ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charity May is a published Illustrator, Concept artist and Graphic Designer originally from the Isle of Arran. They graduated from DJCAD in 2021, with a BA (Hons) in Illustration. Most recently, she has worked for the Non-profit and Think-Tank Commonweal, as Team Lead and Lead Illustrator on their publication ‘Sorted: A Handbook for a Better Scotland’.
The Designer in Charity is fascinated with Digital painting, finding it conducive to the variety of styles she likes to implement in her portfolio. Charity enjoys collecting and telling stories, as such most of her work depicts or references Scottish Folk lore.
ABOUT THE WORK
This month, Charity has devised a series of large-scale illustrations inspired by Scottish and Irish folklore. in The Auld Yins, monsters, villains, and forces of nature are elevated into saints, each representing a struggle faced by the city today, from deprivation to climate breakdown. May calls upon viewers to consider the power of folklore and storytelling in contemporary contexts - and utilises December, a season of celebration and giving in so many cultures, to begin an important discussion on how we process the difficulties of contemporary life.
ABOUT THE CHARITIES
In its physical incarnation, the happening tonight would have had collection tubs for three incredibly worthy charities based in Dundee:
Transition Dundee
The Hot Chocolate Trust
The Dundee and Angus Foodbank
All three of these charities depend on community engagement and support for their continued work. This December, we’d like to encourage our audience to see if they can support them somehow - whether through a share on socials, the commitment of volunteer hours, or a donation.
THE DUNDEE GUERRILLA FILM FESTIVAL
PRESENTS, FOR YOUR DELIGHT:
THE AULD YINS
ILLUSTRASTIONS BY CHARITY MAY.
THE STOOR WORM
The Stoor Worm originates in ancient Orcadian folklore, and is a sea dragon with great similarity to Norse mythology’s world serpent, Jörmungandr. It is a truly massive creature, long enough to wrap its coils around the earth. When it moved, natural disasters followed quickly in its wake. Wherever the Stoor Worm’s head came to rest, it would demand that the neighbouring people feed it a weekly sacrifice of seven virgins.
Undoubtedly a villainous creature, the Stoor Worm wreaked chaos upon the costal settlements of Scotland. When it was finally defeated by the hero Assipattle, the son of a humble farmer, Legend tells us that the serpent’s teeth fell into the ocean, and formed Orkney, Shetland, and the Faroes.
The Stoor Worm was said to have been hatched by a malevolent spirit as one of the nine plagues that would torment mankind. The rich tapestry of Orcadian folklore suggests a people tied intimately to the movements of the ocean, and the health of its bounty. Previously an explanation for the violence of natural disasters caused by tectonic activity, it’s easy to imagine that with a contemporary recontextualization, the Stoor Worm may come to represent a different threat to our oceans. As resource extraction continues in Scottish waters, our oceans are subjected to industrialised overfishing, plastic pollution, oil spills, and the continual poisoning of the planet due to the consumption of fossil fuels.
The greed of dragons is legendary. Perhaps one day soon, the Stoor Worm will become tired of the very rich few taking what is his.
To honour the Stoor Worm, we’d like to highlight the work of Transition Dundee, a social enterprise working towards climate action on a community level through building knowledge, awareness, and hope.
THE GILLIE DHU
Stories of the Gillie Dhu originate in the Northwest of Scotland, usually set in the birch woodlands of the Gairloch. The Gillie Dhu is a solitary male nature fairy, whose physical description varies wildly between appearances in folklore. Most accounts agree he is short in stature, with dishevelled, dark hair, humanoid features, and is dressed in moss and foliage.
Generally, the Gillie Dhu is said to be gentle, and particularly kind to children - though he also has a wild, and sometimes violent nature. An encounter with the Gillie Dhu is rare, but he is known for protecting lost children. It is said that, conversely, if an adult entered his forest and offended the Gillie Dhu, he would reach out with branch like arms, and crush them, leaving their bodies to nourish the forest soil.
The major recorded appearance of the Gillie Dhu appears in the memoirs of Scottish land owner Osgood Mackenzie, A Hundred years in the Highlands (1921).
He describes the rescue of a young girl named Jessie Macrae, found by the Gillie Dhu while she was lost in the woods. He cares for her during the night, and in the safety of dawn, returns her home unharmed.
Popular contemporary interpretations suggest that much like the well-known spirits ‘brownies’, the Ghillie Dhu served as a way of humanising people living outside of major communities. Individuals affected by various long-term medical conditions or congenital disorders were often ostracised and misunderstood. The Gillie Dhu may well represent what we recognise today as someone neurodiverse or disabled.
In honour of the Gillie Dhu’s devotion to the protection of children, we’d like to highlight the work of the
Hot Chocolate Trust, a youth work organisation based in Dundee city centre, devoted to providing care, protection, and the comfort of home to the young people of our city.
THE FEAR GORTA
Originating in Irish folklore, Fear Gortach translates from Irish into English as ‘man of famine.’ It is a phantom, appearing as an emaciated, even skeletal human being. The Fear Gorta, or Fear Gortach, is considered one of the most terrifying creatures in Irish Folk Lore, as its appearance always portends death and famine.
Although feared by travellers, the Fear Gorta, like many mythological forces, is not innately evil. An encounter with this phantom could result in a great blessing - or a deadly curse. Travellers took to carrying bread in their pockets, to feed the Fear Gorta should their paths cross on the road. Sharing your food or providing alms for the spirit is said to provide a great blessing of luck. However, to pass him by without an offering will leave the traveller cursed with an insatiable hunger. No matter how much they may eat, they will eventually starve to death.
The Fear Gorta is an ancient folk tale, having reached peak popularity throughout the mid-1800s, during Ireland’s Great Famine. The colonialist regime of the British empire and the greed of landed gentry drove a time of harrowing struggle for the people of Ireland.
It is impossible for us to know exactly how many people perished due to starvation and disease during the Great Famine, but a census taken in 1841 records a population of 8,175,124. Immediately following the famine, in 1851, the total Irish population is reported as 6,552,385 individuals. This indicates over 1.5 million deaths over a period of ten years.
Woodham-Smith, C. (1962) The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845-184. Ireland: Hamish Hamilton.
Reports now reach us of the Fear Gorta walking our roads once again. The antiquated image of the traveller is replaced by the faces of our neighbours. We can see him in the children who go to school hungry, and in our elderly, who save and thrift and still must choose between food and heat. As the cost of food continues to rise, the spectre of the Fear Gorta comes to life once more. By considering the root of this folk tale, we can take some heart in the stories passed from hearth to hearth, hundreds of years ago. He is not some great evil to overcome.
This member of the gentry is a warning - and a reminder of our enduring need to give and receive kindness. In line with this, we’d like to highlight the work of the Dundee and Angus Foodbank, who do phenomenal work in helping people all over the city through times of food insecurity.
THE D.G.F.F. WOULD LIKE TO THANK:
THE TAY ROAD BRIDGE TEAM
YALLA RISO
CREATIVE DUNDEE
NEON ARTS
BIOME
SHAPER/CAPER
AND GENERATOR PROJECTS.
CHARITY MAY WOULD LIKE TO THANK:
“Alif. For the emotional support.”