On a trip to Ireland several years ago, I was fortunate to have been able to see the Sheela-na-gigs in the National Museum of Dublin. Two of these Sheelas including the one removed from the Seir Kieran Church of County Offaly, pictured below, are currently on display. They stand at the doorway of a room […]
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So what’s your take on Sheela?
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Used to ward off “evil spirits” and protect entrances to structures, they aren’t really that ancient. The earliest ones were carved in the 11th century AD. Not sure what the figures themselves represent. With an exaggerated vulva, it might be a version of a mother goddess. But given their late origin, it is more likely they represent a frightening female figure derived from the Church’s hatred of women. That is my take on the Sheela-Na-Gigs.
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Fair enough. They didn’t strike me as particulatly matronly, from what I can see. Not like an Alexandrian Baubo or earlier Venus.
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