Sheila-na-gig

[poliphilo]

But one doesn't visit Kilpeck for the Castle; one goes for the church- which is a perfect- and virtually unrestored- little jewel-box of Romanesque architecture- featuring the finest surviving collection of carvings by the Hereford school of masons.

And if one is any kind of a pagan one is particularly drawn to this particular corbel...



P.S. I had always thought the figure was bald, but looking closely at this picture- which takes you closer to her than you can get in actuality- it seems to me as if she has a kind of fright wig of sticky-out hair.

Comments

[angiereedgarner.livejournal.com]

I def. see old lady frizzy grey hair! As found on my head now. :D

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The hair makes a big difference. I see her as more like a person now, less like a goblin.

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I would definitely say that was hair.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Odd that I'd never spotted it before.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Perhaps the angle of light was different this time and thus made the hair more visible?

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

Who would have thought they had oranges back then?

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

There was a woman at the Pagan Conference who did her whole presentation on Sheila-na-gigs. :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Did she have anything original to say?

That sounds patronising; I don't mean it that way. I'm genuinely curious.

[sovay]

And if one is any kind of a pagan one is particularly drawn to this particular corbel...

I love those so very much.

it seems to me as if she has a kind of fright wig of sticky-out hair.

Yes. An almost trapezoidal brush.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There are so very few of them left.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

the first thing I saw was "goatse".

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Hey, I like her boingy hair. Never seen a clear enough photograph of her that it was visible.

Nine

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've photographed her before, but this is a much better image than I've managed before.

Sheila- na- gig photo

[(Anonymous)]

Tony, that is a fabulous picture, and quite strange for me because I've just finished reviewing a book based around a Sheila-na-gig, and I did wonder what one of them might look like. It's very striking and lewd. Good find. I was actually looking for you Tony as I'm cleaning out a lot of old writing and notes material today and came across stuff that Kathy Hunter had sent me, Kathy who disappeared.
Rebecca Lloyd.

Re: Sheila- na- gig photo

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

I got a message from Kathy a few years back. I forget what it said but clearly it wasn't very revealing or I'd have remembered. I replied- and then she disappeared again.

The Carriage House Review was quite a good little magazine while it lasted, don't you think?