Gosmer

A tympanum from Gosmer in East Jutland

is an example of mixed (if not confused) iconography,
for it is a glorious depiction of Terra Mater suckling lions -
except that they are horned like the Beast in the Book of Revelations.

Two ?hares (Romanesque symbols of lasciviousness)
or foxes, dogs or wolves (also highly symbolic) attack her hair,
which is crowned by a possibly feline head. This is the Whore of Babylon
as Mother Earth - or vice versa

Rubbing by Søren Nancke-Krogh, from ICO #3. 1974

Horned figures are ubiquitous in ancient art. Cernunnos was a Celtic horned god.
The horned Pan was transformed into a devil or the devil...(see hell.htm on this site).

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[added 2026]

There are other Danish sculptures in similar vein.

Below are six pages from ICO - Den iconographiske Post, 1-2, 1976,
containg two consecutive articles.

The first is by Jørgen Andersen, who suggests that at least some 'sheela-na-gigs'
are fertility figures, either pregnant or giving birth, in literal interpretation of Jesus'
doctrine of rebirth. These include a corbel at Retaud in Western France, and the statue from Dowth.

He suggests that the letter T beside the Copgrove figure stands for Terra,

and her vagina is the door into the Kingdom of God,
citing also the Cavan exhibitionist.

(Andersen, a famous 'womaniser', possibly believed this to be true).

He was of course unaware of the corbels at Santa Marta del Cerro (Segóvia) -
the male with very large, cylindrical penis and the woman clutching her pregnant belly:
the pair are evidently an encouragement to populate land ethnically and religiously cleansed.

This was the first Spanish church that I vsited after landing at Baracas airport, Madrid, in 1978.

The longer adjoining article by Erling Rump discusses 'Woman with Beasts'
a small category in Romanesque sculpture discussed elsewhere.

(click to enlarge the images which are 2000 pixels wide)

The Tree of Life anthropomorphised.