rare, dropped! They throw the fish from the ice up to the counter where it’s wrapped and rung up.
It’s very theatrical they throw massive fish back and forth five or six times. These fish are colossal; about $400 or more to buy one! Someone said it originally started because it was easier to get the fish to the counter that way, but it’s become a Pike place staple.
They were yelling something as they threw fish back and forth. I can’t remember what it was but when it was picked up from the ground and tossed back to the counter he hollered “This one needs a bath!”🛁 and the other man replied “This one needs a bath!”
Monk fish and cauliflower stew
* IMPORTANT: I will only be shipping to European countries, to avoid customs problems in countries that could have restrictions in shipments of taxidermy. Authentic deep water fish from the Mediterranean Sea, genus Lophius. This species also commonly called Anglerfish or Monkfish is worked in taxidermy with full body assembly, i.e. the skin, head and fins are natural, the rest was emptied and filled with great care for an optimal conservation. Except for the ones I've worked with, it's very hard to find, or at least I've never seen them, full-bodied monkfish, because of the hard work and difficulty, you'll usually find them unmounted raw and dried, or just the head, or just unnatural replicas made with moulds, that's why this piece has an added value. The skin is well protected with a layer of varnish so that it has a long shelf life although it is obviously recommended to exhibit it indoors and avoid direct Sun exposure. For more details please see all the photos carefully. * Shipping will be certified with a tracking number. For shipments in Europe the normal traffic is between 9 and 15 days (may be longer in some cases)
Renaissance Europe Was Horrified by Reports of a Sea Monster That Looked Like a Monk Wearing Fish Scales
In the 16th century, the so-called “sea monk” became the talk of Europe. Drawings of the half-man, half-fish “monster” appeared in naturalists’ tomes and were circulated among naturalists and members of royal courts across the continent. It was the end of the Renaissance, when Europeans were enamoured with art, science, philosophy and exploring the natural world.
But over the centuries, the creature, and talk of it, faded into obscurity. Whatever it was, it was never definitively identified. The lack of an answer has given scientists and folklore-loving researchers something to chew on over the years.
Full Article
Bouillabaisse
“The Sea Monk and the Urn” by Marc Palm.