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12Dec

Early Christian Animal Legends

Author: Aldouspi | Category: Animal Legends | Comments (0) | Add Comment

When it comes to Christian Animal Legends, certain animals are known to symbolize specific defects or strength in humans. For example, the bat is a symbol of the night. And in Western society, this is a symbol of something bad. This demonizing of bats maybe connected to the vampire bats. However, in a country like China, the bat is a symbol of good fortune, happiness and long life.

The early Christians considered the bats to be the “birds of the devil,” as they have a strong resemblance to rats and are nocturnal. Therefore, the bats are considered symbols of fear and of the powers of darkness and chaos. Albrecht Dürer created a print titled Melancholia in 1514 showing a bat with open wings. The name of the engraving: the first state of melancholy.

Toads are also viewed as creatures that are unclean. Because they can expels a poison that irritates the eyes and skin, toads are seen as a symbols of death. In fact, in mythology, the toads are animals that are connected with the devil. A well known reference to toads in the Bible is as part of the plagues set upon Egypt in the time of Moses.

: Image via Wikipedia

The painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch depicts a woman with a frog around her chest who has an ass as her partner. The woman is Superbia, which in Latin means pride. Therefore, we can say that the in Christian animal legends the frog is a symbol of depravity.

The hedgehog was considered to be a symbol of gluttony. According to legend, the hedgehog meets his thorns and fruit will get more food it needs. However, Today, the hedgehog is seen as a symbol of gentleness and friendliness with which you can trust.

In early Christianity, the pig was a symbol of lust, greed and gluttony. St. Anthony the Great, is often depicted as an old man carrying a staff and is associated with a pig. This symbolized his victory over the demon of gluttony. The painting entitled The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abbot of Piero di Cosimo shows only a pig in the background symnbolizing the glluttony had been left behind. Ironically. today, pigs are considered more as symbols of wealth and savings. Remember that piggy bank you had as a child?

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