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Sheela-na-gig
Sheela-na-gig, Sheila-na-gig [Ir. Síle na gCíoch, Sheila (Caecilia) of the breasts]. Stone carvings from medieval Ireland and elsewhere depicting a naked woman with her legs apart, revealing her vagina. Although the pose would often be considered obscene, many surviving examples are found in churches. In the British Isles most are found in Ireland, with smaller numbers in England, Wales, and Scotland; arguably some instances may be found in France. Although their precise origin, date, and significance have never been satisfactorily explained, speculations have not been wanting. They may be borrowed from French Romanesque depictions of the sin of lust, meant as a warning. They may be fertility figures, used as a cure for barrenness. Recent feminist commentators have suggested they may be reminders of the primal earth mother whose rule over life and death pre-dated Christianity.
Bibliography See H. Hickey , Images of Stone (Belfast, 1976); |
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Sheela-na-gig." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Sheela-na-gig." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Sheelanagig.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Sheela-na-gig." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Sheelanagig.html |
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sheela‐na‐gig
sheela‐na‐gig, a carved female figure, generally emaciated and with distorted features, standing or sitting so as to display the genitalia. Such figures date from the 13th to the 17th centuries, mainly from areas of significant Anglo‐Norman settlement. The term, first documented in the 17th century, may derive from Irish Síle na gCíoch (‘the hag of the breasts’) or Síle‐ina‐Giob (‘the old woman squatting’). Sheela‐na‐gigs appear to have originated as symbolic representations, paralleled in Romanesque and Gothic iconography throughout Europe, of the sin of lust. Later they came to be popularly regarded, especially in Gaelic or Gaelicized areas, as protective icons, and 17th‐century Catholic ecclesiastical regulations called for their removal.
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"sheela‐na‐gig." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sheela‐na‐gig." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-sheelanagig.html "sheela‐na‐gig." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-sheelanagig.html |
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Sheela-na-gig
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sheela-na-gig." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sheela-na-gig." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Sheelanagig.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Sheela-na-gig." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Sheelanagig.html |
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