Jólakötturinn (The Yule Cat)
Print measures 8”x8” (Has Border)
Giclee print on bright white 255 gsm Epson Somerset Velvet. This paper is 100% cotton and certified archival. This paper has some texture to it, which can best be seen in close-up (photo #3).
Acid and Lignin-free (Lignins acidify paper as they degrade over time).
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It had been many months since the Jólakötturinn had come, bringing with it swift death and devastation. It came with tooth and claw and left nothing: only patches of deep red blood, a profoundly dark stain contrasted against the bright glow of moonlit ice and snow.
Hrefna had been a lazy girl, surely, but she had also been endlessly loving and full of wit. The tricks she would play to get out of work used to infuriate Bjartur and Birta, her sorrowfully bereaved parents.
But now, looking back, it all seemed so harmless, even charming.
Their girl had been so smart.
Now they regretted that they had not tried harder to produce enough to give Hrefna a new dress and pair of socks, even though she hadn’t helped with scouring, carding, or even spinning the wool for such garments. It was hard work in those days, processing enough wool to make gifts on top of supporting a family’s basic needs.
But Bjartur and Birta would not relent this year, and as they pulled sheep excrement from recently sheared wool they both silently contemplated their last image of Hrefna, wide eyed but resigned to her fate in the clutches of Jólakötturinn, who was already stained and sticky with the blood of other unfortunate children.
The Great Cat would come again and Bjartur and Birta would make sure their remaining children would not suffer the same fate: they must not meet Jólakötturinn with holes in their socks
Print measures 8”x8” (Has Border)
Giclee print on bright white 255 gsm Epson Somerset Velvet. This paper is 100% cotton and certified archival. This paper has some texture to it, which can best be seen in close-up (photo #3).
Acid and Lignin-free (Lignins acidify paper as they degrade over time).
————————————————————-
It had been many months since the Jólakötturinn had come, bringing with it swift death and devastation. It came with tooth and claw and left nothing: only patches of deep red blood, a profoundly dark stain contrasted against the bright glow of moonlit ice and snow.
Hrefna had been a lazy girl, surely, but she had also been endlessly loving and full of wit. The tricks she would play to get out of work used to infuriate Bjartur and Birta, her sorrowfully bereaved parents.
But now, looking back, it all seemed so harmless, even charming.
Their girl had been so smart.
Now they regretted that they had not tried harder to produce enough to give Hrefna a new dress and pair of socks, even though she hadn’t helped with scouring, carding, or even spinning the wool for such garments. It was hard work in those days, processing enough wool to make gifts on top of supporting a family’s basic needs.
But Bjartur and Birta would not relent this year, and as they pulled sheep excrement from recently sheared wool they both silently contemplated their last image of Hrefna, wide eyed but resigned to her fate in the clutches of Jólakötturinn, who was already stained and sticky with the blood of other unfortunate children.
The Great Cat would come again and Bjartur and Birta would make sure their remaining children would not suffer the same fate: they must not meet Jólakötturinn with holes in their socks
Print measures 8”x8” (Has Border)
Giclee print on bright white 255 gsm Epson Somerset Velvet. This paper is 100% cotton and certified archival. This paper has some texture to it, which can best be seen in close-up (photo #3).
Acid and Lignin-free (Lignins acidify paper as they degrade over time).
————————————————————-
It had been many months since the Jólakötturinn had come, bringing with it swift death and devastation. It came with tooth and claw and left nothing: only patches of deep red blood, a profoundly dark stain contrasted against the bright glow of moonlit ice and snow.
Hrefna had been a lazy girl, surely, but she had also been endlessly loving and full of wit. The tricks she would play to get out of work used to infuriate Bjartur and Birta, her sorrowfully bereaved parents.
But now, looking back, it all seemed so harmless, even charming.
Their girl had been so smart.
Now they regretted that they had not tried harder to produce enough to give Hrefna a new dress and pair of socks, even though she hadn’t helped with scouring, carding, or even spinning the wool for such garments. It was hard work in those days, processing enough wool to make gifts on top of supporting a family’s basic needs.
But Bjartur and Birta would not relent this year, and as they pulled sheep excrement from recently sheared wool they both silently contemplated their last image of Hrefna, wide eyed but resigned to her fate in the clutches of Jólakötturinn, who was already stained and sticky with the blood of other unfortunate children.
The Great Cat would come again and Bjartur and Birta would make sure their remaining children would not suffer the same fate: they must not meet Jólakötturinn with holes in their socks