The Monopod LINCOLN CATHEDRAL

One of the illustrations in our display includes the monopod, a small human LIBRARY NEWSLETTER figure with one giant foot at the end of Summer 2018 its one leg, under which it supposedly sheltered from the sun. Monopods date back centuries and appear regularly in medieval books and manuscripts. They also appeared in C.S. Lewis’ “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. Our monopod is from Sebastian Münster’s, “Cosmographia Universalis” printed in Basle in 1572. In reality the monopod was probably just a man, seen from a distance, carrying an early version of an umbrella to provide shelter from the heat.

Here be Monsters

Centuries ago the sea was bravest of medieval sailors: manuscript older than the regarded as a dangerous and giant serpents wrapping Cathedral itself; the Lincoln unknown place full of all themselves around ships; Chapter Bible; the Epistles of kinds of monsters. Medieval seven headed monsters; St Jerome, our earliest Monster Special maps show them roaming the giant man eating shrimp like printed book and a seas and unknown areas of creatures and scaly fish-man fascinating 17th century book Our summer exhibition of devils and a variety of sea capitals. To the modern the world were simply creatures that would not be on space travel. New for the manuscripts and rare early monsters. Did medieval reader, these monsters are a described with the words out of place in an old episode “closed season” this year will printed books entitled “Here people really believe in these fanciful flight of fantasy, but “Here be monsters”. Even of Dr Who. Although the be regular bookable library be Monsters”, has proved so fabulous creatures which to the medieval reader they today the deepest oceans monster exhibition finishes on tours. Details will appear on popular that it has been were supposed to live at the most likely represented evil conceal many secrets from the 1st September, the the Cathedral website later in extended and will continue edges of the world, or did sinful behaviour or even us and we have a lot to learn library will still be open until the year: www. right through until the 1st they have symbolic people who did not conform about the creatures that live the end of October. Our final lincolncathedral.com/ September, giving visitors a meanings? From the earliest to their Christian beliefs. there. Our display contains display of the year will be education-learning/the- chance to see some of the days of manuscript writing, Whatever they signified in the several sea monsters which made up of "old favourites" library/ strange creatures that existed monsters and strange past, today we can simply would frighten even the including Bede's Homilies, a in the imaginations of creatures have decorated the marvel at their strangeness Medieval artists and writers. margins of the pages, quite and beauty and the artistic The books on display are often seemingly unrelated to talents of the artists who filled with and the text that they accompany. painted them. , , headless Serpents and dragons are men, cyclops, weird and often intertwined around the wonderful human beings, decorated and illuminated

twitter @LincsCatherdal | www.LincolnCathdral.com INSPIRING PEOPLE IN DIFFERNT WAYS Dragons v Wyverns A Fishy tale

Many of us have heard the beingbeing aa physicalphysical betweenbetween aa dragondragon andand aa As well as the thousands of takentaken atat Kingsale".Kingsale". PrintedPrinted inin friendsfriends doubteddoubted thatthat hehe wouldwould storystory ofof SaintSaint GeorgeGeorge andand thethe representationrepresentation ofof thethe ? Basically it all booksbooks collectedcollected byby MichaelMichael London in 1677, it tells the survive.survive. OnceOnce thethe fishfish itselfitself .dragon. OnOn displaydisplay atat thethe destructivedestructive powerpower ofof Evil.Evil. InIn dependsdepends onon thethe numbernumber ofof Honywood, the library's storystory ofof aa monstrousmonstrous twelvetwelve hadhad dieddied itit waswas keptkept forfor allall toto moment is our 1487 copy of thethe East,East, onon thethe otherother hand,hand, legs.legs. TheThe wyvernwyvern hadhad twotwo greatestgreatest benefactor,benefactor, thethe footfoot longlong fishfish caughtcaught atat seesee inin thethe towntown ofof KingsaleKingsale The Golden Legend, a particularlyparticularly inin China,China, dragonsdragons legslegs whereaswhereas truetrue dragonsdragons librarylibrary containscontains hundredshundreds ofof Kingsale in Ireland. The fish “where“where itit nownow remainsremains forfor thethe compendiumcompendium ofof thethe liveslives ofof representedrepresented power,power, strengthstrength hadhad four.four. DragonsDragons andand shortshort pamphlets.pamphlets. ManyMany relaterelate isis describeddescribed asas havinghaving thethe wonderment of all its thethe saints,saints, translatedtranslated byby andand goodgood luck.luck. WeWe allall wyverns decorate many of toto thethe EnglishEnglish CivilCivil WarWar whichwhich headhead ofof aa manman withwith longlong numerousnumerous beholders”.beholders”. William Caxton. It is open at imagineimagine whatwhat wewe thinkthink aa thethe Cathedral’sCathedral’s misericordsmisericords inin hadhad suchsuch anan effecteffect onon blackblack hair,hair, thethe faceface ofof aa ,lion, Unfortunately there is no thethe lifelife ofof StSt GeorgeGeorge whosewhose dragondragon wouldwould looklook likelike butbut St Hugh’s choir and if you Honywood’s life but many thethe frontfront legslegs ofof aa bullbull andand illustrationillustration ofof thisthis amazingamazing slayingslaying ofof thethe dragondragon waswas theythey couldcould easilyeasily bebe confusedconfused looklook closelyclosely aboveabove youyou inin thethe seemseem toto bebe totallytotally randomrandom thethe backback legslegs ofof anan .eagle. fish.fish. WeWe willwill justjust havehave toto useuse symbolicsymbolic ofof thethe strugglestruggle with other very similar cloistercloister asas youyou walkwalk towardstowards andand inin somesome casescases ratherrather Round its mouth were three ourour imaginations.imaginations. betweenbetween goodgood andand evil.evil. InIn creaturescreatures calledcalled wyverns,wyverns, thethe library,library, youyou mightmight spotspot odd.odd. OneOne suchsuch pamphletpamphlet isis longlong sharpsharp hornshorns withwith whichwhich itit Western Medieval art and which possessed the same somesome moremore creepingcreeping outout ofof calledcalled "Strange"Strange newsnews fromfrom injuredinjured oneone ofof thethe menmen whowho literature,literature, dragonsdragons werewere characteristics.characteristics. SoSo howhow cancan thethe stonework.stonework. Ireland:Ireland: oror aa truetrue andand perfectperfect hadhad caughtcaught it.it. TheThe manman depicteddepicted asas fiercefierce creatures,creatures, youyou telltell thethe differencedifference relationrelation ofof aa famousfamous fishfish becamebecame terriblyterribly illill andand hishis

Let this be a warning

InIn MedievalMedieval artart andand literatureliterature thethe entranceentrance toto HellHell waswas oftenoften depicteddepicted asas thethe jawsjaws ofof aa hugehuge monstermonster withwith aa wide,wide, gapinggaping mouth,mouth, devouringdevouring humanhuman souls,souls, andand waswas intendedintended toto frightenfrighten peoplepeople intointo livingliving goodgood lives.lives. InsideInside HellHell werewere manymany torturedtortured soulssouls fromfrom allall walkswalks ofof life.life. NoNo matter how rich and powerful they were, nobodynobody waswas aboveabove judgement.judgement. OftenOften devilsdevils areare shownshown carryingcarrying thethe soulssouls towardstowards thethe jawsjaws ofof Hell,Hell, beforebefore throwingthrowing themthem intointo thethe fieryfiery depths.depths. ThisThis imageimage isis takentaken fromfrom ourour earlyearly 15th15th centurycentury copycopy ofof RichardRichard Rolle’s,Rolle’s, “Emmendatio“Emmendatio Vitae”Vitae” aa treatisetreatise onon repentance,repentance, whichwhich isis currentlycurrently onon displaydisplay inin thethe MedievalMedieval library.library.

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