Material Objects - Slow Looking at the Objects

My primary object is images from folio 17v-18 from the manuscript Topographia Hiberniae by Gerald of Wales which is featured in the Royal 13 B VIII manuscript collection (Royal 13 B VIII ff. 17v-18, British Library). The Topographia features details on Ireland and its people. The manuscript features three illustrations of a priest, natural images of trees and fire, and werewolves. It is 275x190 mm and features historiated initials in its Latin written script. The illustrations feature toned-down colours such as green, brown, and blue and the text features red and green ink. The manuscript dates back to the 12th century specifically 1196 to 1223 and originates in England. The illustrations in the manuscript feature images of the priest of Ulster and two married werewolves engaging in Christian funeral rites for the female wolf's coming death. The image features a priest in front of a fire who is approached by a wolf that seems to be worried, the next image features the priest being led by the wolf through the forest and the final image shows a wolf resting in an enclave in a tree while the priest gives it viaticum as the other wolf stands on its hind legs with the priest's bag around its neck. Throughout the story, the priest hesitates to bless the werewolf with Christian rites due to its monstrous nature but in the end, compels and gives the female werewolf her final rites as the male werewolf begs the priest for mercy and empathy. Though set in England my object still has a connection to Bisclavret as both are set in the 12th century and Europe in which there was a boom of hatred for werewolf mythology and both feature human-like werewolves different from usual medieval monsters. Therefore, this manuscript contributes to my understanding of Bisclavret as it shows how these two werewolves, just as Bisclavret, portray humanity due to their human-like attributes such as grief, concern for the afterlife, and emotions of pain and sympathy regardless of their monster appearance. Bisclavret and the werewolves in this manuscript prove that appearance is not needed to portray humanity, but actions and values are as they differentiate from classic vicious medieval werewolves due to their human qualities of empathy and morality.

My secondary item is an image from the folio ff 3r-141r which is featured in the manuscript collection Royal MS 12 F XIII, Bestiary and Lapidary the Rochester Bestiary by an unknown author (Royal MS 12 F XIII, ff 3r-141r, British Library). The manuscript collection contains illustrations and text of animals and supernatural creatures such as dragons. The manuscript contains a square-shaped image that features dark blue, lime green, brown, grey, and yellow-tan tones with the trees and ground being lime green. The image includes text underneath which has a historiated initial, the letter 'C' in blue, yellow, and red tones while the rest of the text is written in black ink. The script written in the manuscript contains a historiated initial which is written in blue, yellow, and red ink while the rest of the text is written in black ink. The manuscript dates back to the 12^th to 14^th century and features Latin and Old French text. Additionally, it originates in southeastern England. The illustration in my item features a man looking up to a pack of wolves while he is half-naked in a forest, seen only in his undergarments while the rest of his clothes are beneath his feet. Furthermore, in the image, the man has two rocks in his hand and is nearby a bird’s nest in a tree. The context of the manuscript is that if you were seen by a wolf, you will lose your voice and become mute and the only way to get your voice back is by getting rid of your clothes, becoming naked, and stomping over the clothes on the ground (Snell, 2013). Additionally, you have to take two stones and hit them together which will result in you getting your voice back (Snell, 2013). My item is set in England while Bisclavret is set in France and despite the geographical difference, they share the same time period, the 12^th century. Therefore, this item contributes to my understanding of Bisclavret as it explains the significance of clothes symbolizing humanity. In both Bisclavret and my item when both men lose their clothes, they lose their humanity as Bisclavret transforms into a monster while the man in my item loses his voice, a distinctly human characteristic and has to give up his pride and dignity by taking his clothes off to gain his humanity again.

My third item is a woodcut, titled the werewolf or the cannibal by Lucas Cranach the Elder (The Werewolf or the Cannibal, The Metropolitan Museum of Art). The woodcut contains landscape imagery of death and monstrosity and was printed in black and white ink. Furthermore, the woodcut features a village, a forest, and a castle upon a hill. The item dates back to the 14^th to 16^th century and originates from Germany, a time period in which witch trials were held against those who were found to be werewolves, specifically in Germany (Dieperink, 2012, pp.4-5). In the woodcut, there are disturbing images of cannibalism as a man on both hands and knees is shown eating a child while dead bodies and parts of arms and decapitated heads are thrown around. At the same time, we see two women in a house overlooking the gruesome scene watching in horror and shock as the man with shaggy hair and torn clothing murders everyone in the presumed village. As the title mentions the people who witnessed the murder ponder whether the man is a werewolf still in human form or just a regular human eating other humans. Bisclavret and the woodcut by Lucas Cranach are set in different locations and time periods which may show there is no connection between the item and poem however regardless of these differences both share the common theme of actions, not appearance defining humanity. This is seen when Bisclavret despite his monstrous appearance of a wolf has the defying human characteristics of loyalty, empathy, and love while the man in the woodcut who has a human appearance displays monstrous characteristics such as cannibalism. Thus, proving that it's your actions and value that display your humanity, not your appearance.