Art, Symbolism and Mythology
E-Book, Englisch, 168 Seiten, Web PDF
ISBN: 978-1-80413-005-6
Verlag: University of Exeter Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Our story starts in Mesopotamia, source of the earliest preserved illustrations of half-human, half-fish creatures. The myths and legends of the Mesopotamians were incorporated and adopted by ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman cultures. Then, during the early medieval period, ancient mythological creatures such as mermaids were confused, transformed and reinterpreted by Christian tradition to begin a new strand in mermaid lore. Along the way, all manner of stunning—and sometimes bizarre or unsettling—depictions of mermaids emerged. Written in an accessible and entertaining style, this book challenges conventional views of mermaid mythology, discusses mermaids in the light of evolutionary theory and aims to inspire future studies of these most curious of imaginary creatures.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
Preface
Memorial note
1 Introduction: Why mermaids?
2 Mermaids conceived: hybrid goddesses and beasts in antiquity
3 Christian adaptations in the Romanesque to Baroque eras
4 Mermaid passions: obsessive fixation in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art
5 Mermaids everywhere: postwar commercialization and trivialization
6 Mermaids rationalized: evolutionary theory confronts the fantastic
References
Acknowledgements
Index