SYMBOLS OF POWER IN THE IMAGE OF THE DEVIL IN THE ART OF THE EARLY MEDIEVAL

Abstract

One of the most fundamental ideas underlying any culture is the concept of good and evil, which is reflected, among other things, in art. In medieval Christian culture, the image of evil was expressed through its personification - the Devil. At the same time, understanding the role of the Devil and, accordingly, his image underwent various transformations: from an angelic creature to an animal with anthropomorphic features and a mythical monster. Changes in ideas about the Devil and his incarnations, exaltation or belittling of his power, testified to changes in the perception of evil in society. The thinking of the people of the Middle Ages is symbolic, in their minds, certain abstractions, such as strength, greatness, power, can be embodied in signs-symbols, such as, for example, a staff or a sword. Attributes of this kind could be endowed not only with positive, but also negative characters, which suggests the presence in medieval culture of ideas about the power of evil. Evil, as the beginning of the opposite of good, was thought to exercise power over various calamities occurring in the world and was personified in the images of the Devil as the Prince of darkness, the Son of Perdition, the Prince of this world. Such representations were equally reflected in the texts, both visual and verbal. In this regard, within the framework of this article, a study is carried out on the transformation of the representation of the image of the Devil, in particular, as a character endowed with powerful attributes, in the Middle Ages, the problems of the connection of such transformations with changes in society and culture are raised.