15-10-2019, 11:44 PM
It seems to me that there are some problems with ambiguity. There are sirens in medieval bestiaries. There are mermaids and mermen. These do not seem to show any part of the upper leg. Then there is Jonah emerging from the whale. Sometimes his leg shows, sometimes not. Then there is the VMs, the figure is potentially emerging. The figure is female and she is not praying. Does the VMs present an altered or hybridized image? Is this a female representation of Jonah? Or does it tie in with some other figure from Classical mythology?
Is the figure in Harley 334 a mermaid or siren? The other illustrations tend to have religious implications. It's obvious that this is not a bestiary. Why was the illustration used in this manuscript?
Is the figure in Harley 334 a mermaid or siren? The other illustrations tend to have religious implications. It's obvious that this is not a bestiary. Why was the illustration used in this manuscript?