How long is Anchúinse Sidhe going to last?:
I don't know. Depends.
When and where does the comic take place?:
The comic starts off in 1028, then for part two we
jump ahead into the late sixteenth century. For the remaining
parts of the comic, the setting is present day.
The location varies from Cork, Knockma Hill, and a
college located somewhere in the south west of
Ireland.
What does Anchúinse Sidhe mean?:
Anchúinse is Irish Gaelic for freak, and Sidhe is
just another word for a fairy.
Does Dobharcu mean anything?:
It means otter in Irish.
How I do the comic:
I start out with a simple pencil
sketch. I then ink the and scan it into Adobe
Photoshop LE 5.0. I adjust the levels and blur the
picture so that the lines look a bit neater. I
make two copies of the picture, and then
color the bottom layer using the airbrush
tool. When finished, I delete the white backgrounds of the colored layer
and add the gradients. The top
layer multiplied so that the black lines show over the colored layer below.
Last is the saturation and the lightness/darkness effects, and finally
add the text and boxes.
Requests:
As much as I would love to do them, I
really haven't got the time with work, school, the
comic and my other art projects. So unless I know
you, or you've given me a gift or two, chances are I
will have to turn you down...Sorry.
Trades:
Ok, so I haven't got that much time, but I
can always find room in my busy schedule for an art
trade. I like getting things in return and trades
motivate me to finish my half. So go ahead and ask
and we can discuss it further.
Commissions:
As much as I hate taking peoples money,
I will do commissions if you don't want to do a trade.
Leanan Sidhe- (Lhiannan-shee) Equally benevolent as she is malevolent, the Leanan Sidhe is a beautiful, blood-sucking, vampiric fairy from the Isle of Man. Her name means Fairy Mistress. She is also said to be the muse of poets. However, those she inspires live brilliant, but short lives. Traveling through towns and villages during the night, she looks for romantic young men on whose door she would knock. When the door was opened she would take the man into her embrace, inspiring him with her poetry and music, and bringing about his fame. However she would gradually drain the life force from her lover until he was dead, then proceed to another victim.
King Finvarra- (Finvara, Finn Bheara, Finbeara, Fionnbharr) The High King of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish folklore. Finvarra is also thought by some to be the King of the Dead. He is famed for his benevolence towards humans. He will ensure good harvests, fine bred horses, and riches to those who are not afraid to assist him. Womanizing is one of Finvarra's favorite activities. Even though his wife is the most beautiful women, he will frequently kidnap any human women he desires. He is also a skillful chess player who has never been defeated by any human.
Queen Oonagh- (Onaugh, Una, Oona, Oonagy) She is the High Queen of the fairies and the wife of King Finvarra. She is said to be more beautiful than any women, fairy or human. She's described as having golden hair, so long that it sweeps the ground, and robes of silver gossamer that sparkle with dew.
Ankou- (Grim Reaper, Death, Father Time)- A fairy belonging to all five element groups
including that of Spirit. He has
but one function, to collect the souls of the
deceased. Though he is said to be a benevolent
figure, he has very little interest in the living,
only transporting their souls to the Land of the Dead.
Ankou collects the dead in various
fashions, most times he uses a weapon, often a scythe,
club or sword, which he uses to strike his victims.
The scythe and sword are said to be sharpened of human
bone, although Ankou does not necessarily need to
use weapons to kill. Sometimes just approaching,
talking to, or hearing his cart pass cause the
observer's death or one of their relations.
Ankou is seen in several guises. Most of
the time he is a male, tall and thin with long white
hair. His thinness can vary, from being gaunt to even
a skeleton which some have seen to have a rotating
head so that he may see everything around him. He
dresses conservatively with a ragged, black robed
costume, shroud, or cloak, and a wide brimmed hat
which serves to cover his face and eyes which are seen
to be fiery spots of light seeming like candles.
Ankou drives a cart which is held together
with wood scraps, iron, and leather. The cart is drawn by horses:
four black ones, or a pale bony
horse.
Because collecting the souls is a big
task, Ankou has assistants to help him. Most times his helpers are seen on foot
walking behind with heads bowed so that their faces
may not be seen. Other times, they hold the reins of
the front horse and open barriers for easy passage of
his cart.
*Note: The Ankou in my definition comes from Irish folklore. There is also an Ankou who resides in Brittany and he is quite different. So don't mix the two up!
Knockma Hill- The hill under which Finvarra's palace is located. It is said that to this day he still holds his court here.
Daoine Sidhe- (Daoine O'Sidhe) Following their defeat by the Milessians, the Tuatha Dé Danann that chose to remain in Ireland were forced underground into the hollow hills, known as raths or sidh where they became the Daoine Sidhe. Here they continue to practice the traditions of their ancestors, appointing kings and Queens and holding court. They resemble humans, although it is said that they can shape-shift and become invisible. They are skilled chess players and are quite fond of hurling. Although the Daoine Sidhe can be quite malicious at times, they are more commonly helpful and are frequently referred to as the Gentry, Good People, Little People, or the Wee Folk.
Tuatha Dé Danann- The name Tuatha Dé Danann means ‘people of the goddess Danu' They were a legendary race known for their magic, beauty, grace, and intellect. They were quite tall, could shape shift and even become invisible at will. The Tuatha Dé Danann were generally immortal, but could be killed in battle. When defeated by the Milessians many fled to places such as Scotland or Wales. Those that chose to remain in Ireland retreated to forests, underwater (such as lakes), or underground to the hollow hills where they became the Daoine Sidhe. I also read somewhere that some believed the Tuatha Dé Danann to be fallen angels.
Danu- (Danann, Dana) A major Mother goddess; ancestress of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Mother of the Gods; Great Mother; Moon goddess. She is the patroness of wizards, rivers, water, wells, prosperity and plenty, magic, and wisdom.
