Pyewacket the witch's Imp

This little fella appeared during the 2020 Lockdown. He started as what my wife would describe as a "nice" sculpture (in other words a pretty face rather than my usual Gothic style) but he slowly metamorphosed into the handsome chap you see in the photo (sorry Dear, maybe the next one).

Pyewacket was known to be the familiar spirit of a witch burned at the stake by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins in March 1644 in the town of Manningtree, Essex, England. He could also take the form of a black cat if he needed to.

The design in his beard indicates that he was known to the Celts and probably a very ancient spirit even before them.

Imps are often described as mischievous rather than seriously threatening, they certainly have a strange sense of humour but are totally loyal to their chosen witch. They are thought by some experts to be the spritual echoes of the forgotten nature gods of the original inhabitants of Britain, thousands of years ago.