Drawings Featuring Red Spider Lilies - Beckoning from the Other Side

As the days get shorter and the nights longer, one flower starts to bloom in earnest: the red spider lily. Commonly known as higanbana in Japan, red spider lilies are said to have over a thousand different names, many of them disturbing, such as 死人花 (shibitobana, lit. “corpse flower”) and 地獄花 (jigokubana, lit. “hell flower”). Due to their poisonous nature and blood-red petals, it’s no wonder they’re strongly associated with the dead in Japanese culture. Regardless, they have an eerie beauty that’s hard to ignore, don’t you think?

Knowing their symbolism, do these illustrations featuring red spider lilies feel different to you now?