mirrored file at http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== HERSTORY *"Sheila Who?"* *Until recently, Sheela Na Gigs have received little recognition, much less appreciation. The name alone necessitates repetition, a spell-check, and finds no place in classic reference material. So who is she, this "Sheila so-and-so"? The following review offers an introduction to the "somewhat known" facts of these stone carvings. The surface theories of their origin and function are just that, superficial; however, deeper theories are emerging, as this site will illuminate. Leaving theoretical discussion until the end, perhaps it is best to begin with the simple facts. What is the Sheela Na Gig, and where is she found? * *FEATURES* *To begin with, the Sheela Na Gig is a stone carving. Though there is record of wooden Sheelas having existed, (as evidenced by the order to destroy them, circa 1670 c.e.), nothing but the stone Sheela has survived. These carvings are on rectangular stone blocks ranging in size from forty to sixty centimeters in height, with the width being half that. Though some Sheelas are carved in high or low relief, and some in false relief, a few are created by incised lines. Some are roughly crafted while others are meticulously carved pieces. * *As works of art, Sheelas are not meant to be representational or realistic, but are carved in a tradition of the symbolic. Though each Sheela is uniquely patterned, the common, defining element of the Sheela Na Gig is its representation of a hagiocentric figure who is focusing attention (by deliberate gesture) on her vulva. Her characteristics consist of some combination of the following features:* * Herculean shoulders * bulging eyes * emaciated ribs * striations on cheeks, brows * over-sized head * baldness * depleted breasts * a gaping mouth * grimacing teeth * ears at right angles to head *The pose of the Sheela Na Gig is not limited; there are squatting, standing, and reclining Sheelas. The majority have both arms reaching towards the pudendum (vulval area). However, they vary as to whether their arms pass in front of or behind the legs, whether the hands actually touch the vulva, and whether one arm perhaps gestures elsewhere (such as towards an ear). There are a few examples of the Sheela whose both arms are raised; in some of these cases she weilds a round object (such as a chakram), in others a sword-like object. In all cases, however, the legs are spread to some degree to expose the pudendum, though whether the heels touch or not is arbitrary.* *In times past, there has been a deliberate effort to depict the Sheela Na Gig as ugly, grotesque and hideous. While it is true that Sheela Na Gigs blatantly defy the Western locators of the feminine in youth, beauty, passivity, and frigidity, it is a superficial interpretation and a categorical mistake to contain the Sheela Na Gig within such a limited consciousness. The Sheela, conceived in symbolic imagery, leaves nothing to chance, including her physical resemblance to death and her exaggerated reference to the birth canal.* *LOCATIONS AND DATES* *The location of the Sheela Na Gig today is not substantial evidence to prove theories of her origin. The large majority of the sculptures are not in their original location as they have been relocated over the centuries. Thus, there are two obvious types of Sheelas: one which is located on the primary site as evidenced by her being situated within a larger architectural motif; and another which indicates the location as a secondary site as evidenced by the differentiated stone types, non-reflective architectural motifs, and folklore regarding original locations. To begin with, the country in which they are found often defines the type of Sheela location:* * *Ireland has the widest variety of Sheela locations, including church ruins, monastic ruins, castle keystones, window lintels, round towers, town walls, gateways, and pillars; * * *In England almost every Sheela is found on the property of a church or abbey; * * *In France and Spain nearly all Sheelas are found /in situ/ among the Normanesque architecture of a church.* *In the latter cases of the obvious Normanesque containment, the theory of the Sheelas' origin is confined to the Western academic categorization of the Sheela as beging but a subset of Norman exhibitionist figures. However, the use of the Sheela figure in this context does not explain the Sheelas' origin, nor can it be used as evidence of a Continental origin which was then transplanted to the British Isles. (In fact, the reverse is as easily theorized.)* *Overall, dates can be ascertained for particular carvings as per their physical context, but since no definitive location can be named for the relocated Sheela figure, no date can be surmised for the origination of some figures. As for the datable Sheela carvings, an assessment of the buildings on which they appear marks the range as being from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries. The oldest of these buildings in Ireland are the convent ruins in Athlone, and the monastic ruins of Killinaboy (both c. 1200). The Sheelas' location on Irish castles marks an age of Irish revitalism beginning in the mid-1500's (Ballinderry Castle), and reaches over a full century (Moate Castle, 1649). However, these Sheelas were often relocated to the castle from elsewhere and thus their current location can only indicate a presence of, and not a creation of, the Sheela at that time.* *The condition of the Sheela carving is, of course, relevant to the location. However, those Sheelas preserved from the elements (i.e., located on interior walls), do not necessarily indicate a finer relic; unfortunately, due to religio-mysogynistic attitudes, many have not escaped disfigurement. Destruction of the Sheelas, at least in Ireland, began in the 1600's with provisional statutes ordering parish priests to hide any Sheela Na Gig. Some Sheelas, unable to be dislocated, have thus met with vandalism instead. Thus, figures which have been recovered from the depths of a burial ground (hiding place) may actually be better preserved. But between the elements and vandalism, the condition of the Sheela is nebulous. Fortunately, thirteen are now housed in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, and as many are scattered throughout other museums in Ireland and England. (See the maps of Ireland and England for locations of these museums.)* *THEORIES OF ORIGIN AND FUNCTION* *The enchantment of the Sheela Na Gig phenomenon lies in the mystery of origin; their purpose, primary location and artisanship remain in the category of the Unknown Feminine, this being, perhaps, the category of Feminine Knowing. The Ur-Sheelas (prototypes), may be understood as evidence of the Wisdom Mysteries, thus formulating a theory from the gynecentric perspective. Purely academic theories are often dedicated to the superficial evidence of a Normanesque origin (i.e., the Sheela being from France and Spain, circa twelfth century, c.e.). Friction between the two theoretical positions, the gynecentric and the phallocentric, reflects the essential differences between the conventions of gynecentric expansiveness and patriarchal limitations.* *Upon investigation of current theories as to why the Sheela phenomenon may have developed, several are immediately dismissable. The first of these is the theory that Sheelas are "fertility figures." The attempt to locate the Sheela within the category of the Goddess figures of fertility and reproduction (such as those with rounded bellies and enlarged breasts), simply fails due to physical evidence alone. Among the folklore surrounding the Sheela, the theme of fertility seems to be a recent addition.* *Indeed, while the most obvious place to look for the function of the Sheela might be in folklore, there are no significant sources of sufficient antiquity to provide such insight. Thus, when left to the phallocentric paradigm, the second theory of the origin of the Sheela arises, this being the comparison of the Irish Sheela to the Continental (Exhibitionist) Sheela. However, as stated earlier, one cannot confuse the exhibitionist function and its purely christian origin with the unknown function of the pre-phallochristic Sheela.* *As the starting point for a third theory of the Sheelas' origins, her multitudinous names might at first appear to offer hope. However, as seen in the following list of her names in various settings, it becomes evident that, once again, the naming is a comparatively recent addition and is again a reflection of phallogocentric misgivings towards the Feminine Unknown: * * *Devil Stone * * *the Idol * * *the Evil Eye Stone * * *Hag of the Castle * * *The Witch* *Even her common name today, "Sheela na Gig," reflects some negativity, though the Gaelic root has uncertain translations. /Sighle na gCioch/ means "the old hag of the breasts," and another version, /Sile-ina-Giob/ means "an old woman on her hunkers." * *A SHEELA BY ANY OTHER NAME...* *What, then, is the function of the Ur-Sheela? While some Sheelas to this day are considered sacred sites and are still incorporated into personal pilgrimages and ritual, there remain no "facts" regarding their function. Is any theory, then, simply conjecture, a hope-filled fantasy inspired by the "new age" revalorization of the feminine? So some would say. But there are those who would say no, that the function of the Sheela is recoverable, that her veils yeild to the Knowing eye. There are those who would say that the Sheela Na Gig is the path to the mystery of life as she invites one to re-enter the birth canal into a knowing of death. And, that by eliminating the fear of death, one is released from the lower consciousness drives. Thus, the Sheela Na Gig is an iconistic representation of higher consciouness, wholly accessible through the contemplation of her nature; the Sheela Na Gig can be understood as a source for conscious regeneration through death and rebirth. So some would say. And Know. * Link to Home You are here: HerstoryLink to Photos Link to Maps Link to Weblinks *Jill Louise Schubert Site updated: October 7, 2000 Available for contact at: jillschubert at charter.net *