Figures known as

HAGS OF THE CASTLE (1894)

Irish Sheela-na-gigs and Related Figures with
Reference to the Collections of the
National Museum of Ireland

Eamonn Kelly

FIGURES ON IRISH CASTLES

Jørgen Andersen (from The Witch on the Wall)

BIBLIOGRAPHY from The Wtch on the Wall

Not all the influences on Romanesque come from the art and artefacts of the Roman Empire.
The cultures of the Middle East up to and including the introduction of Islam, India and the Far East also contributed.
Nevertheless, this article seeks to explore some possible specific influences of Græco-Roman origin.

Early Mediæval Carvings and their Origins.

"Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you"
(Book of Daniel, chapter 6, verse 16 - Jerusalem Bible).

These words, allegedly spoken by King Darius the Mede as he had the prophet Daniel thrown into the lion-pit for the crime of refusing to worship him, have echoed down the centuries. Daniel's God did indeed (allegedly) save him, and ever since he has been taken as an example of faith and righteousness, together with Jonah and the three young men in the fiery furnace. His trust in his unique deity and his innocence are seen as a protection against evil. It is not surprising therefore, that images of Daniel are found from the earliest years of Christianity; indeed Daniel may be taken as a prefiguration of Jesus.

Tina Negus is a splendid artist and photographer with a great knowledge and love of the natural world.
Her work has been exhibited and published in a wide variety of venues and publications.
Her articles on aspects of the 'Green Man' have been published in Folklore magazine, where Lady Raglan first described and named the genre in 1937.

'While researching my article on possible Roman and Gallo-Roman iconography for some French Romanesque images, I became aware of the importance of Celtic religion in the evolution of many works of art of ancient France. Here is an article I wrote on the subject, originally for a Study Group of the Aquitaine Historical Society, which foreshadows many of my later observations.

The organic growth of iconography, layer upon layer, can be compared to the evolution of a forest from archaic origins, with all the damage both natural and human that occurs. Landscapes change - sometimes unrecognisably - with many things once held dear obscured and forgotten; but tendrils creep back, images recur and echoes may awaken memories of a past that is sometimes still present.'

We are always hoping to get closer to the mind-set of Romanesque sculptors, the better to understand some of their images. Bestiaries may be helpful, so it's useful to know that most of them are derived from a work of the 4th century known as the Physiologus.
The late Professor E. P. Evans of the Universities of Michigan and Munich wrote this article in 1896, but it is still relevant and full of useful information.