Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Characters #25


Merry Christmas... and here is the last for this Advent blog. 


Z is for Zurline 

 Zurline is the ruler of the Wood Nymphs. She and her subjects live in the Forest of  Burzee . Queen Zurline first appeared in  the  children's story classic, " The Life and  Adventures of Santa Claus" , first published in 1902 by L. Frank Baum and then later in the graphic novels and an animated version.  In this story,  Queen  Zurline was a member  of the  Council of the Immortals  which bestowed  immortality on  Santa Claus. . So, it is appropriate that  Zurline  completes the A-Z of Christmas celebrities as she and her colleagues were responsible for Santa Claus continuing to visit children on Christmas eve in the 21st century.... or at least, I think I have interpreted that correctly. 

The story  begins with baby Santa Claus being found in the Forest of Burzee. As he gets older, he learns about the world inhabited by humans, and when he becomes an adult, he can no longer stay in Burzee, but moves to Laughing Valley where he becomes known for making toys and being kind to children. It may come as no surprise there are gift exchanges, assistance from reindeer, stockings by fireplaces, gifts  left under near trees, journeys by night and chimney descents in this story.  It was when Santa Claus was 60 years old that the Council of Immortals met to decide the future of Santa Claus - and as they say the rest is history .... Santa Claus is immortal.  Thanks Zurline!
Queen Zurline in "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" 
And now this series is finally over, thank you for following this blog during Advent, and I hope you return to the blog each week for an update on various topics even when we are not in Christmas mode. It is now time to turn off your computers and devices and enjoy some precious time with your family and friends, or even quietly by yourself, celebrating the blessed peace and  joy of Christmas.
My very best wishes to one and all!  - Wilma




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Bilby Infatuation

  Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016  Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...
1 comment
Read more

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

 Background Information:  Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start  with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound  silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap.  2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...
8 comments
Read more

Non-Committal Collage Anything Goes

Have you heard of non-committal collage?   I hadn't until one of the other participants of the 100 Day Project started doing this each day and showing the results....  Here are  Peggy's  rules :  1. S elect 9 scraps of paper from  collage  box/stash  2. Make three  different compositions using each scrap at least once.  (some pieces can be used more than once)  3. Do not alter the scraps of paper in any way.  4.Do not use glue.  5.Take photo, disassemble and return scraps to box.   I thought this would be a fun and quick exercise to do for Tag Tuesday's theme , Anything Goes... so here are my "non-committal collage" tags....  Did you spot the nine pieces? Would  you like to suggest some titles?   And I repeated the exercise before putting back the 9 scraps of paper, so these are different items.  Hope you will try this exercise -  it is lots of...
1 comment
Read more