HOME | DD

Description
Running free in gloomy night
Altered by the warping light
Free the beast kept deep inside
Blood Moon Rising!
—Goat of Mendes, Blood Moon Rising —

(Later on, this became one of my characters in my 2009 NaNovel.)

I recently found the remnants of a story I had written in high school, and I came to wonder if I could do something else with a few of its characters, provided I make some changes. The present drawing is the result of such a redesign. The tentative title of a possible new story is currently Was. Usually I suck at titles, but I quite like this one.

Many decades ago, in Warsaw, old and wise Rabbi Steiner witnessed the growing threat of war on his people. In order to protect them, he enlisted his apprentice Ludwik and mustered all his faith and skills, perfected year after year, to create a golem that would drive away those who intended to cause harm. As Ludwik shaped earth, water and clay into a human statue, Steiner carved the letters of Truth in it and animated it. Alas, in the middle of the troubles, the rabbi was accidentally killed; left without a master, the golem went on a murderous rampage, as the killing machine he was supposed to be, sending to death both friends and enemies.

Such a creature couldn't be allowed to keep on existing; Ludwik, still young but talented, decided to take care of the problem. His magic was that of the True Names, and he knew how to destroy a golem, by wiping the aleph letter from its forehead. But Ludwik was also proud and arrogant, and when he finally came to face the creature, he realized he couldn't push himself to destroy such a fine work of magic. Through his mastery of the Art, he forced the golem into a restrained shape, putting an end to the massacre, and took the decision to use it for himself. As a new day dawned on the town, the mage put his hand on the forehead of the diminished golem, and bound him in a circle of power. "From now on, thy Name shall be Heylel" were the words he spoke.

Something unheard of had happened. A golem had been given a name, and by this action, the gift of speech came upon him, a gift normally marking only those blessed with a soul. His own magic was too different from that of his rebbe for Ludwik to realize this at first; however, the mage soon understood that what he had done was a mistake, and that the real nature of Heylel should never be discarded, lest he or someone else would have to destroy him.

So, meet Heylel. Decades of existence in an indestructible body have allowed it to make its way through the world of humans, and it can pass in appearance for one of them if it wishes so. It normally uses a more mundane name that changes every few years, since he's unable to reveal his True Name to anyone else than his Master (if you want to know why this name fascinates me so much, you can have a look at this page ). Its strength, resistance and shape-shifting abilities are its main gifts; it doesn't age, doesn't even have a heart, and is kept in check by the seal-bracelet on its left wrist, put in place by Ludvig on the day he bound this odd servant of his. The word on its forehead ("emeth"—"truth") is what marks it as an artificial creature, although the letters aleph - mem - tav don't appear when it puts on its "daily life" seeming (I feel like considering that they are in fact carved directly in what you could call its frontal bone, which means, of course, that its head is also its weak spot).

Heylel does have a conscience now, having awakened to it through his long decades of existence; but no matter what he does, he knows he will forever be subject to his own nature, and should the seal be broken, he would revert to the mindless creature he used to be...

Media: India ink on 125g paper, with watercolor pencils for a bit of shading and a couple of things touched up in Photoshop. It's been ages I haven't used traditional media from beginning to end of a drawing, and it felt pretty good.

Related pictures:
+ Ultima Ratio Regum
+ I Am Mage. Hear Me Roar

Description
Running free in gloomy night
Altered by the warping light
Free the beast kept deep inside
Blood Moon Rising!
—Goat of Mendes, Blood Moon Rising —

(Later on, this became one of my characters in my 2009 NaNovel.)

I recently found the remnants of a story I had written in high school, and I came to wonder if I could do something else with a few of its characters, provided I make some changes. The present drawing is the result of such a redesign. The tentative title of a possible new story is currently Was. Usually I suck at titles, but I quite like this one.

Many decades ago, in Warsaw, old and wise Rabbi Steiner witnessed the growing threat of war on his people. In order to protect them, he enlisted his apprentice Ludwik and mustered all his faith and skills, perfected year after year, to create a golem that would drive away those who intended to cause harm. As Ludwik shaped earth, water and clay into a human statue, Steiner carved the letters of Truth in it and animated it. Alas, in the middle of the troubles, the rabbi was accidentally killed; left without a master, the golem went on a murderous rampage, as the killing machine he was supposed to be, sending to death both friends and enemies.

Such a creature couldn't be allowed to keep on existing; Ludwik, still young but talented, decided to take care of the problem. His magic was that of the True Names, and he knew how to destroy a golem, by wiping the aleph letter from its forehead. But Ludwik was also proud and arrogant, and when he finally came to face the creature, he realized he couldn't push himself to destroy such a fine work of magic. Through his mastery of the Art, he forced the golem into a restrained shape, putting an end to the massacre, and took the decision to use it for himself. As a new day dawned on the town, the mage put his hand on the forehead of the diminished golem, and bound him in a circle of power. "From now on, thy Name shall be Heylel" were the words he spoke.

Something unheard of had happened. A golem had been given a name, and by this action, the gift of speech came upon him, a gift normally marking only those blessed with a soul. His own magic was too different from that of his rebbe for Ludwik to realize this at first; however, the mage soon understood that what he had done was a mistake, and that the real nature of Heylel should never be discarded, lest he or someone else would have to destroy him.

So, meet Heylel. Decades of existence in an indestructible body have allowed it to make its way through the world of humans, and it can pass in appearance for one of them if it wishes so. It normally uses a more mundane name that changes every few years, since he's unable to reveal his True Name to anyone else than his Master (if you want to know why this name fascinates me so much, you can have a look at this page ). Its strength, resistance and shape-shifting abilities are its main gifts; it doesn't age, doesn't even have a heart, and is kept in check by the seal-bracelet on its left wrist, put in place by Ludvig on the day he bound this odd servant of his. The word on its forehead ("emeth"—"truth") is what marks it as an artificial creature, although the letters aleph - mem - tav don't appear when it puts on its "daily life" seeming (I feel like considering that they are in fact carved directly in what you could call its frontal bone, which means, of course, that its head is also its weak spot).

Heylel does have a conscience now, having awakened to it through his long decades of existence; but no matter what he does, he knows he will forever be subject to his own nature, and should the seal be broken, he would revert to the mindless creature he used to be...

Media: India ink on 125g paper, with watercolor pencils for a bit of shading and a couple of things touched up in Photoshop. It's been ages I haven't used traditional media from beginning to end of a drawing, and it felt pretty good.

Related pictures:
+ Ultima Ratio Regum
+ I Am Mage. Hear Me Roar