Pre-form © Mira Maria Belniak

Diablice / She-devils

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I was browsing through my folklore books one day, looking for references for one of my projects, reading old Polish tales. I got hooked by the illustrations. In these old books, illustrations are slightly primitivist and archaic, deeply symbolic, and warm from handcraft. For me: absolutely charming.

That day, I was in a particularly rebellious mood — bursting with a kind of good, confident female energy. I wanted to design a bit for practice, so I decided to make a folk logo for my girls and me. Folklore shows the meanings of things. Nothing there is random; everything is symbolic, going from and to somewhere. What could be a symbol of a strong woman, seen through the lens of folklore logic? How is a strong woman seen in a culture that prefers them obedient and thin? As a she-devil.

I started to draw: a woman’s face framed by flowing hair, elegant horns — not too big, not too small — a trident rising above, sharp, an omen taken straight from old Polish magic books. Expression: no apology.

Diablice is available for licensing or purchase.

Diablice © Mira Maria Belniak