Sign in

Victoria Clough

@ladyvictoriart.bsky.social
1K followers 86 following 113 posts

Historian and Artist ladyvictori.art

PostsRepliesMedia
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fire-eyed Bellona makes her home on the death-soaked fields of smokey war. Eternally drenched in gore and filth she moves through the battlefield with her blood-drenched whip, cutting down men as a butcher cuts through meat.
Bellona, the Roman goddess of the brutal aspects of war stands on a pile of corpses wearing Mycenaean Greek armour. She wears a torn cloak and a cape of fur. Her lower half is that of a wolf standing on its hind legs and she has spears and swords poking out of her back. A war trumpet is wrapped around her torso, embedding itself in her neck. The front of her helmet resembles the end of a gun.
0177
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Pesadiellu is one of many frightening beings said to cause nightmares. This creature is said to press down on its victims chest, suffocating them in their sleep.
A man sleeps while a strange creature floats atop him, pressing his hands deep into the mans chest. The creature has a human skull for a head, rows of horns down its back, monkeys feet, and wears a flower crown. Surrounding the creature are small ghosts, fairies playing bagpipes (specifically the Gaita Asturiana), little winged serpents (Cuelebre), and sea bunnies. The image is captioned: "The pesadiellu stood atop its victim and pressed 'til their breath was gone"
210931
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“I forgive you everything, Lord,” she whispered. And she slid her hands inside him. The Emperor of the Nine Houses came apart, layer by layer. [Private commission]
Scene from Harrow the Ninth. Mercymorn puts her hands inside the body of Emperor John Gaius and turns his body into dust.
0282
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
The Llavanderes live in caves and hollow tree trunks and wash the blood-stained clothes of the dead. Some say they wash the clothes of the newly dead, others that they prepare the burial shrouds of those about to die, and others still say they drown those who refuse to aid them in their work.
A group of three washerwomen with scarves covering their heads wash blood-stained clothes on the banks of a river. They have long limbs and only their beady glowing eyes can be seen underneath their headscarves. In the background, three bodies hang from a bridge that goes across the river.
212826
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Every hundred years a kite will lay a red egg from which hatches a black and white bird. When it dies, a green worm emerges from its body and grows into the fearsome Rooster of Death. Anyone who hears the call of this Rooster will die the following day unless they can find a mysterious blue herb.
A black Rooster with white spots stands on a stone covered with metal helmets from different time periods. In the background a disembodied hand holds a bunch of herbs.
05420
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Diañu Saltón, the jumping devil, appears to weary travelers in the form of a white horse. It deceives you by offering to carry you on its back and give your tired legs a break. Once you’re on its back, however, it will bolt towards the nearest cliff and jump off, killing you both
An exhausted man walks along a mountain path. A gaunt, pale horse with cloven hooves steps out in front of him. In the background the Picos de Europa mountain range can be seen.
211034
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The Sumiciu is a peculiar house-spirit from Asturias. These ravenous creatures are often blamed for the disappearance of household items and are known to swallow and disappear whatever they get their hands on. With an all-consuming void for a mouth they eat and eat and are never sated.
A large, slightly transparent, worm-like monster crawls through a doorway into a medieval-looking stone kitchen. It has patchy wisps of hair running down its back, a single, shadowy eye, and a large circular mouth. With its many spindly, branch-like arms, it reaches around for things to eat.
7523123
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Round the sacred yew trees in the great wilds of Asturias, Lord Busgosu, the great spirit of the forest, leads the fay-folk in their night-time revelry. The satyr-like deity protects the forest-people from any humans who find themselves lost in Cantabria's sacred woods, guiding them safely home.
Busgosu leads an assortment of forest creatures around a large yew tree, decorated with glowing baubles and flags. Busgosu has a large beard, pointed ears, goat legs, Rams horns, deer antlers, and is waving a tambourine in the air. Among the forest creatures is a large troll-like creature, a fox, a head with legs and a stubby tail, a humanoid rat-thing blowing a horn made from birds heads, a snake with a rams head, a flying bell, some fairies, and 3 one-eyed elven creatures with pointed hats and a head cloaked by a hood.
010425
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Thank you for all the love for this piece. If you're at all curious about the references I used for this piece, where I drew my inspiration, and the research involved, I just posted a short writeup on my patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/inspir...
patreon.com
Inspiration for The Xana and her Xaninos | Victoria Clough
Get more from Victoria Clough on Patreon
0101
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
In Asturias, xanas dwell in hidden caves near waterfalls and springs. Her cave is filled with the treasures of the old moros, giants who once ruled Asturias. The xana gives birth to young spirits called xaninos. When one is born, she wanders from her cave, seeking an infant to swap with her own.
A Xana sits nude in a cave behind a waterfall. She has long, wavy blonde hair that glistens and she has a long tattoo of a Cuelebre/Dragon on her leg. On her knee she cradles a Xanino, a bald, featureless and sexless infant. The cave is filled with treasures including a large helmet styled to look like an ant-head, a sword with a hilt like a dragons head, gold coins, and a skull-headed winged idol.
117032
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Dionysus traveled deep into the depths of Hades with the aim of resurrecting the playwright Euripides. Charon aided him by ferrying him part of the way, but as they neared the shore they were swarmed by the great frogs of Hades. Their cry of "Brekekekex-koax-koax" greatly irritated Dionysus.
Dionysus, wearing a lions pelt, is ferried through a valley by Charon, whose head resembles a bunch of sticks. Frogs of varying size, though all giant, and with large, glowing white eyes, swarm the boat. A large statue of Persephone looms in shadow in the far distance. Beneath the image the caption reads "Dionysus and Charon ferried through the valley of Frogs", written with a mix of Latin and runic characters.
0375
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The Carrot Hunt
A Rabbit rides a giant snail and hunts giant carrots with legs
03913
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
The Amazing Digital Circus X Phantom Thread (commission for my buddy Maddy) #funnybunny #tadc #theamazingdigitalcircus
Pomni and Jax from The Amazing Digital circus sit at a table. Jax is eating a plate of poisonous mushrooms. Pomni says "I want you flat on your back. Helpless, tender, open with only me to help"A close up of Jax's face looking surprised and pleading. Pomni continues "And then I want you strong again. You're not going to die. You might with you were going to die, but you're not going to. You need to settle down a little"Jax excitedly places his hands on the table and says "Kiss me, PomPom, before I'm sick"
2133
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Polyphemus dwelt on the far-off island of the cyclops. He is best known for his confrontation with King Odysseus who, with his men, ransacked Polyphemus' food-stores. Polyphemus trapped them in his cave but Odysseus tricked him by getting him black-out drunk before blinding him with a wooden stake.
A large cyclops kneels among brick ruins. He holds a shepherds crook and has a lyre hanging from a rope around his chest. His eye is covered by a bloody blindfold.
0277
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
When Peleus and the Thetis were married, they threw a lavish wedding to which all the gods were invited except Eris. In anger, she crafted a golden apple on which was inscribed "For the fairest" and threw it among the guests, and so she set in motion the events that would lead to the fall of Ilium.
Eris, a winged goddess with long black hair, a checkered dress, and pointed shoes, stands on a tree branch with a view of Troy. She holds a shiny golden apple by the stem
0257
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Modwen, an Irish noblewoman by birth, traveled to England and became a Nun. Among her many miraculous deeds, she is said to have tamed a ferocious wolf who was terrorizing a local village and devouring her cattle. Following her intervention, the wolf would instead protect the cattle.
A young nun sits in a forest clearing, surrounded by bluebells. She places her hand on a large wolf while a cow steps out from behind a tree.
0216
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Isaiah, a prophet of the Lord Yahweh received a vision from his god of a host of Seraphim, the great six-winged "burning ones" who served the Lord. One of the Seraphim flew down to him, touched his mouth, and cleansed him of his sins.
Black and white ink drawing of a scene from the Book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah stands on a forested hill and shields his eyes from bright light emanating from a seraph. The Seraph has the form of a giant flying snake with six wings.
0133
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
The great witch of the Thrice Ninth-Tsardom, the dreadful Baba Yaga of the bony-leg lives in the enchanted forest in her chicken-legged hut. She flies around in a giant mortar which she steers with a giant pestle and decorates the forest with the heads of her victims.
Baba Yaga, a skeletal witch with a single skeleton leg stands in a forest. She holds a decaying head and has a giant mortar and pestle on her back. Far in the background, a hut with giant chicken legs wanders through the forest.
0184
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Hans Trapp is a frightful being said to emerge on Christmas to terrorize misbehaving children. He was once a proud Knight named Hans von Trotha who turned to foul magic and cannibalism. As punishment, God transformed him into a scarecrow and cursed him to eternally wander the Palatinate woods.
A decrepid, skeletal figure rests in a snowy wood. He is draped in rags and holds a rusted sword. Behind him, the skulls of his victims are buried in a layer of snow.
06516
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Little Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden, lived in the forest with Father Frost and the fairy-folk. She went to the village to play with the human girls at jumping over a small fire, as is custom on St. Johns Day, but when Snegurochka's turn came she turned into steam and became a small cloud.
A little girl made of snow with twigs for hair walks away from her home in a snowy forest. Father Frost watches her leave while an assortment of Gnomes see her off.
071
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
I just posted a breakdown of my inspiration for this piece over on my patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/inspir... If you're at all interested, please consider donating. I'm trying to take this art stuff a bit more seriously in the coming year and hopefully build up a regular income.
patreon.com
The inspiration for The Thrice-Ninth Tsardom | Victoria Clough
Get more from Victoria Clough on Patreon
061
Reposted by Victoria Clough
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
The faraway Thrice-Ninth Tsardom is a magical place cut off from the world of man. Home to firebirds, great dragons, and myriad other mystical beasts, this other-world can be accessed by a number of means. Some find a path to it in an underground cave whilst others find it at the bottom of a lake.
A young woman in medieval slavic dress gazes at the reflection in a pond. In the reflection she sees a regal procession of fantastical elf-like people with pointed ears. At the center of the procession a young woman sits on a large horse with smoke billowing from its nostrils. A small dragon and a cloaked bear walk alongside them while a firebird flies overhead.
03612
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
The faraway Thrice-Ninth Tsardom is a magical place cut off from the world of man. Home to firebirds, great dragons, and myriad other mystical beasts, this other-world can be accessed by a number of means. Some find a path to it in an underground cave whilst others find it at the bottom of a lake.
A young woman in medieval slavic dress gazes at the reflection in a pond. In the reflection she sees a regal procession of fantastical elf-like people with pointed ears. At the center of the procession a young woman sits on a large horse with smoke billowing from its nostrils. A small dragon and a cloaked bear walk alongside them while a firebird flies overhead.
03612
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I just posted a breakdown of this piece to my patreon. If you're at all interested in the story behind this piece, the visual references I drew upon, or just want to support me, please consider checking it out: www.patreon.com/posts/inspir...
patreon.com
The inspiration for Finist the Falcon | Victoria Clough
Get more from Victoria Clough on Patreon
0102
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
A young merchants daughter asked her father to gift her the feather of Finist the Falcon; a magical feather which brought the man-falcon to her, and the pair fell in love. The girl's elder sisters grew jealous of her. They placed knives in her window so that when he flew to meet her, he would be cut
A woman in medieval slavic dress and a large, domineering falcon-man gaze longingly at one another, about to embrace. the falcon man is bleeding and the woman holds a feather and cries.
03717
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
The great old man Frost or 'Father Frost', lived in the snow-blanketed forests with the other fantastical fairy-folk. To those lost in the forest he could be a kindly presence, offering blankets and warmth, or he could be cold, leaving wayward travelers to the mercy of the frost.
A large santa-clause-looking elderly man with long white hair and a wool coat drapes a blanket over a young girl in a clearing in a snowy forest. An assortment of fairy-folk with long beards and pointy hats walk behind them
0174
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Sivko-Burko was a magical wild stallion from Slavic-speaking lands said to be able to shoot fire from his nostrils. A great many fantastic deeds are attributed to him and those he saw worthy of harnessing him.
In the foreground a large, imposing horse rests in a forest. White smoke billows from his nostrils. In a clearing behind him, an assortment of odd-looking fantasy creatures stroll past. They are draped in long hair and long beards. A fox riding a wolf is among them. behind them follows a small winged snake.
1156
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
The Frog Princess was a powerful sorceress who used a giant frog's skin to transform herself into a Frog. Tales tell of how she was wed to Prince Ivan and made great use of her skills in magic to win over her husband. Some say that she was cursed to use the skin by Koshchei the deathless.
A black and white ink drawing of a woman trudging through a swamp. She has very long long curly hair and the skin of a giant frog draped over her like a cloak
012829
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
The fearsome and tyrannical Sea Tsar dwelt in his oceanic palace in ages long past. Many tales are told of his conflict with the sorceress Vasilisa the wise, said by some to be the Sea-Tsars daughter. #russianfolktales #slavicmythology #traditionalart
0247
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
In the faraway land of Lukomorye lived the powerful sorcerer Koshchei. He was called 'Deathless' for he was known to have granted himself a kind of immortality by trapping his death within an egg which he hid away. Should the egg ever be found and destroyed, however, he would instantly die.
0299
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Creature design commission for @dalilu.bsky.social
15410
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Ivan "the bears son" was a peculiar hybrid boy born of a human mother and a bear father. Because of his parentage, he displayed a superhuman strength which often got him into trouble. #russianfolklore #fantasyart #fairytale #inkart
0144
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Have you ever known a man who was usually right-minded but who suddenly became a lecherous drunk? He may have been under the influence of Little Master Misery. Little Misery sits on men's shoulders and drives them to indulge in self destructive vices, drawing out the darkness within them.
13010
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Leshy is an elusive forest spirit, told of in Russian folklore. This wild man of the woods was once revered and feared as a powerful deity by the pre-Christian Slavs, but now lives in obscurity. He shuns humankind and is seen little, but is not known to be cruel to the few who encounter him.
0175
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
The anchoress Christina, though born to a wealthy family, rejected a life of luxury and hid herself away in a cell attached to a church in Markyate. She had frequent visions of Mary,, to whom she was devoted and who in turn protected her when her cell was attacked by toads and lesser demons.
15310
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Ragnar Loðbrok, the fierce viking king and slayer of dragons, sought in his old age to bring all of England under his dominion. His aims were thwarted, however, by the forces of King Ælla of Northumbria who captured the old, hairy-breeched King and threw him into a pit of snakes. #norsemythology
0205
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Satan, the arch-fiend ruler of Hell, was worshiped in secret by small sects of Witches. He was said to grant witches great arcane power with which they could wreck havoc on whomsoever they chose. #folkhorror #fantasyart #inkart #traditionalart
0234
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Incubi are a type of demonic being who seek to seduce and impregnate mortals. Witches are often accused of seeking out Incubi as a part of their Satanic rites and such accusations are common during instances of paranoid witch-hunting mania. #folkhorror #inkdrawing #traditionalart #fantasyart
0267
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Followers of Cthulhu gather, even now, in hidden, tucked away spaces. They move under the guidance of erratic and unpredictable priests who have fused their minds and bodies with the lesser spawn of their great dreaming god. #cthulhumythos #fantasyart #inkart #traditionalart
05010
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Ymir was a primordial giant who lived many ages ago and from whose body the landscape was formed. The dwarves are known to have been given life from the blood of Ymir, and so many make a journey to visit what remains of the great old ones body #norsemyth #folkhorror #mythology #inkart
0377
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
The term 'Hulder' refers to a strange type of forest creature who is said to seduce humans. Stories are told of them luring men and women alike to come live with them amongst the fairies and hidden folk of the forest, never again to be seen by another human. #folkhorror #scandinavianmythology
0204
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
The mysterious 'Hidden people', also called Huldufolk, are a race of strange beings said to live alongside humans but who choose to remain mostly invisible to them. They are sometimes said to steal human children, hiding them away to live among the hidden folk. #icelandicfolklore #folkhorror
0164
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
'Sendings' are a type of magical slave popular among wizards of a particularly morbid disposition. They are formed from the bone of a dead person; one bone per sending. They must carry out their masters bidding but can be killed if a blade is wedged in their bone. #scandinavianfolklore #folkhorror
0235
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
The Hel-Horse, also called 'Helhest', is a ghostly three-legged horse sometimes seen limping around church-yards. Some say it is the spirit of a horse that was buried alive when the church was first built, thought to be a common practice in the days of old. #inkart #tradart #folklore #folkhorror
0469
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Whilst preparing for war with Troy, King Agamemnon kills a deer in a sacred grove of Artemis, prompting her to send harsh winds, trapping his ships. To appease her, Agamemnon is commanded to sacrifice his eldest daughter Iphigenia. In some tales she is killed, but in others she is saved by Artemis.
1236
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
The wandering Odin sought out the Volva, a great prophetess, who related to the all-father the story of the world; the rising of earth from Ginnungagap, its formation from the body of primordial Ymir, and its submersion at the end of Ragnarok. #norsemythology #fantasyart #inkdrawing #tradart
1284
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
The Four-headed heavenly creature was witnessed by Ezekiel, a prophet and priest of ancient Israel. Ezekiel saw the creature, with the heads of a lion, human, ox, and eagle, stand beside the heavenly chariot of Yahweh. #biblicalart #inkart #traditionalart #fantasyart #ancientmyth
1233
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Just posted 5 new pieces over on my patreon, all inspired by scandinavian folklore www.patreon.com/posts/128018...
patreon.com
Scandinavian folklore | Victoria Clough
Get more from Victoria Clough on Patreon
010
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Gawain, the nephew of King Arthur, accepted a challenge from the Green Knight, who dares him to deal any blow on the condition that in a year and a day, the Green Knight may deal Gawain the same blow. Gawain decapitates the Green Knight, who survives and commands Gawain to seek him out in a year.
04010
Victoria Clough @ladyvictoriart.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
In parts of Scandinavia it is said that if a woman murders or exposes an unwanted child, that child will become a Myling. These small phantoms are forced to roam the wilds, wailing in anguish at their mothers crime. #scandinavianfolklore #inkdrawing #traditionalart #horrorart
0246