The Physical Embodiment of the ‘Devil in Calicut’ in Pierre Boaistuau’s Histoires prodigieuses

S. Chadbourne
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Abstract

A late sixteenth-century woodcut entitled ‘ Prodiges de Satan ’ depicts a peculiar image of the Devil enthroned, wearing a triple-tiered crown reminiscent of a papal tiara. Two attendants wait on Satan, conversing and swinging censers, venerating his physical form (fig. 1). This woodcut was included in the Histoires prodigieuses , first published in Paris in 1560 by humanist writer and translator Pierre Boaistuau (c. 1517 – 1566). A later edition, published in Paris in 1566, is held in the Rare Books Collection at the University of Melbourne. 1 This edition has the same wood-block prints found in the first printed edition of 1560. ‘ Prodiges de Satan ’ is the first chapter in the Histoires prodigieuses . In his narrative, Boaistuau ascertains that the Devil was of this world, and provides two locations at which God had provided most liberty for his tyrannous rule: Delphi, home of the oracle of Apollo, and the town of Calicut, in southern India. 2 Satan ’ s muscular and naked figure is portrayed as a half-human, half-beast hybrid, with the face of a lion, the feet of a cockerel, claws for hands, and what resembles a rat-like tail or an extended phal-lus. This strange figure is covered in fur, with drooping breasts, and the head of a demon appears to spring forth from its genitals. Satan ’ s open-armed stance suggests an appeal for an embrace, while the head protruding from between its splayed legs and its pendulous breasts imply a woman giving birth. 3 This essay furthers research undertaken by Jennifer Spinks on the relationship this image had with preceding instances of the ‘ Devil in Calicut ’ . 4 I make additional comments on how and why a misinterpreted image of a Hindu deity came to be converted into an image of the Devil, and emphasise how textual and visual accounts of South Indian religious practices were reinterpreted to more effectively warn and shock viewers,
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皮埃尔·波阿斯图的《神童史》中“卡利卡特恶魔”的物理化身
16世纪末的一幅名为《撒旦的普罗迪格斯》的木刻画描绘了一个魔鬼登基的奇特形象,他戴着一顶三层王冠,让人想起教皇的头饰。两名侍从侍奉撒旦,谈天说地,挥舞香炉,崇敬他的身体形态(图1)。这幅木刻被收录在1560年由人文主义作家和翻译家Pierre Boaistuau(约1517-1566年)在巴黎首次出版的《天才历史》中。后来的版本于1566年在巴黎出版,保存在墨尔本大学的珍本收藏馆。1该版本与1560年第一次印刷版的木版印刷品相同。”《撒旦的化身》是历史上神童的第一章。在他的叙述中,Boaistuau确定魔鬼属于这个世界,并提供了两个上帝为其暴政提供最大自由的地方:阿波罗神谕的故乡德尔福和印度南部的卡利卡特镇。2撒旦肌肉发达、赤裸的形象被描绘成一个半人半兽的混血儿,有狮子的脸,公鸡的脚,手用爪子,还有一条类似老鼠的尾巴或一个延伸的阴茎。这个奇怪的人物浑身是毛,胸部下垂,恶魔的头似乎从生殖器里伸了出来。撒旦张开双臂的姿势暗示着一种拥抱的吸引力,而从张开的双腿和下垂的乳房之间突出的头部则暗示着一个女人正在分娩。3这篇文章进一步研究了詹妮弗·斯宾克斯对这张照片与之前“卡利卡特魔鬼”的关系所做的研究。4我对如何以及为什么一个被误解的印度教神的形象变成魔鬼的形象发表了更多的评论,并强调了如何重新解释对南印度宗教实践的文本和视觉描述,以更有效地警告和震撼观众,
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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