Who is it whispering in the thicket, exchanging spells and secrets beneath the green roof of the woods? Of what do they speak and of what do they know?
Dressed in their fine linens and furs decorated with stone beads and lace, they seem a peculiar kind,
somewhere in between regal and wild. In strange tongues their ancient words travel on the sweet scent of summer,
quietly humming to the spirits of the forest.
Please meet my three Dorans, or, Wise Women who know, see and heal, using magic for good and only that …
The wise old Doran Gwenora, with her long soft white hair full of ancient stories, her wicker basket filled with herbs, flowers and seeds.
Each Doran has her own specific gift, and Gwenora carries the knowledge of all plants, flowers and roots. She knows the art of healing by the use of all that nature offers us.
She spends most of her time tending to her herbs in her garden, gathering greens and roots from the woodlands and fields and grinding powders, mixing potions and boiling strange smelly things in pots.
Many years have gone into her studies and practice of extracting the elixer of the Great Mother and many folks have been saved by her healing powers.
“Not my healing powers” she will say a little dismissively “The healing powers of the muddy, gritty Earth”
Then there is Endelyn, one of the apprentices to Gwenora.
Endelyn is still a young Doran, attentively learning her way into the world of magic.
She uses the art of spinning and as she spins, she sings and chants mysterious melodies,
giving great powers to that which was spun on her wheel.
Whoever wears a garment made of this wool will be under the protection for the magic spells that have been sung into each thread.
And finally, This is Morgelyn, who, just like Endelyn is apprentice to Gwenora.
Morgelyn dreams, and whilst she dreams she sees.
Into the future and into the past, she sees the truth as clear as a dewdrop hanging from a petal in the early morning sun.
Her special tool is the crystal as it helps her keep her inner eye free from obscurity and noise.
There is no beating around the bush with Morgelyn, she sees, she knows and that is all
A little peek into the doll making process from my studio
This trio of dolls was inspired by the trilogy of books written by Monica Furlong: Wise Child, Juniper and Colman.
The stories are set around the character of Juniper, a Doran, or wise woman/healer. Once a Cornish princess who becomes a Doran and eventually gets persecuted as a Witch.
I very much liked the idea of creating my own ‘Dorans’ each with their own unique magical gift.
The dolls were made with bodies of firmly stuffed cotton and I used clay for their features (faces, neck, hands and feet)
The garments were hand dyed and hand sewn from cotton and linen, with up cycled pieces of fur, vintage lace and natural stones and seeds for their jewellery.
I made the wigs with alpaca (Gwenora) and mohair (Endelyn and Morgelyn)
They are now available for adoption, to bring magic with their special gifts and spells
Find the dolls in my shop
