This is an originally designed handmade linocut print of a "soul bird" from Finnish folklore including a white swan or snow goose with a wintery landscape inside its body. In Finnish folklore the Milky Way, aka the Linnunraata, is thought to be the celestial path of wintering birds as they make their way to their wintering home. As they migrate they also carry away souls after death, and in the spring, they bring new souls to a body upon birth. These birds also protect the soul at night when a person sleeps.

SIZE: Print size 8" x 10", Paper size 11" x 14".

MATERIALS: It is handprinted with Caligo Safewash (non-toxic) printmaking ink on three different papers: Strathmore paper, a smooth, bright white, modern looking paper made of 100% cotton acid-free fiber. Strathmore Paper Mills are located in Massachusetts where my studio is; Arnhem printmaking paper is a 100% cotton, acid-free, pH neutral archival heavier weight printmaking paper with vellum finish and a slightly warm white color. Arnhem is made at a historic mill in the Netherlands; or Stonehenge archival printmaking paper which is produced in the USA using alternative energy sources including agro-waste and is EMS (Environmental Management System) certified.

There is no difference in the quality or color of the print on each of these papers, the main difference is the weight of the paper and the subtle difference in white color of the papers. Arnhem and Stonehenge papers are a card stock weight with a very subtle warm white tone, and Strathmore is a lighter weight paper with a bright white color. It was very difficult to capture the color difference in a photo because the colors are almost the same. If the paper matters to you, please indicate your choice in the note to seller.

COLOR OPTIONS: This design is printed in two color options: Prussian Blue (dark) or Gray Blue. The ink colors are hand mixed so please expect slight variations. Please note* the Gray-Blue print is only printed on bright white paper, whereas the dark Prussian blue is printed on either bright white Strathmore paper or warm white Arnhem paper. If the paper color matters to you, please indicate in the note to seller your preferred color.

STORY DETAILS:

This artwork is inspired by an ancient folk astronomy story about the Milky Way told by the Finno-Urgic peoples from the landscape we now know as Finland and Estonia. It is believed that the milky way is the migratory path taken by birds, sometimes in the form of geese, other times arctic loons, and sometimes the flock is lead by a white swan, towards their wintering grounds in Lintukoto, the home of the birds. These birds are also understood to be “soul carriers”, known as Sielulintu, who bring a human's soul to the body at the moment of birth, and carry the soul away at the moment of death to the otherworld known as Toonela. Sielulintu, or “soul birds”, are also thought of as soul protectors. The idea suggests humanity is carried and mothered by birds at these pivotal times in our lives, and what a beautiful way to understand our place in the universe: not as masters, controllers, conquerers of the planet, but in the position of being nurtured by and cradled in the feathered wings of a bird. I absolutely love this folktale, a heartwarming story that weaves us back into kinship with the flock.

GIFT IDEAS: This would make a great gift for a mother who has just given birth, or someone grieving for a lost loved one, or someone who must let go of a relationship. The Sielulintu or Soul Bird also is a protector of the soul while it wanders during sleep and dreaming, or when the soul is vulnerable or needs extra support and protection. So this would be wonderful framed and hung next to someone's bedside, and would make a great gift for someone who feels vulnerable, and needs protection for their soul.

PACKAGING: This print will be carefully packed in a recycled clear bag and shipped in a recycled cardboard mailer from EcoEnclose. A one-page insert including a description of the folktale is included with the print.

Feathers & Folktales is a woman-owned, Massachusetts-based art shop offering handcrafted linocut prints of timeless folktales from around the world that remind us of our ancient kinship with the wild. These archival quality linocut prints are a labor of love: they are 100% conceived, designed, carved, inked, pulled and packaged by hand for you from a small home studio. Featuring animals and magical creatures from folklore alongside wide variety of botanical elements, each piece contains a precious offering from the past, a mythos, that can enliven our sense of enchantment with the natural world.

Please note that the copyright of this work is retained by the artist.