4, 11, 18 NOVEMBRE, ORE 10-132 DICEMBRE, ORE 10-13

9, 16 DICEMBRE, ORE 11-13

Circonvallazione Tiburtina, 4Ex Poste scalo San Lorenzo

Ciclo di lezioni a valere come tirocinio (2 cfu)

ANIMAL SYMBOLISM IN THE RELIGIOUS IMAGERY

WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE NEAR EAST AND THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

Docente responsabile Prof. Raffaele Torella

Docenti:Prof.ssa Małgorzata Sacha (Università Jagiellonica di Cracovia)

Dott.ssa Chiara Policardi (Sapienza Università di Roma)

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

Ciclo di lezioni a valere come tirocinio (2 cfu)

ANIMAL SYMBOLISM IN THE RELIGIOUS IMAGERY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE NEAR EAST

AND THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

(DOCENTE RESPONSABILE: PROF. RAFFAELE TORELLA)

Orari (da confermare)4, 11, 18 novembre, 2 dicembre, ore 10-13 (aula 104 ex-Poste)

9, 16 dicembre, ore 11-13 (aula da definire)

Docenti:Prof.ssa Małgorzata Sacha (Docente presso l’Università Jagiellonica di Cracovia; attualmente Visiting Professor presso l’ISO, Sapienza)Dott.ssa Chiara Policardi (Dottoranda in Civiltà dell’Asia e dell’Africa, Sapienza)

Course objectivesThe aim of this course is to provide a broad insight into the symbolism of animals and, especially, into the phenomenon of therianthropy and theriomorphism in the religions of the Near East, Europe and the Indian subcontinent. The starting point to discussion will be the issue of animal symbolism in prehistory, the ancient cultures and religions of the Near East and Europe. The most prominent mythical and animal figures, like the animal guardian, trickster etc. will be discussed in the light of the contemporary methodological discourse on the comparative religion and iconology. The complexity of animal symbolism and their religious functions in India will be exemplified by the yoginī cults.

Learning outcome: After completing the course students will be able to systematically reflect up on contemporary theories concerning religious symbolism of animals, their cults and functions in various pantheons. Students will gain awareness of proposed methodologies for studying the cultural and religious phenomena.

Knowledge: After completing the course, students will have knowledge of complex issues connected with the symbolism of animals in Indian and other religions.

Skills: After completing the course, students will be able to discuss and conduct their own research in the area of phenomenology of theriomorphism and therianthropy.

Delivery length: 16 hours

Number of ECTS credits allocated: 2

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

SYLLABUS

PArt I: AnImALS And hUmAnS: ArchAIc BegInnIngS

(małgorzata SAchA)

1. the (hUmAn -) AnImAL StUdIeS. AnImALS In the hUmAn cULtUreS

2. AnImALS In hUmAn mIndS: lessons from ontogenesis3. AnImALS In dreAmS

4. Archaeozoology And the paleolithic ShAmAnISm

Bibliography

Akhtar, S. and V. D. Volkan (eds.) (2014) Cultural Zoo: Animals in the Human Mind and its Sublimation, London: Karnac Books.

Harvey, G. and R. J. Wallis (2007) Historical Dictionary of Shamanism. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.

Ingold, T. (ed.) (1994, 1988) What is an Animal?, London and New York: Routledge.Lewis-Williams, D. (2002) The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art,

London: Thames and Hudson.Manning, A. and J. Serpell (1994) Animals and Human Society. Changing Perspectives,

London: Routledge.Preece, R. (1999). Animals and Nature. Cultural Myths, Cultural Realities, Vancouver:

UBC Press.Price, N. (2001) The Archaeology of Shamanism, London: RoutledgeRussell, N. (2011) Social Zooarchaeology. Humans and Animals in Prehistory.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Shulman, D. and G. G. Stroumsa (eds.) (1999) Dream Cultures: Explorations in the

Comparative History of Dreaming, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sumegi, A. (2008) Dreamworlds of Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism, Albany: State

University of New York Press.Waldau, P and K. Ch. Patton (eds.) (2006) A Communion of Subjects: Animals in

Religion, Science, and Ethics, New York: Columbia University Press.

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

Part II: therIantroPes, therIomorPhs, the anImal hybrIds

(małgorzata sacha)

5. the neolIthIc puzzle: the near east and euroPe

6. therIocePhals

7. bIrds, snakes, felInes and anImal hybrIds

8. aquatIc monsters

Bibliography

Black, J. A. and A. Green (1992) Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, University of Texas Press.

Borgeaud, Ph., Y. Christe, I. Urio (eds.) (1985) L’animal, l’homme, le dieu dans le Proche-Orient ancien, Leuven: Peeters.

Campbell, G. L. (2014) The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Collins, B. J. (ed.) (2002) A History of the Animal World in the Ancient Near East, Leiden, Boston, Kőln: Brill.

Green, M. A. (2004) An Archaeology of Images Iconology and Cosmology in Iron Age and Roman Europe, London and New York: Routledge.

Dexter, M. R. and V. Mair (2010) Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia. Amherst, New York: Cambria Press.

Pinch, G. (2004) Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of ancient Egypt, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sax, B. (2011) The Mythical Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Animals in World Myth, Legend, and Literature, Santa Barbara, California: ABD CLIO.

Varner, G. R. (2007) Creatures in the Mist, New York: Algora Publishing. Velde, H. Te (1980) “A few remarks upon the religious significance of animals in ancient

Egypt”, Numen, 27, 1, 76-82.Walls, N. H. (2005) Cult Image and Divine Representation in the Ancient Near East,

Boston, MA: American Schools of Oriental Research.

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

Part III: figuring anImals: the dIlemmas of comParatIve mythology and iconology

(małgorzata sacha)

9. to comPare or not to comPare? methodological musings on mythology and iconology

10. mIstress/master of anImals

11. guardIans, guides and PsychoPomPs 12. trIcksters, good and evIl anImals

Bibliography

Aldhouse-Green, M. A. (2004) An Archaeology of Images Iconology and Cosmology in Iron Age and Roman Europe, London and New York: Routledge.

Cherry, J. (ed.) (1995) Mythical Beasts, London: British Museum Press/Pomegranite Artbooks.Counts, D. and B. Arnold (2010) The Master of Animals in Old World Iconography,

Budapest: Archeolingua.Doty, W. G. (2000, 1986) Mythography: the Study of Myths and Rituals, Tuscaloosa and

London: University of Alabama Press.Gilmore, D. D. (2003) Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary

Terrors, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania University Press. Hynes, W. J. and W. G. Doty (1997) Mythical Trickster Figure. Contours, Contexts, and

Criticisms. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press.Johnson, B. (2000) Lady of the Beasts: The Goddess and Her Sacred Animals, Rochester,

Vermont: Inner Traditions Bear and Company. Krappe, A. H. (1942) “Guiding Animals”, The Journal of American Folklore 55, No. 218,

228-246 Published by: American Folklore Society.Mitchell, W.J.T. (1986) Iconology. Image, Text, Ideology, Chicago and London the

University of Chicago Press.Mitchell, W.J.T. (1994) Picture Theory. Essays on Verbal and Visual Representation,

Chicago and London: the University of Chicago Press.Mitchell, W.J.T. (ed,) (1980) The Language of Images, Chicago and London: the University

of Chicago Press.Moazami, M, (2005) “Evil Animals in the Zoroastrian Religion”, History of Religions 44/4,

300-317. Patton, K.C. and B.C. Ray (2000) A Magic Still Dwells: Comparative Religion in the

Postmodern Age, Berkeley etc.: University of California Press.Paulson, I. (1964) “The Animal Guardian: A Critical and Synthetic Review”. History of

Religions 3, 202-219.

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali

Parte Iv: l’anImale nel sImbolIsmo religioso IndIano: terIomorfIsmo, terIantroPIa, e metamorfosI

(chIara PolIcardI)

13. Il sImbolIsmo anImale nell’InduIsmo: anImalI sacrI e dIvInItà IbrIde umano-anImale

14. le cavalcature anImalI degli dèI e delle dee 15. Il sImbolIsmo anImale nelle tradizioni buddhIsta e jaIna

16. Il volto anImale delle yoginī nella tradizione śaiva

Bibliografia selettiva

Alsdorf, L. (2011) The History of Vegetarianism and Cow-Veneration in India, ed. with additional notes, a bibliography and four appendices by W. Bollée, London - New York: Routledge. [ed. or. Mainz: Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, 1962].

Dehejia, V. (1986) Yoginī Cult and Temples: a Tantric Tradition, Delhi: National Museum.Gokhale, B. G. (1974) “Animal Symbolism in Early Buddhist Literature and Art”, East and

West, 24, 1/2, 111-120. Hatley, S. (2007) The Brahmayāmalatantra and the Early Śaiva Cult of Yoginīs, ed. and

transl. by S. Hatley, unpublished PhD thesis (supervisor H. Isaacson), University of Pennsylvania.

Hatley, S. (2012) From Mātr to Yoginī: Continuity and Transformation in the South Asian Cults of the Mother Goddesses, in I. Keul (ed.), Transformations and Transfer of Tantra in Asia and Beyond, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

Krishna Murty, K. (1985) Mythical Animals in Indian Art, Delhi: Abhinav Publications.Olivelle, P. (2006) “The Beast and the Ascetic: The Wild in the Indian Religious Imagination”,

in P. Olivelle, Ascetics and Brahmins: Studies in Ideologies and Institutions, Firenze: Firenze University Press, 91-100.

Pelissero, A. (1996) “Il simbolismo animale nell’India antica”, in A. Bongioanni, E. Comba (eds.), Bestie o dei? L’animale nel simbolismo religioso, Torino: Ananke, 137-154.

Serbaeva, O. (2006) Yoginīs in Śaiva Purāṇas and Tantras: their Role in Tranformative Experiences in a Historical and Comparative Perspective, unpublished PhD thesis (supervisors M. Burger, P. Schreiner), Universitè de Lausanne.

Vogel, J. P. (1926) Indian Serpent Lore or The Nāgas in Hindu Legend and Art, London: Arthur Probsthan.

DipartimentoIstituto Italiano di Studi Orientali