12 Demons Day 10: He-who-must-not-be-named

In which I accidentally invoke a Scottish curse…

Hello, dear readers! I know I’m late in sharing this with you, but I’ll get into that in a moment. Before I say anything else, here is perhaps the most cursed comic I’ve ever drawn:

If you follow me on instagram, you’ll know that I posted this comic almost an entire week ago. When I create new comics, I usually post the comic there, then post it again here with more background history and commentary a few hours later. It takes me about that long to compile all my notes, add links, images, etc.

But, about an hour after posting this comic on instagram, I was flat on my back with one of the worst fever-headache combos I’ve ever had in my life. Fearing COVID, I locked myself in my room, crawled into bed, and scarcely left it since last Wednesday (except to get tested for COVID—3x now, all negative).

The good news is, I’m on the mend. I’m sitting upright, I’m eating toast, and I’m catching up on all my messages from the past week. I knew I still needed to post this comic, so I pulled up all the material and started to get into it. That’s when I realized:

This is the demon that, if you even say its name, will curse you with devastating illness.

I’ve been sick for a week and I have ONLY MYSELF TO BLAME.

(kidding… but, proceed with caution, I guess… maybe pass some incense over your phone after reading—smudge your laptop, idk. Put those crystals you bought on Etsy to work).

Now, if you’re still interested, I’ll talk some more about this plague-bringing demon.

The name of this demon actually stems from a regional word, knoggelvi, which translates to “Devil of the Sea.” It’s unclear where this grisly hobgoblin got its unique form, but it most likely evolved from earlier Celtic myths about malevolent water-dwelling horses. There have been stories of half-horse, half-fish creatures that dwell in the sea in many places throughout the Western world, and this demon may be an evil evolution of those mythic beings.

I actually think that this demon is… cute? In a deranged sort of way? The oversized arms, the goofy single eye, the big ol’ floppy baby head, the fact that he inexplicably has no skin.. come on! He’s endearing! Even if he looks like a secret government cloning experiment gone wrong, I kind of love him. I mean, he’s probably wondering why he exists, too.

I also love the whole legend itself, which probably served as an embodiment of the Orkney people’s fears—that illness and misfortune could strike at the most vulnerable time of year, wintertime. Such misfortune could leave them without the resources to survive the rest of the season. The idea that moving water could drive it away might be because moving water is related to both cleanliness and good health. That’s probably why I like this legend so much—it shows that even before things like germ theory existed, humans told themselves stories about how to avoid pestilence and plague.

Unlike us, they also had disembodied demons to blame for their misfortunes, which prevented them from turning on each other. I’m not going to moralize on that, but I do want to say that the way we survive is by being part of a village, and by sharing stories about all the evils that exist out there in the dark, open sea, and by taking care of one another.

I feel so lucky to be part of so many wonderful villages, including this one. It’s a relief to be able to step away from my comic for a bit to rest up and not feel like a slave to some algorithm—so thank you for being here, for reading and supporting and doing everything that you do.

With rising numbers and filling hospitals, I hope things are not too terrifying, wherever your village may be. But most of all, I hope that if you’re isolating or isolated, know that if no other village will have you, mine is always open. 🖤

Much love,

🐴Becca Lee, the Haunted Librarian🐴