The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries
This article analyses the physical representation's forms of the Siren in medieval bestiaries. Depending on the manuscript, the creature could appear in three hybrid forms: bird-woman, fish-woman and fish-bird-woman. The difference draws attention, considering that the text is the same in each...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Artes
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Anastasis: Research in Medieval Culture and Art |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://anastasis-review.ro/wp-content/uploads/ARMCA-2021-VIII-1-03_Juliana-Santos-Dinoa-Medeiros.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811300323409526784 |
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| author | Juliana Santos Dinoá Medeiros |
| author_facet | Juliana Santos Dinoá Medeiros |
| author_sort | Juliana Santos Dinoá Medeiros |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article analyses the physical representation's forms of the Siren in medieval bestiaries. Depending on the manuscript, the creature could appear in three hybrid forms: bird-woman, fish-woman and fish-bird-woman. The difference draws attention, considering that the text is the same in each manuscript and specifies the Siren's physical as being that of a bird-woman. Starting from a reconstruction of the Siren myth, since its origin to the Middle Ages, we see how the beast was transformed from a bird-woman into a fish-woman and how this very transformation was received in the bestiaries. Considering the particular relation between image and text in bestiaries and conceiving them as independent traditions, we realize that, contrary to previous studies, the distinct representations were not the result of confusion among different creatures. It is the illuminator who associates the textual description (that determined the Siren asa bird-woman) with his contemporary imagery (that consolidated the Siren as a fish-woman). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:49:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-655ecd11fa2d40c78a3e09b36f9ff05a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2392-862X 2392-9472 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:49:23Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Artes |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Anastasis: Research in Medieval Culture and Art |
| spelling | doaj.art-655ecd11fa2d40c78a3e09b36f9ff05a2022-12-22T02:57:27ZdeuArtesAnastasis: Research in Medieval Culture and Art2392-862X2392-94722021-05-01VIII1516410.35218/armca.2021.1.03The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiariesJuliana Santos Dinoá Medeiros0Master’s Student at the Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon, LisbonThis article analyses the physical representation's forms of the Siren in medieval bestiaries. Depending on the manuscript, the creature could appear in three hybrid forms: bird-woman, fish-woman and fish-bird-woman. The difference draws attention, considering that the text is the same in each manuscript and specifies the Siren's physical as being that of a bird-woman. Starting from a reconstruction of the Siren myth, since its origin to the Middle Ages, we see how the beast was transformed from a bird-woman into a fish-woman and how this very transformation was received in the bestiaries. Considering the particular relation between image and text in bestiaries and conceiving them as independent traditions, we realize that, contrary to previous studies, the distinct representations were not the result of confusion among different creatures. It is the illuminator who associates the textual description (that determined the Siren asa bird-woman) with his contemporary imagery (that consolidated the Siren as a fish-woman).https://anastasis-review.ro/wp-content/uploads/ARMCA-2021-VIII-1-03_Juliana-Santos-Dinoa-Medeiros.pdfsirenmedieval bestiaryiconographyfantastic creaturehybridsart history |
| spellingShingle | Juliana Santos Dinoá Medeiros The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries Anastasis: Research in Medieval Culture and Art siren medieval bestiary iconography fantastic creature hybrids art history |
| title | The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| title_full | The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| title_fullStr | The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| title_short | The iconographical diversity of theSirens’ physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| title_sort | iconographical diversity of thesirens physical forms in medieval bestiaries |
| topic | siren medieval bestiary iconography fantastic creature hybrids art history |
| url | https://anastasis-review.ro/wp-content/uploads/ARMCA-2021-VIII-1-03_Juliana-Santos-Dinoa-Medeiros.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT julianasantosdinoamedeiros theiconographicaldiversityofthesirensphysicalformsinmedievalbestiaries AT julianasantosdinoamedeiros iconographicaldiversityofthesirensphysicalformsinmedievalbestiaries |