louis charbonneau-lassay - the bestiary of christ2

8/11/2019 Louis Charbonneau-Lassay - The Bestiary of Christ2

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I

t, lrlsttÀtY

r)t I

llltst.

le.

Cl

de

Rosi,

Ào,n. i ú.dú.,

T.

lt,

p.

l,

XX,

no.

I

20. Cl

d€

Saint-Laurenr,

criL.

T. I. plae

IV n.. 2.

2t. let

tl,'

Íü?t|nlnns

ds ptü

haú

srdd6

d.

ld

ltrnçannê,i

díoijé\,

ytt

sÉde,

JerúsÀt.m;

P.

94.

22.

A. MáÍin,

SJ.,

"D6 ocrs p

toiále:,',

i" Métdn+s

archéal%qut.

T. Iy,

1816,

pp. 2()(1201, 6g,

62.

24. Sr. Mafthêr

26:2ó18,

Douay-Rhim,

vc6ion.

2t,

I

Côrinthiáns

,:7-8,

26

RerÊlárion

2l:22-24.

27.

Cl Marikn

CapêI, .ldrio,,

VIII:

ako

Mâúisnr,

Í);d.

dntiq

.hía., p.

tt,2ná

A.

tero"A.

4r.rr..,, .r-á.h,d",tp

td

l.ú,

6p

_

p

B\

28.

Re cl

ion

l4j4

t

rr.

sr.

John

2t:l,

17.

14.

Thê

/_i

ar,, \.x_

lr.

cí

Dôré. op..,r.,

Pa(

I,

T.

II.

vot.

ty

p.

l6t.

l7- Ovid.

,trduo?rüú,

Book

I, .h.

r.

,8.

Rôs..

IrJ

Ãd1s,oú

J,,tr.tr,., p.

12.

,o.

cí

s:q4,

b

cú.r

tvn

à?

tl.t,a dl, p

t\

40

cí

sànBk..

&

a,r-

u./c,

vôt.

II.

ll:

I

4

dtna

a httothta.

Erd Fiiltc:

Th.

lÁnb

on

a

tsthaêúry

çtt.

ml

_rN

côuNlPIEs

UNDFR

Greek

influence'

the

he-goat

wa"

I.onn..,.d

with

rhe

popular

culr

oÍ

the

goddess

Artemis'

"'ã

"

Úr.t

*""

off"..i

to her

in

the ceremonies

celebrated

",..v

five vears

in

her

honor.

On

the íringe

oí the

Artemis

",,i.

**.."*",i"."

of

the

god Pan.

regarded

a"

the

u"iuersal

*"".r,o. of

the

Drocreaiive

power. showed

him

*irh

rhe

Legs'

i*.. ,"a f,**

of,h"

h.-eo"t,

and

sometimes

with

its

whole

l,odvr.

Íh"..,o."

who

distinguished

themselves

on

the

stages

of

the

Greek

theater,

",

*"ll

""

th"

winners

of

certain

athletic

contests,

were

commonly

rewarded

with che

prize of

a

goat'

and

from

this

came

the

name§

ttagodos,by

which

actors

were

generally

called,

aná

tragodia,

rragedv,

given

to the

most

poPu-

lar

form

of theater'z.

Ir is

interesting

that

the

ancient

Scandinavüns

aftached

the

o.,t to the ch",]or

oÍ

Tho.,

rhe

god oÍ

rhunder

and

light-

i;g'.

so*"

people have

thoughr

that

rhe

foul

odor which

is

"oÃtime"

p.od,-rced

ât

lhe

moment

when

lightning

appears

has

"omethiig

to do

wirh

this

a§sociation;

and,

perhaps

by an-

other

associaiion

connected

with it,

it

was the

former

practice

in

some

northern

countries

to

place

a

goat's

horn,

or

even

a

f.asment

of

úe

animal's

slin.

Ln

rhe

top

foor

oí

d"ellings

ro

.,í".,

tf'"'.

from

lighrning

ln the

Orienr'

it

was

thought

li",

";".ki". -,d.-Í'"*

g."t

hide

lent rhe

wine special

health-giving

properties;

and

in

the

eastern

Mediterranean re-

*i.",

*"rií

phnts,

including

fennel,

anise,

and

cumin,

which

T]F]tE

GOA:T



s r r ntsr



found

horseshoes,

some

whole

and

somc brokcn.

in

the burnt

and

probably

pre-Roman

rombs

of

rhe Galtic

necropolises

of

Bournigal

and

oÉ Bourbelard

de

Pouzauges,

in

Vendée,

and

elsewhere

in

Poitou (Fig.

7).

Ac

Bernard,

in

Vendée,

the

head

of

a

Gallo-Frank

had

been placed

on

a

horse-

shoe supplied

with nailsrs.

Sevetal

times I

have

found

half

a horseshoe

with its

nails

in

a

funerâry

urn,

along wiú

human

ashes.

In

irs normal

use.

the

horseshoe

gives

securiry

to the

horsel;

srep

ahd hence

to irs

rider;

it

is

possibie

thar in

the romb,

broken

in hal(

it

pictures

a life

broken

off,

ãn

exisrence

stopped

in

mid-course.

NOTES

Title Fiewe:

Hüse

enstáyed

ar

d

rcnúetqk

chútian

ernd?h

4t

-thdrct.

r.

Victor

Mág.ien,

Nolg

í/r

I'aúqrc

théol%ie

s..Ee,

p_

lr.

Ako,

exEad floo

2.

Reinâ.h,

"Le

disque

de Phaistos,,,

in

À.,üe dr.ráótosiq ,,

4iÂ

series. T.

XV

lol0.

p.

lô-.

1-

Cf. M.nâá,

Hntune

de'

Gft6,

T.

I,

p.

261,

No.

t6l.

4. Masnien,

op.

.n., p_

t.

,. Ar8ôs,

in L

Voile

/?jü,

T. \-xv

lri,

Novembê.

t9lo.

6.

SeÊ

Palt

Ie

Coe,

"Alaia."

n

Áü,

J, T_

y

No.

42,

July

ler2, p.

160.

7.

Dé.À.lere,

Chronolôgi.

préhistorique

de

lâ

péninsut€

[bé.iq;e,,,

in

Âez.

ü.héôlo{iqE,

aú

fies.

T.

XII,

1908.

p.

401.

8- Tes.ct,

F,ittiaí,

III.

9.

CÍ

l.

Lésêa

"Éoães

de

Mythologie

staye,,,

in

Rdre

híroriq@

ãêj

Relisiont,

1899,

p.

ó.

to. seÉ

b

yat

d],i,,

"1.

Dieu âu

cou de

cheval,,,

T

xlaavll,

l4r.

h.u.v

l9)2,

pp,

,6-17.

rr.

Frédéric

PoÍâl,

1,,

S)ubol6

Éspiá,

unpüé,

à au

d6 Héb@x, p.

t$

et

.2

Ctojuú.

Élinat.

d't,onop,apiÍ

t\tctna",

D.

ttó

ll.

R6el

ior ô:2:

and

Ráb

6 Máurus,,4//amc.

14.

Seê

Dore.

úp

,/..

Pà 2,

L XI,

p.

e26.

lr,

II

Kiogs

2:l l.

16.

II

Ki.ss

2l:l

l-

&<t

r7.

§r

cspe.iâll/

lal. d'Ara.,

"l.c

(llrval,"

tn

R.ú.

d. Iht.hnit;"í,1872,

p.

)41.

18.

l)c

Gúb.rnaris,

,t

r,íolo8i.,

T. I,

pp.

,14

?r

Jcq.

ro. Sru

A.

d. Cetmoú, Abé.édan. dt.héalósiqk,

(ArcLir..lure

religieusc),

p.

J02.

.r1.

Revelarion

l9:ll-16.

.'

,t.

Éliphas

Lévi,

L.'

Mfiàrc' de td KÁbbàtê,

p.

,6-

.,1 Abóve

all,

it rcsembles

ce«ain inrerprerátiors

ôr

initadons

of Ori.nhl a(

mád€

in Franc.

in

r[€

tin€ of Louis

XIII ed

Lôuis

Xry

tr_ cç_

Rõss,

t2.

íêligian'

d Monde.

p.50.

t7_ c{_ R.inúh ií

R.tu.

arkalosiqrc,

}rd

§.ries, T.

I, 1881,

p.

,69.

rn. clr

Abbé Bâudry,

l"

c;nériàé thÍétid à. Bctud p.

14.

tnl

Figure:

Piered

branle

bu.Alê

Íia

Gtuo

@.uç);

bet

ed

the 7th

dd

eth



{)

,

s.



As

well as being

the symbol

for

stubbornncss

and

igno-

rance,

the donkey

also served in medieval

imagery

as mounr

Éor

the demon

oÉ slorh.

Thus

we

see

him

in numerous

pro-

cessions of

the

petsonified

deadly

sinsr3.

On the

other hand, the red

donkey

sometimes

directly

rep-

resented

rhe

Evil Spirit.

In

a number of countries,

it

is still

said

of an evil

and dangerous person

that

"he

is a

red donkep"

Fotmerly

in

Egypt

red donkeys were

sacrificed

ro

the

evil

gods

Set

and Typhon. The

whole Near East

and Indiare

also con-

nects

the red

ass

with

evil;

and cerrâin

occidental

legends

of

sorcery

claim

that

Satan sometimes

is

incarnaced

in

the

body

of

a

ted

ass.

Fortunately,

red

asses

are

very

rarel

Fie.

)

'tÁ€

úli<.d

Rmphar

In

the

Kabbalah.

the accursed five_

ç at lE ]<éLL-"h

'

Drânched star KemPhâm.

Polnttng

downward,

which Éliphas

Lévi

says

is

a

symbol

oa Lucife;

carries

between its branches

the natural

or

stylüed

head

of

an

ass'zo

(Fig,

3). This infernal

star

calls

co mind the one pic-

tured

in the chapter

discussing the

symbolism of the

buck

goat,

which carries

the

goar's

head

in place

of that

oÍ

the

These facts

are Iittle Lnown,

and taking everything into

ac-

count, the donkey

has not too

much co complain

of in its

treâtmeht

by

Christian

history,

which

has

not failed to

recog-

nize

either

its

evangelical

functions

nor its

own

special

quali-

ties. The

only negâtive connoretions

are with characteristics

with which

i.

was

already

endowed by

the

symbolism of times

I

nL

t ixú:

Th.

dú

n\núar

of Atln"|

dc

Sonrotse'

I

(ll.

Nonnut,

Dio,rí;.a'

XXXVIL

/

l' úaniãt,

Yordr.J

,i,tóri4k,'

XXVII

i

ii] ilãl

cíi,

,r'.i,r,â8i.,

Aúgut

18e4,

p

r22;

âlso

R'imch'

R'ru

d"-

/drôoi,rc.

T.

XXV|,

I80t,

p.

l0l

I

t

l-Aoe,

Cnlndtun

i4éd'e,

Book

ry'

P

zTl'

/.

S..

Doré,

Suraíi,ioú,

Pâsim.

n ljoncr.

?Àe

Ilil,

II

and

vfl'

10.

luds6

t:Io

[E&o*,or.:

S.c

ãlso

Juds's

l0:4

ând

l2rl'-14]

I l. I

Sãnucl

9 aná

10.

ll.

kdú

l:r.

l,{.

S..

Par

Vl, "S..râb,"

P.

ltl'

i,

,r-

C,".

r"

r"',

r.'

p-áô

oÍlüc'd

P

]'ô

Á8'

106'

l" Ei

i.

Às.*",..;úí

v^n.

âux íouilles

d'uÍ.'

n

tz Mron

d"

Mo"à"'t

II. l9rt,

No.

7l'

P.94'

17.

De Gub.m.ris,

M/áolóÊ,

P'

l8''

''*

7i

i;ç. t'tt

"t'"i-i

rtt'

p.,to- 6s'

l8l

údP

Jal

6s

ls2'

i".

S..

C*"-,

"s*r,;

i" r"

voik

'lli

T'

X)o(vI

No'

la2

P

ia''

ttt

Lav\-

Mltt&t

d.

la

KabbéL'

P

5t

21.

S.e.bove,

PaÍ

II'

"Th'

Go*

'P'

86

lig

l

Irrà

F|elrc:

Anitul

ladd

oí

d

St

Chinophd

íÍon

tL'

H;*orkal

Muan

it

MoÍôe.



WNLD

ANNMALS



'ftFlrE

lt)EER

/\NF

or- THL svmbolic

ánimals

(ha(

rhe early

Chrisrians

\J,aop,.a

rith

rhe

mosr certaintv as

an allegorical

image

of

Christ,

and

also

oÉ

his

disciple, the Christian,

was

the

stag.

Poets and

naturalists

of ancient

rimes, such

as

Pliny, The-

ophrastus,

Xenophon, Martial,

Lucretiusr, and

many

others,

portrayed the stag as rhe

implacable enemy of

snakes,

pursu-

ing them

relentlessly into their

holes. Martial

and Plutarch

add that wirh the breath

of its

nostrils-some

say,

of

its

mouth-the

stag

would

drive

the

snakes

from

their

under-

ground

hiding

places

and devour rhem' and rhat

in

this

way

its

youth

was renewed.

Reflecting this ancient

belief, a

Roman

marble

relief

(Fig.

t)

from the Naples

Museum shows a

stag

ffghting with a snake.

The

stag

has

fallen on

its

knees.

but

it

has succeeded

in seizing

its

en-

emy's

head

in its

mouth

and

is

crushing

it

between

its

teeth.

In

Afghanistan

today

there

is

a species of

rhe deer

or

goar

family that attacks

serpents and

often eats rhem.

The Persians

call these animals "pausent2."

Fis. t Pft-chtni RoM iatbk

The last Mazdeans

üving in

rhat

region considet the

duel between

paren

and snale

as

the

âlle-

gorical

image

of

the

triumph

of

good,

or "Ormuzd,"

ovet

evil,

"Ahriman."

But since

the

pduset

oíÉí

suffers

from

gall

or



rr

rr

sr o ,

(



god

is

nâmed

"Prince

of rhe

Mysreries

of

the

Fls. t AtajLtl

LúÀ

hnl.tirs ó

lc-:

Gmk

bnt

rr

'IhLt

.

Ir seems

that another

trâce of the

ancienr European

tradi-

tions

that

Iink rhe

smg ro

the

idea

of light remained

mysteri-

ously

hidden âmong

the many

medieval documents

in which

one

sees the

stag,

or simply his head,

crowned

with

a

star.

For

one

exâmple, the

liíteenth-century

rile

pavemenr

of

the Beaune

hospice

shows

a

full

face view

of

a stag's heaá

surmounted

by

a srar.

recalling

rhe Orphic

H,rnn ro

Dionysus.

in

which

rhe

Nighi';

for ânother,

the thirreenrh-century

seal oÍ'

Heliot

Bertaut

bears a

stylized

srag's head

sur-

mounted

by rhe glorifying

sign

of rhe

sun and

moon, which

in

rhe Middle Ages

was usually

re-

**-X

served

for

specific

images

of Christ'{

(Fig.

a).

In

Fis.4

rh?

çdL

ú[

the

"Golden

Legend"

of che

only exisring

occiden'

H,t*t

B" *t.

ral

hagiography,

several well-known

hunring

scenes

show

Christ

raking the

form

of a stag,

in order

to reveal himself

in

rhis

manner to

chosen souls.

The besr-known

âre the hunts

of

Sr. Hubert

and St. Eusrare.

A

very

old French

rale gives

the following

accounr

of the

second

of

the two

saints: There

was a man

named Placidus

who

was

a

pagan,

but all

the

same a man

of virtue, 6lled with

o'T'r'J';,",,"

srag

,eplied.

"l

am

the

chrisr:

I became

man

,"i'il.i'.',r,"'.?."1

"'d

'r'"'

three.da's

in

the shado"

oí

il: il;;';;

,"

.,.4,*'',

liG

And

**

I

am

waitins

ror

-

'^-ê

iô

-'

Placidus;

I am

Lhrist:"

And

before

the

rrrr*

"t.."*"a

eyes

the

s(ag

grew

to

immense

ProPorrrons

ilÍ".-',n.*o

i'ito

'

d""ling

blaze

of

light'

in

which

ap-

1.,,.àl

.',.'?"a

man

whose

heart

and

ÍoLrr

limb"

bledr

rhen'

llli-

i', rr,l rhe

roc

became

bar"

and

stark

a'

it

had

been

;:i:.::'i:::d;;;,,*""u"a'""a

everv'lhing

even.his

I"""'""rn".

,.a

gave

himself

totallv to

Chri'r'

who had

il-

í,-*-j-r,r'

*,r

bi

m"ns

of

rh'

miraculous

srag'

'"'i'i"

*-"]"-Ja,

;eâutifullv

portraved

in

the

pottal

frieze

"í

li'"

i*;

if,o"i

.r

'r"

chàreau

d

Ambroise

which

w-as

::,l[.i;'ili;

Í;Í'"'n'h

'"n'u'v'

is

artributed

ro

Sr'

Hubett

bv

several

other

suthors

or.anriqLritvr'

tFig

5)

'

, '

"1i,"..'-"

n.a

ourselves

in

rhe

domain

of

rhe

age

ol

chrr-

,dT ;;;;' ,;;;;

or

the

poems

or this time

about

the



'tt{ta $risl.tAlY Ol, lrrntsl



11.

Pâlsúits,

Vordss

Hnktitk,_

r?.

bnod-v,lhnê,

I?

L:,.

d..

srúLolet,T.I|.

o.7n.

tt

lhl_, p.1t.

1..

S*

cul]ôn

d

Mú(eJtx_

b,

.nrctze\

hstoú.,

L

p

tb.

15.

In

r[.

câú.d]ál

ü

C]l3dF,.

tÀ...

i" a."s,i6;",,'rj,*,..",h-,..r,+

*i"-

doa

d.dicár.d

to Sr.

Eu$J...

\hrtt

i,

rnrÕi,(rd

bv

Máj€

m

LZrl,.t8d:

lt),

p.

,24.

lô.

$rJ

qks

Eoutàs.i,

t

.§a,,

G.d,/.

Xxl.

páís,

p.

7i.

rr.

Cí

R.in&h.

Grid.

tx

,íúr'.

d.

5",4_G"tu:r4-L_,e.

p.7i

18.

cí

Doré,

R..Áâ.ÁeJ,

pàii

I,

TIl,

no.

4,

D.

474.

to^.

Re.Mt

d.

D,e

?.

de M1e

'.r

Bezai,.

êi;hkêírh_.e

uy

Ms.

tU-

Lt.

Oota,

or.

et

lô..

út.

2r.

See

Lrlffiq

õd

Matíú.

bútiantur..

t

ry.

vot

t,

<ot.

roo.

22.

/óil.,

T.

IL

voi.

u_ .ôt r

lor

21.

1ái1.,

Sdion

L>ÕC}«V

.ol.

u90.

pl.

nô_

20

la.

CÍ

L.

DÊleú.,

SDáo/e,

r,.Á,ríq ?,.

(z.thâEe.

pp.

_t8.

25.

CÍ. Leclêr.c.

,4rd,kl

T.

II,

p.

lr0.

Lnd

Fisüe:

Stae,

ànah1l

tt.

,an.t

hunbk:

n|,dÊd

01 lê[email protected]

& Çoar.

à. t<o.h.bapl

.oll.aiú

THE

P..\N T]tI

E,

IT

And

other

rJíildcats,

also the

Hyena

and the

Mole

'-rtHF

PEoPLF

or

ancient Egypr greatly admired and

were

Lt.ongly

anracred

bv the,erv

beautiful

*ild animal called

the

panther, and endowed

this

splendid

creature

with all

sorts

of unusual

and excellent

qualities

to

an exaggerated

degree-

Theit veneration

was expressed

in

che

use of

the panther's

magnificent

fur and

also the

ne6rir, the

skin

oÍ

the panther

cub, by the

priests in

the most sacred

rites,

and

by

their mas-

ters the

pharaohs

in

the holiest

and

most

solemn

e'ents

of

their royal and

priestly

lives

(Fig. 1). The

neáris also

appears

ro have been

used

in

the regular

liturgy

and in

the

mystety

cerêmonies.

The

panther skins

placed before

Osiris

or

Anubis

were

from

ílawless

animals,

ritually sacri-

ficed.

The skin

of

the

panther

cub

served

too as

a

garment or

w€p

for

Anubis,

god

of

the

dead,

thus

con-

recring

him

with the idea of

a sec-

ond birth.

In

funeral tites,

the

panther's sLin

wes

used

as a bed

for the

deceased

and

provided

"a

good burial."

Egyptian

sacred

imagery

shows

rhree stylized panther skins

artached

together:

6rst of all,

the amulet

merr

Fis-

t

Ho,$

,ab.d in

pàn1hü

\hin:

louis charbonneau-lassay - the bestiary of christ2

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