ESCAPE Print ~ by Votive Illustration

Votive Illustration - Fine Art Illustrations of Folklore and Mythology
 
Gorse, with it's vibrant yellow flowers and delicate scent of coconut, is often associated with love and fertility. In contrast to the softness of the flowers, the leaves consist of sharp barbs and thorns, meaning the this dark impenetrable plant was also associated with the Sidhe and seen as a protective gateway to the underworld.
 
Because of this link to the otherworld, it was believed witches sometimes took shelter within it's spiky body. In some places it was the practice to set the gorse alight to flush out witches in hiding. It was thought they would shapeshift into the form of hares and evade the flames by leaping to safety. And so, because of humans projecting their fear of the supernatural upon them, any hares that tried to escape the blaze would be hunted as they ran.
 
* A3 Archival Ink Print. Supplied on 420 x 594mm (A2) mounted board *