We Dig Skulls: Skull and Skeleton Stories and Skull Art
Illustration
Skulls and skeletons turn up everywhere, on gravestones and sugar candy, in old paintings and on the shirt someone wore to the gym this morning. We Dig Skulls is a home for people who love that imagery. Here you can read the stories behind the skulls you keep noticing, then find skull art that is fun to wear, stick on things or give to a friend who shares the taste.
Where do skull and skeleton stories begin?
The skull has been a favorite subject of artists for a very long time, from the skeletons that lead the living in old Dance of Death prints to the bones arranged in the walls of the Paris ossuary. Every familiar image has a maker, a place and a moment behind it. Head to the stories to see what is there now.
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What does a skull mean in different parts of the world?
A skull does not carry one meaning everywhere. It can stand for a warning, a celebration, a family memory, a joke or a piece of craft, and the meaning depends on who is looking and where they live. The story on skull symbolism around the world follows those meanings from one place to the next.
What is Día de Muertos?
Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition of remembering family members who have died, and it looks different from one region and one household to the next. It is a living practice, and many readers grew up with it. The stories here cover Día de Muertos and its days, the colorful sugar skulls, the stylish lady skeleton known as La Catrina, and how to make an ofrenda, the altar families build to welcome their loved ones home. Newer stories follow the calacas, the cheerful skeleton figures of the holiday, the funny rhyming calaveras literarias, and where to celebrate Día de Muertos in the US.
What are memento mori and vanitas?
Memento mori is Latin for "remember that you must die," and it names a long habit in art of putting a skull where you cannot miss it. Vanitas paintings do something similar, setting a skull beside candles, flowers, books and fruit to say that time passes. These works were made to make people think, and they still do. The stories on this theme start with what memento mori means and the history of vanitas paintings.
Where can I find skull art to wear or give?
Skull-art shirts, hoodies, mugs and stickers are in the shop now. Most of the designs are engraved skull badges for night-shift nurses, vet techs, mechanics, teachers, gardeners, cat people, readers and lifters. There is also a memento mori design with an hourglass and an olive branch, and two designs for couples: Til Death, for a vow, and Bone Deep, for couples who are already together. A sticker is an easy gift for the person in your life who already owns three skull things, and the story on gifts for skull lovers has more ideas.
Who is behind We Dig Skulls?
We Dig Skulls started in September 2016 as a Facebook page for lovers of all things skulls and skeletons, together with an online store selling skull merchandise. After a quiet spell it is back, with stories to read beside the shop and the same welcome as before. You can read the whole story on the About page.
Where should I start?
If you like to read first, begin with the Día de Muertos story and follow the links from there. If you came for a gift or a new favorite shirt, visit the shop. And if you have a question or an idea for a story, the contact form is open.
