Title: The Empress
Artist: soramame_kun
Type: Art
Main character or Pairing: Narcissa Malfoy
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: This is fan art. The original Harry Potter is the property of Bloomsbury and JK Rowling.
Warnings: none (a first for any of my pieces!)
Summary: This is my first piece of fan art after a year. I have gone into semi-retirement since my son was born last July as I have not enough time these days as a young mother! Please please forgive the lower standard of my work than previously as I am horribly out of practice. I enjoyed doing this though, it made me all nostlagic for my days in HP Fandom. The card interpretation is under the cut as I prefer you to form your own interpretaion of it first before reading how I interpreted it.
Cards Drawn: The Empress
Card Interpretation: The Empress is a creator of all things. She is the fertile womb where all things gestate and grow till they are ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her. She can smother, be possessive and jealous and her children can suffer from being over-protected as well as neglected. She is usually depicted with wheat as a symbol of abundance as well as a crown of stars.
Preview:
Artist Notes: I chose to depict Narcissa Malfoy as The Empress as I think she is the character that best shows the dual nature of the card. She is a fierce, proud, ruthless woman yet when it comes to her son Draco, we know that she is love personified and would go to terrifying lengths to protect him - even from Voldemort, her own master. Her mask is shed here at her feet, as her deatheater nature takes a back-seat to her instinct to mother her child as she breastfeeds baby Draco. Her husband Lucius looks on, but unlike Narcissa, he never truly abandons his deatheater allegiance and his mask is only half off. Voldemort holds her tightly in his grip, but Narcissa does not seem to care or notice at this happiest time in her life.
(...and yes, I am still breastfeeding my toddler and I say a big hello! to any La Leche League/ BMSG members out there...)