Misericords with secular themes adorned the Catholic churches of Europe froin the thirteenth century until they were banned by counter-Reformation edicts in the mid-sixteenth century. Most of the animals on these misericords can be classified as fabulous monsters. The amorphous forms at Chichester, the scaly monsters created by Andre Sulpice at Rodez and Villefranche-de-Rouergue, and the glaring creatures at Aarschot in Belgium are more typical than exceptional. Their aberrations from the norm and their frightening details signify evil. These monsters provide a logical base for the living statues: the monk, canon, or bishop who sits upon them - a columnar figure who conquers evil by crushing the sins depicted below. When we see a realistic animai on a misericord, one that does not necessarily connote evil, we may ask why it ts there, for it does not suit the misericord as theme or statue base. Why are these animals here? What do they signify? How do they relate to the evil monsters we usually see on misericords? I propose that one must search for symbolic meanings in realistic animal carvings. Some represent the seasons; some represent specific vices. An intriguing possibility is that these animals are actors in proverbs, proverbs that show not the great sins of the world - the cardinal or theological sins - but the small evils, the everyday sins, the character traits and behaviour destructive to work and to interpersonal relationships. - [Author]

Language: English

0925-4757; DOI: 10.1075/rein.4.05blo