Sheela-na-Gigs
Unravelling an Enigma
Barbara Freitag
Published by Routledge, 2004
An air of mystery has surrounded the crude carvings of naked females,
called Sheela-na-gigs, since their scholary discovery some one hundred
and sixty years ago. Especially puzzling is the fact that they occur
predominantly in medieval religious buildings. High-minded clergymen
have since defaced or destroyed many of these carvings, and for a long
time archaeologists dismissed them as rude and repulsive.
Only in the less puritanical atmosphere of the last few decades have
academics and artists turned their interest to Sheela-na-gigs. Divergent
views emerged: some see them as ancient goddesses, some as vestiges
of a pagan cult, others as protective talismans or Christian warnings
against lust. Here Barbara Freitag examines all the literature on the
subject, highlighting the inconsistencies of the various interpretations in
regard to origin, function and name. By considering the Sheela-na-gigs
in their medieval social context, she suggests that they were folk deities
with particular responsibility for assistance in childbirth.
This fascinating surcey sheds new light on this controversial phenomenon
and also contains a complete catalogue of all known carvings, including
hitherto unrecorded or unpublished figures. It is the most comprhensive
study of the Sheela-na-gigs yet published.
Barbara Freitag is Lecturer in Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University, Ireland.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)
