Soldier & Death - Fav Photos 2021

the Soldier and Death

I've always loved Jim Henson's Storyteller series, so way back in the early nineties I made several sculpted dolls depicting some of my favourite characters; Sapsorrow, the Princess from the Three Ravens, the Storyteller himself, and then my sister and I worked together to recreate the scene from the Soldier and Death where the soldier is playing cards with thirteen little devils.

I still have the Storyteller and the piece with the devils, and wondered if it would work to replace the Soldier with one of my FIDs. After all they are the same size. So I chose Lawrence to play the role of the Soldier. I set up a 'haunted palace interior', and started taking photos. They turned out so well, that I impressed even myself. Then one thing led to another and I decided to use my Storyteller as well, to introduce the scenes with the Soldier defeating the devils, and to finish the story of the Soldier and Death....

By the Fire

The old Storyteller was sitting by the fire with his dog....

"What's in the sack?"

"Just a couple of old biscuits...."

"...but I need them for my story...."

"It's the story of a Russian soldier, down on his luck, heading home from the wars, with just a farthing in his pocket, and three biscuits to his name. When he comes across an old beggar he shares a biscuit with him...

"Then he meets another old beggar and gives him a biscuit as well...."

"...and finally a third beggar...and gives him the last of his three biscuits."

"The Soldier is rewarded for his kindness with a ruby whistle, a special sack which can force anything inside....and a deck of lucky cards that guarantee he will win every game he plays."

"When he learns of the Czar's palace that is haunted by devils who play cards all night and have never been defeated..."

"...the Soldier goes to the palace to deal with the devils...."

Waiting

"All the palace windows were smashed, and inside it was a ruin.."

"It was dark and dirty, and everything was covered with cobwebs.....

"But the Soldier was determined to deal with the devils...."

"...and sat down to wait for them to arrive."

"The hours crawled by...."

"Then the clock struck midnight..."

".....and there was a great rustling and flurry of wings, as the devils suddenly arrived.
'We have a visitor!'"

the Stakes

"The Soldier was surrounded by devils but remained unfazed.....
'Hello.....
I hear you like a game of cards.'

'Yes we do!!' 'Then what shall we play for?'

'Your soul!'

'I want his whistle!' 'And I want his teeth! I collect teeth.'

'And what will YOU stake?'

'We have thirty barrels of gold. Any good?'

'Very good.... Let's play then.'

the Game

"The Soldier shuffled his deck of cards, and dealt them...."

"The devils laid out one winning hand after another...."

"...but the Soldier had the perfect hand...and won...."

"...then he dealt again...."

"...and won ...again...."

'Hey, let me see those!'

'Is he cheating?'

'Well I am, and I'm still losing!'

'Me too!'

'The Soldier dealt again....'

'....and again...'

'...and won every game.'

Cheating

'The devils cheated to high Heaven and low Hell...'

"They tried to get a look at the Soldier's hand..."

"...and passed the cards to each other behind their backs...."

"....while the Soldier just whistled and won...."

"....every game...."

Sore Losers

"They played all through the night..."

"...game after game..."

"...until the Soldier had won every last barrel of their gold..."

'Well....let's call it a day!'

'No! Let's call it a BREAKFAST, and you the meal!!'

'First be sure who eats who!'

'Do you know what this is?'

'It's a sack!'

'Well if it's a sack, GET IN IT!!'

"With a great shrieking and flapping of wings, all the devils were drawn into the sack.."

"The Soldier tied the sack up tight, took it outside where he threw, kicked and beat it, with the devils screaming inside...."

'Had enough yet?!?'

'Yes!! Let us out!!'

'Then be gone from here, and never come back!!'

".....and the Soldier released them.
But he caught the last of the fleeing devils, and made him swear to serve him."

the Soldier and Death

"Years later the Soldier was a rich gentleman, rewarded by the Czar, but his son fell very ill, so he called on his devil."

"The Soldier's devil showed him a magic glass in which Death could be seen. By Death's position at the foot or head of the bed, the Soldier could determine if the victim would recover or perish. The devil gave the Soldier the magic glass in exchange for his freedom, and after a successful career as Miracle Worker, the Soldier managed to trick Death itself, and capture it in his sack.

He then climbed up the highest tree in the thickest forest, and hung the sack with Death up in it."

"So, no one died?"

"No. There were wars in most parts, but after a day of carnage, flashing of swords and exploding bombs, it was very strange.....no one had died. Crossed lovers threw themselves off cliffs, only to face a long climb back up...."

"But people were not meant to live forever, and soon tired old men and women begged the Soldier to set Death free, and put things right. So he climbed back up the tree and released Death.
But Death would not take the Soldier, and he lived on and on...doomed to wander the Earth forever...."