TRAVEL LIGHT

Published in 1952, Naomi Mitchison’s Travel Light, follows Halla, a girl raised by bears and dragons atop the mountains in Finmark, as she journeys far afield to the golden city of Byzantium.

This project visualises Mitchison’s rich and mystical imagination, intertwining the magic and myth of beasts and gods, with the ways in which the 6th century world was defining the dangerous relationship of power and faith.

This work was hand bound into a hard back artbook

ODIN

The god that propels Halla onto her wandering journey, he encourages her to ‘travel light’, to leave behind the dragonish behaviour of hoarding treasures in the dark.

He and the Valkyries under his command are collecting fallen heroes for the distant, fated battle of Ragnarok.

HALLA

Raised by bears and dragons in the wilds of Finnmark, she inherits the desire for treasures and small magics. After becoming separated from this life, she ‘travels light’ in a cloak given to her by Odin.

Forgetting the need for gold and hoarding, she offers solace for the creatures and people she meets along her journey.

RODDIN

Of Scythian descent in an increasingly Christian world, he and his two companions travel from the province of Marob to appeal to the Emperor, in hopes of removing their corrupt governor. A paternal and protective figure to both Halla and his familial community he is appealing to the Emperor for.

Roddin talking with Halla about the shells on his cloak

THE VALKYIE AND THE CREATURES

Through the narrative, Halla encounters a range of creatures, mostly from Norse mythology.

Steinvor the Valkyrie appears atop a winged horse, and reappears to Halla at important intervals in the story. Her design was influenced not only by Norse artifacts and fashion, but also had elements similar to the established design of Odin, as she is a mystical being under his command. She therefore had to be stylistically distinct from other characters existing in the Byzantine era and territories.

ENVIRONMENT

The woodland where Halla meets Odin and palace, where the Marob men appeal to Emperor, are crucial settings within the narrative. The lighting, atmosphere and details were very important in revealing the purpose of the scene, but also the nature of Odin and the Emperor, as these environments are where we see them first interact with Halla.