If you have been following my work for a while, you will know that Carl Larsson’s The Witch’s Daughter (1866) has long lingered in my mind. As a painting that strays from the warmth of Larsson’s domestic idylls into something far more spectral, I am continually intrigued by the sense of being bound to something older and darker than oneself. In my post last year, I focused on the complicated aspects of inheritance the painting evokes – the weight of history and femininity attributed to the subject matter. It may appear strange to some, but I can safely say this painting is among my favourites.
This poem grew from my fascination with The Witch’s Daughter – a meditation on lineage and the inescapable pull of legacy experienced by Larsson’s subject matter amidst the mysticism and suspicion surrounding witchcraft. Larsson’s witch’s daughter is a vessel through which I explore these themes. This piece feels apt to share as October unfolds: autumn deepens, the nights draw in and Halloween approaches. I hope you enjoy joining me in this poem.
The Witch’s Daughter
Blood runs thicker than water.
Barefoot vulnerability in the face of mortality.
Her conscience claws at her flesh,
Wounds her from behind.
Listen - a gentle purr reverberates,
The only company to suffice.
She can’t hold on to the weight of history.
But she knows you,
Better than you do.
Look - she shares her burden with you.
In her mother’s shadow,
With any plight to escape,
One need not deny -
Blood runs thicker than water.
She fills the void with her gaze,
Through the yellowing haze
Of molten wax candlelight -
Of mystery,
Of legacy.
She captures you.
I told you - she knows you.
But you’ll never read her thoughts,
Or speak her words,
Or share in her history.
She’ll entice you with her mysticism,
And bind you with her spell.
But she wants you to save her -
To enter the void,
And reach the other,
To break through the drifting haze
Into the unfamiliar -
The tales of folklore,
The depths of sin in the garden of innocence.
Who owns you?
What binds you, and compels you?
You think you know that, don’t you.
No need -
She’ll answer that for you.
Logan Darkwoods 