Iona's Sheela-na-gig and Its Visual Context

Bibliographic Data

ID8934248
AuthorsRosemary Power (corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume123
Issue3
Pages330-354
Publication date2012-11-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueFolklore (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0015-587X • E-ISSN: 1469-8315
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0015587x.2012.716578
OpenAlexW2013978525
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited9

Above a window at Iona's nunnery is a carved figure, thought to be a sheela-na-gig. These sexually explicit, grotesque female figures are found in Ireland and to a lesser extent in Britain, especially on church buildings. This paper considers the theories about their purpose and their relevance in regard to the physical position of this particular carving, its visual context and its counterparts. Acknowledgements Thanks are due to Jacqueline Simpson, Patricia Lysaght, Jane Martin, Historic Scotland Site Manager for Iona, David Coleman, and Zam Walker for comments on this paper in draft. Any errors are my own. Notes [1] This figure was on a stone built into a gable-end, but was nevertheless stolen in 1990 and has not been recovered. It was also used as a template design for jewellery (Kelly 1996 Kelly, Eamonn P. 1996. Sheela-na-Gigs: Origins and Functions, Dublin: National Museum of Ireland. [Google Scholar], 6 and 32). [2] See, for example http://www.irelands-sheelanagigs.org; [accessed 19 June 2011] INTERNET

Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · History

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