Dragons, Griffins and Leucrottas: Supernatural Creatures in the Eastern Baltic
| Dublin Core | PKP Metadata Items | Metadata for this Document | |
| 1. | Title | Title of document | Dragons, Griffins and Leucrottas: Supernatural Creatures in the Eastern Baltic - Animal Iconography in the Archaeological Record |
| 2. | Creator | Author's name, affiliation, country | Tõnno Jonuks; Estonian Literary Museum; |
| 3. | Subject | Discipline(s) | Archaeology |
| 4. | Subject | Keyword(s) | representation of animals; iconography of animals; animal-human relations; images of animals; Neolithic; Medieval; animals in the past |
| 5. | Subject | Subject classification | animal representation; history |
| 6. | Description | Abstract | This article discusses a selection of animal depictions from the Eastern Baltic region. It is suggested that the modern Linnean taxonomy and biological characteristics may not always be the best methodology to identify animal species in art. By focusing on certain elements, it is demonstrated that certain figures depict mythical animals, an interpretation that has so far not been taken seriously. While the dragon or the oversized snake is clearly the ‘indigenous’ mythical animal in the north, the spread of Christianity introduced other mythical creatures, like leucrottas and griffins. Knowledge of these spread not only in Christian countries: in some cases these creatures were also included in the last pagan worldviews in northern Europe. It is suggested here that mythological animals, manifested in the form of staffs, allegorically denoted ideological and moral qualities, and were most likely used as symbols of certain ruling families across the Eastern Baltic. |
| 7. | Publisher | Organizing agency, location | Equinox Publishing Ltd |
| 8. | Contributor | Sponsor(s) | |
| 9. | Date | (YYYY-MM-DD) | 08-Nov-2021 |
| 10. | Type | Status & genre | Peer-reviewed Article |
| 11. | Type | Type | |
| 12. | Format | File format | |
| 13. | Identifier | Uniform Resource Identifier | https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/books/article/view/38888 |
| 14. | Identifier | Digital Object Identifier | 10.1558/equinox.38888 |
| 15. | Source | Journal/conference title; vol., no. (year) | Equinox eBooks Publishing; Animal Iconography in the Archaeological Record |
| 16. | Language | English=en | en |
| 18. | Coverage | Geo-spatial location, chronological period, research sample (gender, age, etc.) |
worldwide, Neolithic to Medieval periods |
| 19. | Rights | Copyright and permissions | Copyright 2014 Equinox Publishing Ltd |