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* These products are made to order so please allow 3-4 weeks. Organic washed cotton poplin print of my Three Feathers painting 100cm x 50cm (39.4" x 19.6"). This print does not include the wooden poster hanger, for reference it is 120cm (47") long. Signed in fabric ink

This moment is dawn on the day the king throws the three feathers into the wind for his sons

to follow and find the carpets, rings and wives that will decide who inherits the kingdom. This is a very old story and the princes have to first bring home the most beautiful carpet they can find. Carpets were first introduced to Europe from the East where nomadic tribes came into contact with travelers along the Silk Road. Their carpets were the first part of their home to be laid down in every new location and were their territory, passed from generation to

generation as their homeland. Maybe the king wants to see the value and understanding his sons have for inherited homeland and their appreciation of the beauty of the carpets tells him how good their eye is for the beauty of home and the craftsmanship involved in creating a kingdom in land or woven in thread. The three brothers follow their feathers that have been

cast into the air and the youngest brother’s falls to the floor. The elder two laugh and expect he can do nothing so go to the nearest village and take home the first two rugs they find. The youngest brother ‘dumbling’ discovers a trap door under his feet and he goes deep into the earth where he meets a toad. She hears his predicament and gives him the most beautiful carpet in the world to take back. The king sees the offerings of his sons and says that

unequivocally, his youngest wins the contest. The elder sons protest and the king sets a new test, to find the most beautiful ring in the world and the same thing happens again with their feathers and their offerings. The elder brothers ask for another chance and the king tells them to bring home the most beautiful woman as their bride and she will be queen alongside that

son as king. Again they follow the feathers to the East and the West and the youngest goes underground. The toad offers her daughter as a bride and as the dumpling son returns to the castle carrying the little toad, she transforms into the most beautiful woman in the world. The brothers can’t believe it and ask for one more test. The king says that each brother’s bride must jump through a raised hoop. The elder brother’s brides, who were simple village girls

jumped and fell and broke their arms and legs but the toad princess leapt gracefully through the hoop and the Dumling son inherited the kingdom.

This story meant a lot to me. The idea that whatever people’s expectations, the gold and precious things in life can be right beneath your feet. The most extraordinary things start with a single step. Toads in old European tradition represent women, witches and water. The feminine balance is missing at the beginning with the three sons and the king but the toad creates the balance through magic, deep and earthly magic and the story ends with one man

and one woman. The practice of casting feathers into the air to decide what direction to go in is ancient and the three directions they go in appealed to my sense of often being torn between three directions I have to fly in. Japan in the East, where I love and create, America in the West where I have opportunities that abound but the third is my heart and home, the earth under my feet, which is Britain. For me this is a story about how the greatest adventure can be coming home, the greatest treasures are the ones you possess and being humble, getting close to the earth can rebalance kingdoms.

The Three Feathers Cotton Print

£100.00Price

    Copyright Freyja Dean 2023

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