Academic literature on the topic 'Apotropaics'

Following studies that uncovered an apotropaic meaning and function of Venus figurines, for which a basis was found in bodily processes, this article examines apotropaic iconography from the end of the Late Upper Paleolithic to the Mesolithic in northern Europe. The research focuses on the Venus of Geldrop, while the retoucher from Linne is briefly discussed. These artefacts are compared to artefacts from northern and southern Europe. The apotropaic message of Venus figurines lost its form after the Magdalenian. This is the result of cultural changes caused by the receding of the ice and the ecological, technological, and social instability that accompanied it. This study proposes a substantive continuity of the apotropaic message, embodied by the accentuated vulva of female representations. Triangles and loincloths as “form euphemism” are also carriers of this message. [apotropaism, Venus figurines, vulva, loincloth and triangle as apotropaic form euphemism, cultural transition Upper Paleolithic to Mesolithic]

O problema de como se proteger do mal é um tema recorrente em diversos períodos históricos e sociedades. Textos apotropaicos judaicos, particularmente no período do Segundo Templo, trazem uma variedade de linguagens associadas com proteção. Esse artigo mapeia as diferentes linguagens apotropaicas descritas nos Manuscritos do Mar Morto, com enfoque para o uso da escrita como forma de registrar e preservar orações.

The authors argue that violence is the most important issue facing the profession of English now. Tracing their experiences with violence and trauma in and near their classrooms, they suggest that, while this problem seems intractable, practicing the arts of empathy and writing offers some hope for a different future.

The article deals with the images of fish and snake in the architectural decoration of the Christian churches in Caucasus in 10 – 14 centuries. The theme of the dragon fighters is not in the focus of the research. The research is dedicated to the images of snake (without paws and fangs, in contrast to dragon-snake) when represented in heraldic position, in the scenes of the prophet Jonas devoured by the sea-monster and in isolated position. It is also dedicated to the image of the fish. The earliest representations of the snakes and dragon-snakes appear on the facades of the Christian churches in Caucasus as early as the Xth century on the territory of the Northern Caucasus and Georgia. Later they are turned in hybrid creatures, dragon-snake (with paws and fangs, sometimes covered with fish scales). Two heads of snake on the earliest representations as well as cirсles on its body underline the apotropaic meaning of the image. The appearance of the snake (not the dragon-snake) on the territory in question could be explained by the influence of the local archaeological culture (Cobano-Colchis). Being represented on the facades of the Christian churches they function as apotropaia. The appearance of the isolated images of fishes in the architectural decoration could also be influenced by the local archaeological culture. The way of the sketching the scales on its body (on the relief from Anacopia) proves its biological identification as trout (the widest spread fish in the mountains of Caucasus). The image of the fish carved on the facades of the Christian churches could also have apotropaic function.