The Vore Tullye: The Sea Mither vs Teran

This cartoon was created to accompany The Orkney News article in the February 2018 edition of iScot Magazine. Fiona Grahame’s article addresses the feeling of island life in Orkney in February, when the short, dark, stormy days of Winter show signs of coming to an end.

Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May are here depicted as primal nature spirits locked in a never-ending battle. This is based on the story of the Vore Tullye, a fairly obscure legend from the folklore of the Northern Isles of Scotland. A chaotic, thrashing monster seemed like appropriate imagery with to describe the callous, incompetent British Prime Minister. In contrast, the composed and compassionate Scottish First Minister seems like a force for sanity and reason.

For further information and recommended reading on the folklore that inspired this drawing, please see the following blog post: https://martinlaird.scot/art/cartoons/vore-tullye/