A is for ... Alderley Edge

The area of Alderley Edge in Cheshire, England, is steeped in anchient myths and folklore.

This part of England is said to be the home to King Arthur and his men, who are thought to be sleeping under the sandstone cliffs.
It also has strong links with the wizard Merlin.

The legend of Alderley Edge tells of a farmer who was on his way to market with the aim of selling his horse.
As the farmer passed the sandstone cliffs that make up Alderley Edge, he came across an old man with a long white beard who was wearing strange, dated clothes. The old man asked to buy the farmers horse, but he refused as he was sure he would be able to get a better price if he sold the horse at market
Once the farmer reached the market, however, not a single offer was made on his horse so, feeling rather sorry for himself, he set off back home.
The old man appeared to him again and asked if he could buy the farmers horse. This time the farmer agreed and the old man asked him to follow him through some trees. 
The pair came to the foot of the sandstone cliffs and the old man touched the rock with his staff.
There was a deafening rumble as the rock parted to reveal a huge, dark cavern.
The old man told the farmer not to be afraid and asked him to follow him inside.
Once the farmer's eye adjusted to the dark he was amazed to see that the cavern was full of hundreds of warriors all in a deep sleep, each with their own horse asleep next to them.
The farmer suddenly realised that the old man must, in fact, be a powerful wizard.
The wizard explained to him that all the sleeping warriors were ready to awake and fight for their country, should they ever be needed. He then led the farmer further into the cavern and showed him a large pile of jewels and gold, telling him to take as much as he wanted as payment for his horse.
The farmer picked up handfuls of gold and coins and filled up his pockets to bursting. He then walked back outside and, feeling overwhelmed, took off running for home. 
The cavern closed behind him with a thud and was never seen again.

In the area where this magical tale takes place there is a well. And near this well there is the face of a man carved into the rock, above an inscription which reads:

"Drink of this and take thy fill, For the water falls by the wizard's will"

The date and origin of this carving is unknown.

Could it be one of the sleeping warriors, keeping watch over the land?
Or maybe it's the mysterious wizard himself? 

Arthur Rackham On My Arm.

I adore tattoos. Anything that can turn you into a walking piece of artwork gets an A+ in my book.

At the moment I have one tattoo on my right wrist  (a swirly-twirly pattern of sorts) which I had done when I turned 18. I like that its in an obvious place where it can be seen constantly, not hidden away to be pulled out occasionally and shown to friends. I don't like tattoos that can't be seen, I don't really get the point of them. Yes, I understand that some people can't have tattoos on show due to work, and it makes me feel extremely luck that I don't have to worry about such things in my job.

I've known now for a good few years that I want my next tattoo to be on my other wrist, but I only got around to planning it just last week. I had a general idea that I wanted it to be based around fairytale and folklore so I dove into some research and image-hunting with that in mind. After a few hours of manic image saving, I resurfaced from the sea of google with a folder rammed full of Arthur Rackham illustrations and not a whole lot else.

"Right....an Arthur Rackham style tattoo it is then!" I thought triumphantly.
"And lets make it a full forearm half sleeve while we're at it!" - I was obviously mad-drunk on fairy tale imagery.

My favourite Arthur Rackham illustration.
This mermaid riding a fish will be featuring in my half-sleeve.

So, after a mad battle with my printer, off I went to visit my tattoo-man armed with a precarious pile of picture print-outs. I'm not the best at explaining ideas and whats in my head, but he just totally got it. Straight away. We talked for ages about trees and nature, what fairy tales I wanted featured in it and how the pieces would work together and combine. He's drawing up a sketch for me, which should be ready to look at sometime next week. Let just say 'excited' doesn't even come close to how I feel about it all.

Its going to feature a whole mash of fairytale goodness and delight, but some of the things which will definitely be in it are - lots of trees and branches (of course), a dragon, a mermaid (see above), little red riding hood and the wolf, playing cards, mushrooms and a teapot. All in the style of the wonderful Arthur Rackham. I'm so anxious to see what else he comes up with and how it all looks together! I can barely contain my excitement! I have no idea how I'm supposed to wait a week!

In the meantime I plan to placate myself with some research into the folklore and traditions surrounding tattoos. I want to find out about the meanings and superstitions behind them, who got them and why. I'll post my findings here - I just know its going to be delightfully interesting!

I'll keep updating as things about my own tattoo adventure as it progresses, and hopefully it wont be too long before I have some lovely new art on my arm.

Happy Adventuring xx