Pictish Beast
As a Pictish Beast is one referred to by around 50 slightly different symbols, as they are primarily found on the early medieval symbol stones of the Picts in northern Scotland. The figures were between the 7th and 9th centuries. What kind of animal is not clear.
Description
The symbol shows a zoomorphic beings. Characteristic are the long, beak-like snout rounded, coiled ends of the limbs, a long, dangling from the back of the head and as a Locke, a rostrum or a plait looking structure, as well as the most coherent, rounded at the end of the tail. The figure is shown often erected easily or completely.
Interpretation
Which creatures the Pictish Beast is modeled, it is unclear in view of the presence of naturalistic depictions of eagles, geese, deer, salmon and bull. Leave the rounded limbs, and usually as a "floating" action representation suggests that it could be an aquatic animal, such as a beaked whale, a sea horse or a dolphin. This would include the shape of the muzzle fit. Was Angedacht a ( floating in water) deer. Other proposals go in the direction of the representation of a legendary figure as the Kelpie or Each Uisge. But perhaps it is also the final shape of an ongoing over a longer period of artistic development which gave rise to an animal from an originally lindwurm shaped fibula. On the Mortlach 2 stone a Pictish Beast and a figure can be seen, which is similar to such a fibula None of these proposals was able to convince so far, the debate is therefore not complete.
Likewise, the meaning of the symbols shown on the stones is unknown. Come into consideration, among other things mystical, religious, genealogical, or political functions. It could, however, have also traded to a peculiar signature.
Occurrence and frequency
The database of the Pictish symbol stones of the University of Strathclyde lists 51 symbol stones on which the essence is shown. There have occasionally been discovered in recent times new pictures, so in September 2011. Among, depending on how you count, 30 to 65 symbols, it is one of the most common. The wide range in the total number of existing symbols is mainly due to the contentious issue which can be addressed as a symbol of rarely encountered individually or illustrations.
An evaluation of the University of Strathclyde found that the Pictish Beast, dubbed here as elephant, according to " Crescent V- rod " and " double glazing with Z- rod " the third most common symbol. Looking at the total of 13 common symbols, the result is a share of 13.5 %. Within the group of animal symbols, it is by far the most common with three times the number of images compared to the second -ranking salmon ( salmon ). In the temporal position of the Beast is one of the symbols to be used later. It occurs only on stones that are dated after 700 AD, frequently. In the ten oldest stones are completely missing. In regional terms, it has its highest share of the symbols on stones Class 2 from the combined area of the Regions Perth and Kinross, Fife and Edinburgh, with 10 of a total of 35 symbols. This is the southernmost of the area in which symbol stones are everywhere to be found.
In general, the Pictish Beast is a figure from the southern part of the distribution area of the symbol stones. Its main occurrence is situated between the Great Glen and the Tay, moreover, it is rare. The northernmost Fund comes from the Brough of Birsay in the Orkney Islands. An examination of the 40 best preserved pictures come to the conclusion that the origin of the symbol is most likely to be found in Angus or in eastern Perthshire.
Except on symbol stones still pictures were on rock walls so discovered in the caves of East Wemyss. The use of other materials has not been established, but only four treasure finds have been discovered from the time of the Picts. Of these, also a large part was melted down before they could be scientifically documented. Pictish symbols that were engraved in metal artifacts, show seven individual pieces, including three from the silver hoard from Norrie 's Law.
Other names
In the English language, the term beast, used in connection with an animal, as a value-neutral term for a free- living animal, especially a larger land mammal. A transfer of the expression in the German language as a Pictish Beast or Pictish beast is therefore incorrect.
Ever since scientific analyzes deal with them, the Pictish symbols are named based on what they represent: actually ( rectangle ( rectangle), serpent and Z -rod ( serpent and Z- rod) ) or at least with a high probability ( mirror ( mirror ), salmon ( salmon) ). In the Symbol treated here now revealed the problem that was unclear and what it shows. As a result, were and are, even if the neutral expression has largely prevailed beast, used as alternative terms. In addition to historical descriptions such as Sun Boar ( Sonneneber ), in particular the terms dolphin and elephant are common nowadays. In monographs this represents no problem, since as a rule is clear what the symbol meant. Difficulties can also occur in aggregated form. So the icon is titled on the stone kept in Thurso Ulbster in several relevant works as a beast. A work, however, it referred to as elephant and uses instead the term beast for the representation of another animal, which is so unclassifiable that it is otherwise than lion ( Leo ), dog (dog) or animal ( animal ) will be addressed.