In the wrathful vision of St. Gregory the Great, giants are denied salvation and will neither be resurrected nor gain salvation at the End of Times. Characterized by the sins of pride and arrogance, they resemble demons striving against God. Their transgressive character is manifested in their exagg...

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1. Verfasser:	Pinḳus, Assaf 1969- (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Artikel
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	2024
Schlagworte:	Geschichte 1300-1600 Wandmalerei Kunst Riese Literatur Runkelstein Europa
Zusammenfassung:	In the wrathful vision of St. Gregory the Great, giants are denied salvation and will neither be resurrected nor gain salvation at the End of Times. Characterized by the sins of pride and arrogance, they resemble demons striving against God. Their transgressive character is manifested in their exaggerated size and physical excess, which together signal a surfeit of sexuality and violence, as well as immorality. Consequently, they were perceived as doomed, to be obliterated. In spite of this negative perception, giants became objects of fascination and even admiration in the late medieval culture. They occupied a central role in numerous Middle High German epics, romances, and farces, and their images adorned both sacred and lay public spheres, including church sanctuaries, external town walls, marketplaces, fountains, harbors, river banks, and even private dwellings. In Middle High German literature, giants were attributed a specific origin: the Land im Gebirge—land in the mountains—a label that refers to South Tyrol and the area around the Elbe River, which crosses the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše Mountains/Riesengebirge), particularly the region around the German/ Silesian border. Little wonder then, that between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries, colossal representations of mythological, biblical, and epic giants dominated the landscape of the German-speaking regions.
Beschreibung:	Illustrationen
ISBN:	978-94-6372-885-0