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It appears that the function or meaning of these is not well-understood. Of course, both might have changed with time and place. Nonetheless, it is a nice remi
by jonnycomputer 8y ago
It appears that the function or meaning of these is not well-understood. Of course, both might have changed with time and place.
Nonetheless, it is a nice reminder that Medieval Europe (and Britain) was a much stranger and more complicated place than the what is usually imagined in popular entertainment.
- pbhjpbhj 8y agoThere are a couple of other common church carvings: the green man, and the imp (or devil ) - the meaning of the former is obscured in the mists of time, some claim it to be a pre-Christian fertility symbol but it doesn't appear to be pre-Christian. It's certainly true that masons had their fun: though, unlike some 'green men' the images of Sheela-na-gigs seem quite rough and amateurish suggesting to me they were not necessarily authorised adornments. In addition to the normal grotesques and gargoyles. Any other common forms?