I have been carrying out a lot of research into local architecture. The eagle motif is very common around the sneck and used to be on the coat of arms of the Highland Railways.
The creatures of foliage are wrapped (pardon the pun) in mystery. The name 'green man' is often attached to them, though this term is unknown before the 19th century.
It is a paradox of the 19th century that a time that was overtly puritanical also expressed an unprecedented interest in folk-customs and paganism.
Subsequently there were many intriguing, if poorly sourced, theories on the subject. Whatever the truth of these, few would probably deny that there is a certain power to these motifs.
Curiously, metaphors and symbols always depend on combinations. The eagle and lion would be regarded as Christian tetromorphs if they were accompanied by bulls (and human's that were less grotesque). As it is, I doubt if these are the real meanings.
Good collection of pics - interesting motifs.
ReplyDeleteI tried to watch the snow videos but they wouldn't open on my machine for some reason...
Hi Gareth
ReplyDeleteCheers for the comment. I think the snowy ones can be temperamental. Don't always work for me either.
You should pay a visit to the Chapter House in York Minster, plenty of gurning heads and strange beasties.
ReplyDelete@CK
ReplyDeleteSounds great (though I have a slight aversion to the idea of visiting England; irrational I know, but I keep imagining it's humid, flat, and full of twitching curtains). Incidentally, I thought 'gurning' was a Scots word: is it English as well?