 |
| Icicles on a thatched cottage nearby |
As most of England is covered in a hard frost and snow is foretold for this weekend it is not surprising that thoughts have turned to the character Jack Frost, or Father Frost as he is sometimes known.
 |
| Father Winter by ~alexson1 on deviantART,
Ivan Bilibin's watercolor illustration, "Father Frost" from Tales of Russian Grandmother,
Jack Frost by Arthur Rackham |
Folklore on Jack's character is mingled with that of Father Winter and St Nicholas. The story has some origin in Russia folktales where Father Frost is in fact the same as St Nicholas, known to us as Santa Claus. But this Santa is quite different from the jolly fat man in a red suit who shimmies down our chimneys on Christmas Eve. This one is more of a pagan forest figure.
 |
| A Russian illustration of Father Frost, a Pixie rendition by unknown artist and Jack casting his frosty fingers over all, by Arthur Rackham. |
Jack Frost is also seen as a kind of sprite in a pointy hat who mischieviously paints frost on Autumn leaves thus bringing winter to the land. He's close to being a male version of The Snow Queen, but perhaps not as evil as she is usually portrayed, as in Narnia. Although some versions of him are quite scary and spiky!
 | ||
| Spiky Jack, artist unknown to us. |
There is nothing to do but, stay warm,
Enjoy the art of Jack Frost,
Settle down with a good book,
And don't forget to feed the birds!
 |
| Girl with a Book. Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707-1762). |
And don't forget to feed the birds!
 |
1929 Louis Icart (French, 1888-1950) ~ Les Frileux (The Chilly Ones)
|
