The Iconography of the Mouth of Hell: Eighth Century Britain to the Fifteenth Century

by Gary D. Schmidt

This book studies the depiction of the hell mouth on church walls, friezes, in manuscript illumination, and in glass, as it was drawn from scriptural, classical, and Anglo-Saxon traditions. Illustrated.

Genres: Art History

234 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Gary D. Schmidt is an American children's writer of nonfiction books and young adult novels, including two Newbery Honor books. He lives on a farm in Alto, Michigan,with his wife and six children, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, feeds the wild cats that drop by and wishes that sometimes the sea breeze came that far inland. He is a Professor of English at Calvin College.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great exploration into the the history of the concept of the Hellmouth. Where the ideas merged between the battle of Norse "mythology" and the Christian conversion and how the device of the hell mouth was used as a conversion device and later a classic backdrop for plays and dramas. Outstanding!