This essay studies the historical phenomenon of dog-headed men (cynocephaly) andSaint Christopher who is in eastern-orthodox iconography depicted as a dog headedman. The study argues that a symbolic and phenomenological perspective is preferredto understand mythical figures with “unnatural” depictions. In order to reach aconclusion about the symbolic meaning behind dog-headed men and SaintChristopher, the human experience of dogs and their role in our world is examined indetail to construct a theory concerning their symbolism. The theory is then applied todepictions of dogs and dog-headed men in religious stories and images as well ashistorical accounts to see if the theory fits the facts.The study concludes that dog-headed men and Saint Christopher symbolize a kind of“guardian of the border”. What it means to guard the border has different implicationsdepending on if the dog-headed man is depicted in a Christian or non-Christiancontext. When reading the story of Saint Christopher with this pattern in mind, thereason for his legendary depiction is revealed. The conclusion is supported bycomparing Saint Christopher to stories from the bible which symbolize “the rolewhich the border can play as a part of the whole”. The dog-headed men of history, thesaint and the biblical stories all reinforce the symbolism of each other, revealing thedeeper meaning behind the wild, peripheral side of Christianity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-225835 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Nesi, Alexander |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Religionshistoria |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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