Travis Louie, Dancing Goblin with Insect Disguise, 2015, acrylic on board, 16 x 12"
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These goblins that disguise themselves as insects aren’t all bad. This type of goblin would surprise humans with a flash mob of dancers and vegetable jugglers. They would light tiny figures made of sticks and twigs on fire and dance around them for hours. Stories of farmers being confused and entertained by these six legged performers go back to the 17th century. They usually appeared when the crops were beginning to sprout and the farmers regarded it as a good omen. When the industrial age changed the way farms were run, the dancers disappeared from the corn and wheat fields and briefly moved their act to sheep farms. Sheep farmers found that dancing goats and sheep were actually kind of terrifying, especially when they would erect gigantic wicker men and set them ablaze. |
