Out of scale naming and identity of late medieval giants
In the wrathful vision of St. Gregory the Great, giants are denied salvation and will neither be resurrected nor gain salvation at the End of Times. Characterized by the sins of pride and arrogance, they resemble demons striving against God. Their transgressive character is manifested in their exagg...
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| Veröffentlicht in: | Giants and dwarfs in European art and culture, ca. 1350-1750 / edited by Robin O'Bryan and Felicia Else |
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| 1. Verfasser: | |
| Pages: | 1350-1750 |
| Format: | UnknownFormat |
| Sprache: | eng |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2024
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Tag hinzufügen | Zusammenfassung: | In the wrathful vision of St. Gregory the Great, giants are denied salvation and will neither be resurrected nor gain salvation at the End of Times. Characterized by the sins of pride and arrogance, they resemble demons striving against God. Their transgressive character is manifested in their exaggerated size and physical excess, which together signal a surfeit of sexuality and violence, as well as immorality. Consequently, they were perceived as doomed, to be obliterated. In spite of this negative perception, giants became objects of fascination and even admiration in the late medieval culture. They occupied a central role in numerous Middle High German epics, romances, and farces, and their images adorned both sacred and lay public spheres, including church sanctuaries, external town walls, marketplaces, fountains, harbors, river banks, and even private dwellings. In Middle High German literature, giants were attributed a specific origin: the Land im Gebirge—land in the mountains—a label that refers to South Tyrol and the area around the Elbe River, which crosses the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše Mountains/Riesengebirge), particularly the region around the German/ Silesian border. Little wonder then, that between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries, colossal representations of mythological, biblical, and epic giants dominated the landscape of the German-speaking regions. |
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| Beschreibung: | Illustrationen |
| ISBN: | 978-94-6372-885-0 |