Caroline Blackburn : "These are no ordinary snapshots, freezing a mere passing moment in time, but elaborate supernatural tableaux that take months to create." - Jane Warren (The Express)

 

JACK O'LANTERN, or WILL O'THE WISP

A fairy creature probably created from the spontaneous combustion of marsh gas, Jack o'lantern always lives in fenland. He is a figure of temptation, luring unwary travellers off the paths into the bog to drown. He can change sex, and can appear as a beautiful man or woman, or even a crock of gold, though most commonly is seen as a dancing flame.
In this picture he is surrounded by lanterns, but there is a skull behind him on his left, vertebrae on his right, and a human hand peeping out from the reeds. He is a very dangerous and mischievous creature, and in front of him is a crock of brand new £1 coins.


 

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All images and text Copyright © 2003 Caroline Blackburn.