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The 8 stamps diagnostic mystical creatures and figures from UK folklore
Royal Mail has unveiled a acceptable of stamps featuring mythical creatures and fabled figures from UK folklore.
Designed by London-based creator Adam Simpson, the illustrations see the Loch Ness Monster, Cornish piskies, and Beowulf and Grendel.
The acceptable of 8 stamps and the stories each represents from antithetic regions crossed the UK "demonstrate our affluent mythological heritage", Simpson said.
They are disposable to pre-order from Thursday and spell connected merchantability connected 27 March.
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The Myths and Legends acceptable of stamps celebrates 'a fascinating facet of British civilization and custom,' Royal Mail said
Other stamps successful the Myths and Legends postulation picture Blodeuwedd of Welsh mythology, Irish heroic fig Fionn mac Cumhaill, the spectral hound of East Anglia, Black Shuck, selkies and a grindylow.
Grindylows are sprites with agelong arms that lurk successful rivers and ponds acceptable to snatch funny children successful folklore from Lancashire and Yorkshire, portion selkies are fabled creatures from Orkney and Shetland which shed their seal skins to instrumentality quality form.
Simpson, whose erstwhile enactment has been shortlisted for a British Design Award, said creating the stamps was a "privilege" and helium was "really happy" to person the commission.
"I deliberation it's important to observe wherever these stories travel from," helium said. "Each 1 is associated with a region, and each 1 has its ain identity, and unneurotic they show our affluent mythological heritage."
Simpson antecedently designed a Royal Mail stamp to observe the Triathlon astatine the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Illustrating stamps is challenging, helium said, due to the fact that "the creation needs to enactment astatine specified a tiny scale".
To represent the combat betwixt Beowulf and the monster Grendel, from the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, helium had to "figure retired however to person 2 figures successful a abstraction that works connected a tiny scale" and "wanted to suggest that Beowulf defeats Grendel by tearing disconnected his limb without the representation becoming disturbing".
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Grindylows are sprites that lurk successful rivers successful Lancashire and Yorkshire waiting to drawback funny children
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Fionn mac Cumhaill, of Northern Ireland folklore, built the Giant's Causeway, outwitting a Scottish giant
Simpson said the task became a "real labour of love" and took much than a twelvemonth to complete, with the illustrations evolving implicit time.
"It gave maine the accidental to beryllium afloat immersed successful the satellite of these myths and legends. I anticipation that the stamps either commencement conversations oregon invitation radical to analyse the stories if they're not acquainted with them."
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In folklore, Cornish piskies bargain household items and pb travellers astray with their winking lights
David Gold, manager of outer affairs and argumentation astatine Royal Mail, said: "For immoderate parts of the UK, section myths and legends are arsenic overmuch a portion of their individuality arsenic the section landmarks and architecture.
"These beautifully illustrated stamps observe a fascinating facet of British civilization and custom."
The Royal Mail's Special Stamp programme commemorates anniversaries and aspects of UK past and culture, with the archetypal commemorative stamp issued successful 1924 to people the opening of the British Empire Exhibition.
Previous collections person celebrated the diverseness of the UK's wildlife, The Vicar of Dibley, and Paddington Bear.
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