VMs (f80v) critter identified

[-JKP-]

R. Sale, I am not at all certain about this, because there are many ways in which it can be interpreted (I posted four possibilities because some of the classical myths could also be related to this kind of drawing, but I can think of more), but one of the ways one might interpret You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is the opening of the sixth seal in the Book of Revelation:

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It's the one with the red text, at the bottom of the four examples.

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What caught my interest about You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is that it occurred to me that it might depict two "pillars" and in medieval thought, the heavens were, in a sense, supported by "the pillars of the earth" or in Hebrew thought, the "pillars of the sky" (which might be more fitting since they stretch almost to the heavens which appear to be "raining" something).

Now technically, the "pillars" in the Bible referred to leaders among men, but in medieval iconography, one very frequently sees a more literal depiction of two tall skinny mountains at either side of an illustration. Here's a sketch of the basic Hebrew conception:




But the pillars on VMS 86v3 (if that's what they are) are all askew, as if some cataclysm is occurring:

"... Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble." "

The sun and moon are also frequent themes in illustrations of the opening of the sixth seal, as is the raining down of objects (and people hiding).

So it struck me that folio 86v was possibly intended to be read as a whole, as a narrative, and that it might be related to other folios in terms of "storyline". In other words, that the image on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. with the people almost invisible within the textured circles, might be related in a "story" sense to the imagery on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and maybe also to folios like You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. which seem to me to maybe have some references to ascension (with the cloudbands at the top being more fancy than those lower down).

The ideas of cataclysms and ascension are common to both Jewish and Christian thought. If the critter were a lamb or sheep or fleece it could fit with the sacrificial lamb (Hebrew or Pagan) or lamb of God (Christian).