The Poison Garden Fae
The Victorian Murderesses made me curious about poison. Most of them used either Arsenic or Strychnine, and I wondered about the availability of these deadly substances, their effects, and how they were made. In my wonderings, I discovered the Alnwick Poison Garden, who boasts on their website:
'The Alnwick Garden plays host to the small but deadly Poison Garden—filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants. The boundaries of the Poison Garden are kept behind black iron gates, only open on guided tours.
Visitors are strictly prohibited from smelling, touching, or tasting any plants, although some people still occasionally faint from inhaling toxic fumes while walking in the garden.'
This got me wondering, what kind of Faerie would live in this garden, where the air itself was dangerous? I imagined her wild and spare, nearly naked, her skin tart and green like a very young apple, bitterness and beauty. She would blend in with foliage and shadows, slipping between the hellebore and fawn lilies.
I made all six of these Poisonous Fae much smaller than the Murderesses. They are perfectly fae sized in their diminutive little green skins. Floral appliqués cover their wee bodies. They don't represent the plants that they're named for, the color of their wings do. For Rue I chose a deep and shimmering golden yellow, Larkspur is the same shimmering fabric in a dark and dreamy purple. Hemlock and Oleander's wings are creamy white (though they do look very pale pink in some images). Juniper's wings are the deepest blue of a Juniper berry and are the absolute softest faux suede. And finally, Ivy. I considered green, but chose the rich garnet red of her Autumn colors.
If you give one of these dangerous Fae a home, remember to handle her with care and for goodness sake, no matter how tempting, don't kiss her.
'The Alnwick Garden plays host to the small but deadly Poison Garden—filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants. The boundaries of the Poison Garden are kept behind black iron gates, only open on guided tours.
Visitors are strictly prohibited from smelling, touching, or tasting any plants, although some people still occasionally faint from inhaling toxic fumes while walking in the garden.'
This got me wondering, what kind of Faerie would live in this garden, where the air itself was dangerous? I imagined her wild and spare, nearly naked, her skin tart and green like a very young apple, bitterness and beauty. She would blend in with foliage and shadows, slipping between the hellebore and fawn lilies.
I made all six of these Poisonous Fae much smaller than the Murderesses. They are perfectly fae sized in their diminutive little green skins. Floral appliqués cover their wee bodies. They don't represent the plants that they're named for, the color of their wings do. For Rue I chose a deep and shimmering golden yellow, Larkspur is the same shimmering fabric in a dark and dreamy purple. Hemlock and Oleander's wings are creamy white (though they do look very pale pink in some images). Juniper's wings are the deepest blue of a Juniper berry and are the absolute softest faux suede. And finally, Ivy. I considered green, but chose the rich garnet red of her Autumn colors.
If you give one of these dangerous Fae a home, remember to handle her with care and for goodness sake, no matter how tempting, don't kiss her.