Deviation Actions
Description
For day 2 of #Inktober, I've drawn a flint elemental as a companion piece to the chalk elemental. Flint is a silicon-rich mineral found as nodules within large deposits of chalk (when the same mineral is found inside other limestones, it's called chert). Flint is believed to have formed from a gelatinous silicon-rich fluid that flooded cavities within the muddy calcium-rich sea floor that would eventually harden into chalk. The source of this fluid is believed to be the spicules of sponges and the shells of planktonic algae such as diatoms and radiolarians.
The "head" of the spirit is a fossilized sea urchin test-- a common fossil in flint beds. The test lies within a bed of sponges, representing the spicules that initially formed the stone.
Flint was used for thousands of years to make stone tools, so a quintet of said tools serve as a crown or halo over the head.
Several smaller knives with faces on them inhabit the hollow interiors of the sponges and serve as the eyes and other senses of the spirit. These knives are based on the Tecpatl, a flint knife that served several roles in Aztec mythology.
Beneath the sponges is a gigantic wheel-shaped diatom, and below that five elongated, lozenge-shaped diatom serving as "feet".
The arms of the elemental are bundles of kindling with gigantic radiolarian shells on the ends surrounded by a trio of more flint knives that serve as crude fingers. The arms must be "activated" by being lit on fire by one of the Tecpatl striking against a firestarter steel to generate sparks. Several fire steels float with the space below the elemental's body.
So, as you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun designing this critter.
