Month One - Crone Inspiration

Month One: Sharing a little Inspiration

Since the first part of this challenge is to share ideas, inspiration and thoughts about the Crone we plan to create, I thought I would do a little bit of background reading...

...The Dictionary defines CRONE as a "withered old woman", other sources describe Crones as "stock characters in folklore and fairytale, an old woman who is usually disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations...."

Flipping through fairytale books I found dozens of Cranky Crones - in each case the Crone in question was portrayed as wicked, hideous, and in almost every case, these Crones ended up meeting very gruesome ends.

Web images for Crones are also pretty harsh - ranging from ugly old ladies to downright wicked looking witches.

Disney

After researching a bit further, I have determined that Crones throughout history and literature have been totally misunderstood!

Most Famous Crones simply seem to be suffering from some pretty basic human emotions;
jealousy, resentment, anger...Couple that with low self-esteem due to withered and bent physical appearance, isolated and lonely living conditions, and being treated like a pariah by the rest of the Village - is it any wonder these ladies lash out?

For my challenge piece I am going to attempt to pay homage to one of the most famous Crones in Fairytale history.

She is cranky, to be sure, but I think she has her reasons

and on some levels I really sympathise with her...

Here is a little of my Crone Inspiration

Stop by to visit on February 24th for a look at my work in progress and don't forget to visit my

Crone Confidant and Challenge Partner

Lori Rudolph of Retro Rudolph's

Lori will be creating a Crone of her own - and I look forward to getting a glimpse into her creative process.