The Girl with the Green Ribbon: The Folktale Behind My Haunting Illustrated Portrait
“Slowly and carefully, Alfred untied the ribbon, and Jenny’s head fell off.” Alvin Schwartz, In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories
I had always heard vague stories about the girl with the green ribbon… I knew she wore a ribbon around her neck, and that if it was removed, her head would fall off. I also knew that the artwork inspired by this tale was always so beautiful and haunting.
But it wasn’t until the other day, on a long evening walk with Prue while listening to my favorite paranormal/true crime (emphasis on the paranormal… true crime is too spooky for me) podcast, And That’s Why We Drink, that I finally got the full rundown on this chilling story that’s persisted across generations and countless retellings.
The story lingered with me, and by mid-morning the next day, I picked up my Apple Pencil and decided to bring her to life. I had such a clear image of her in my mind: shades of black and olive green. I knew she needed long, straight black hair… a departure for me since I usually favor big, luscious locks.
As I worked, she evolved from soft and feminine to something, dare I say, sultry. Hooded eyes, a quirked brow, and full lips curled into a teasing smirk… just daring you to ask what lies beneath the winding ribbon around her throat.
Would you ask her why she wears it?
A Quick History of the Green Ribbon Folktale
For those who may only have a vague memory of the story, like I once did, here’s a brief history:
In 1984, Alvin Schwartz published a collection of spooky stories for children titled In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories. Among them was “The Green Ribbon,” the tale of Jenny and Alfred, friends who grow up and eventually marry. Jenny always wears a green ribbon around her neck, and despite Alfred’s persistent questioning, she never reveals why.
It’s only on her deathbed that she removes it and her head falls off. Turns out the ribbon wasn’t just an accessory…
While Schwartz’s version is the one most modern readers remember, the story of the girl with the green ribbon predates his book and spans centuries and cultures. Some trace its roots back to the French Revolution, linking the imagery of the green ribbon to the guillotine. The idea of a ribbon holding the head in place may have served as a haunting way to process the brutality of guillotine executions and the grief of those left behind.
Washington Irving (of Sleepy Hollow fame) offered his own version in The Adventure of the German Student. In this retelling, a mysterious woman with a jeweled black ribbon asks to stay with a young traveler named Wolfgang. They fall in love overnight (as one does in gothic literature), but by morning she’s dead and when the authorities arrive, they reveal she had been executed the day before. When the ribbon is removed, her head rolls to the floor. Wolfgang is driven mad.
It seems Irving had a thing for headless characters.
Creating My Own Green Ribbon Girl
There are so many versions of this tale and even more themes and meanings you can pull from it… so I’ll let you do your own deep dive (or better yet, listen to Em Schulz of ATWWD give a fantastic recap).
What I will say is this: once I revisited the story, I couldn’t not draw her.
I opened Procreate and started sketching with my go-to 6B pencil brush. I work fast and loose in the sketching phase, quick strokes, messy marks. I’m just trying to let the figure emerge from the chaos. I thought I was aiming for a softer, sadder expression at first. But as the line art came together (using the dry ink brush), her expression shifted. She looked up through hooded eyes, a sly smirk forming on her lips, and suddenly she was inviting you closer: ask me about my green ribbon.
During the color and shading phase, I realized the ribbon felt… too simple. Just tied around her neck, hanging down the front. Good… but not the point. Isn’t the ribbon the whole magic and horror of the lore? It needed more presence.
So I gave it life. The ends now curl and float around her, twisting in the air behind her like something sentient. At one point I had the ribbon winding in front of her face, but I scrapped that. I wanted you to see her. Her expression was just as important as the ribbon. So I sacrificed a little whimsy for clarity. (Sorry, ribbon lovers.)
I also gave her a modern stud earring, not historically accurate, but it adds something sharp and contemporary. An edge. I like her that way.
Final Thoughts
This piece was such a joy to work on. The subject, the story, the dark academia/Victorian gothic mood…it all came together in a way that just felt right.
I hope you enjoy her too. And maybe feel inspired to make your own version, your own interpretation. That’s the magic of folklore, it belongs to all of us, and by creating and sharing we take part in the timeless tradition of storytelling.
The Girl With The Green Ribbon, MaggieB
