Ev
erywhere I look nowadays, I seem to see some mention of my favorite wheeled creatures, the mulefa. The mulefa (singular zalif) are sentient beings who help Mary Malone realize her destiny in the science fiction novel The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. Mulefa bear some resemblance to antelopes or small elephants in our universe, but they evolved with a diamond-shaped frame rather than a spine. They travel using seed pods from indigenous trees as wheels. The outpouring of web art depicting mulefa probably stems from their otherworldly appearance. Like me, I think Pullman fans want a clearer picture of what these creatures really look like. So, to help answer this question, here’s a sampling of the mulefa art I’ve found on the Web so far.
(Top right: Mulefa graphic by EricD. Found on: http://forums.polyloop.net)
Found on: http://klorel03.deviantart.com/art
Artist: klorel03
DweebMeter: 4/5
Found on: http://3djinn.deviantart.com/art/Mulefa
Artist: 3djinn
DweebMeter: 4/5
Search DeviantArt.com > Keyword Mulefa for beaucoup more fanart.
Found on: www.efestivals.co.uk/forums
DweebMeter: 4/5
Found on: http://tuscriaturas.blogia.com/2007/mayo.php
DweebMeter: 3.5/5
Found on: http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/srafopedia
DweebMeter: 4/5
Found on: http://www.bridgetothestars.net/fanart/mulefa/
The above is a screenshot of some of the fanart available at bridgetothestars.net.
Found on: http://www.elfwood.com/art
Art by Kate Miller (showing thumbnail)
DweebMeter: 3.5/5
Apr 3, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Awesome animation on your blog!!
Team Edward!
Apr 3, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thanks! I wish I could take credit for it. EricD did a great job of illustrating how the mulefa move.
Apr 8, 2008 at 4:09 am
Dear Book Dweeb:
I was searching the web for other artists’ impressions of mulefa and I stumbled on this blog. My mulefa concept is the fourth one down (fifth if you count that nifty animation). It’s the portrait-looking one done in pencil.
Could you please put “By Amy Thompson” under my drawing? Thanks a lot.
–Amy
Apr 8, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Will do. P.S. I love your drawing. You’ve got a great talent.
Apr 8, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Thanks!
May 11, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks very much for those pics, helped put the whole “claw” thing into perspective, i couldnt quite picture it until now!
By the way, i think you captured the trunk VERY well amy, its exactly how i had imagined it.
Jul 9, 2008 at 3:40 pm
The pictures are great – Thanks for putting them together.
I would like to see the difference between a zalif and a grazer mulefa, because I still cannot really imagine how the grazers move.
Maybe you find more?
Best wishes.
Sandra
Jul 25, 2008 at 3:31 am
I haven’t found any grazer art yet. If I do, I’ll post it here
Feb 20, 2009 at 3:11 am
I love these! Thanks for finding and posting them. I am very curious as to what the Mulefa look like, how Pullman envisioned them. Though I must not be remembering right, I thought they only had one wheel–most of these depict two wheels. Amy Thompson’s is beautiful, real character in the eyes and face and 3djinn I think represents the best of the diamond shape, no-spine (very hard for me to wrap my head around!) So mad props to all! =)
Mar 12, 2009 at 10:49 pm
It’s always nice to see my work on other blogs. Check out larger images and animation on my site.