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By David Hartwig
A set of eight stamps in a March 27 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail explores mythical creatures and legendary figures.
“The landscape of the United Kingdom resounds with folktales, myths and legends,” Royal Mail said in a press release. “Each region has its own unique stories, creating a tapestry of tales passed down over centuries that offers fascinating insights into the shared cultural imagination.”
The eight first-class stamps (currently £1.65) depict different mythical creatures and folklore characters and are presented in two se-tenant (side-by-side) strips of four.
The stamps in one strip show Beowulf and Grendel, Blodeuwedd, the Loch Ness Monster, and Cornish piskies. The stamps in the other strip feature Fionn mac Cumhaill, Black Shuck, a grindylow and a selkie.
The Old English poem Beowulf represents the entirety of England, as it is one of the most important works of British literature. The poem, composed between the 8th and 11th centuries, tells the story of Beowulf and his defeat of Grendel, which includes Beowulf tearing off the monster’s arm.
In the rivers and ponds of northern England’s Lancashire and Yorkshire, legend says that long-armed sprites called grindylows wait to drag children to their deaths. Some legends give specific identities to grindylows, such as Peg Powler from the River Tees. According to a presentation pack included with the issue, river foam has been referred to as Peg Powler’s suds or cream.
Moving to the eastern England region of East Anglia, a ghostly black dog called Black Shuck is said to wander the countryside foretelling death and destruction. A legend tells of the dog visiting Saint Mary’s Church in Bungay in 1577, where it killed two people before killing more people at Blythburgh’s Holy Trinity Church, where marks on the door, allegedly from the dog’s claws, can still be seen today.
Throughout the southwestern tip of England, the piskies of Cornwall are blamed for playing tricks on humans, including stealing and hiding household items and using lights to lure travelers away from paths in bogs and moorlands. The piskies in this stamp, with red pointed hats and green clothing, are dressed similarly to a pixie Royal Mail depicted on a 2009 stamp (Scott 2676) from a Mythical Creatures set.
In Wales, a myth explains how magicians used flowers to create a bride named Blodeuwedd for a man cursed to never have a human wife. However, Blodeuwedd falls in love with someone else, and they plot to kill the cursed man. Blodeuwedd is ultimately punished by being transformed into an owl.
Loch Ness is the large freshwater lake in Scotland that is home to one of the most famous legendary creatures in the world. Textual accounts of the Loch Ness Monster, a long-necked, humped beast, go back to texts over a thousand years old, with possible images of Nessie dating back thousands of years before that. Sonar explorations of the lake, which is more than 744 feet deep, have failed to locate the monster.
The islands of Orkney and Shetland north of Scotland are home to the mythical selkies, elusive sea creatures who take the form of seals in the water, but shed their seal skins to come ashore and take on human forms. Myths relate accounts of selkies engaging in affairs with humans but ultimately being unable to resist returning to the sea.
In Northern Ireland, a myth explains how Fionn mac Cumhaill outwitted a Scottish giant and built the Giant’s Causeway, a natural wonder on the north coast of Northern Ireland composed of interlocking and mostly hexagonal columns. The myth says that Fionn built the causeway all the way to Scotland, but upon seeing the giant, retreated back with the giant on his heels. Fionn’s wife then disguised him as a baby, and when the giant imagined how large the father of this baby might be, he fled back to Scotland and destroyed the causeway behind.
The stamps were illustrated by London-based Adam Simpson, whose work has been shortlisted for a British Design Award. Simpson previously illustrated Royal Mail’s 2011 Triathlon stamp (Scott 2924) in the Sports of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics set.
In a March 20 article titled “Royal Mail launches mythical creatures stamp collection” published by the BBC on its website, author Jessica Rawnsley provides insight on Simpson’s reaction to receiving the commission and his immersion into the world of myths and legends.
“I think it’s important to celebrate where these stories come from,” Rawnsley quotes Simpson as saying. “Each one is associated with a region, and each one has its own identity, and together they demonstrate our rich mythological heritage.”
The stamps were designed by Godfrey Design using Simpson’s illustrations. The stamps were printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography in sheets of 48 (two different sheets, one for each se-tenant strip), also available in panes of 24.
The stamps measure 35 millimeters on all four sides and are perforated gauge 14.5.
Official first-day covers for the stamp issue present all eight stamps in the set and come with one of two available postmarks. A postmark from Tallents House shows Black Shuck and the Loch Ness monster appears on a postmark from Drumnadrochit, Inverness, on the shore of the lake.
A presentation pack includes all eight stamps along with images, information on the origins of the myths and legends, as well as stories about them.
Other products offered with the stamp issue include a set of eight postcards featuring an enlargement of each stamp, as well as a framed version of all eight stamps.
The Myths and Legends stamps and related products can be ordered from Royal Mail’s website.
Ordering information also is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.
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