The Magic of the ship and the sea in Minoan Crete: preliminary remarks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25145/j.fortunat.2020.32.35Keywords:
Minoan Crete, magic, ship, prow decorationAbstract
From the simply designed fish at the stern of Cycladic ships to the majestic “baroque” compositions of the 17th - 18th century and the wood carvings of modern times, the prow is connected, firmly in time, with a multitude of magical religious beliefs. At the same time, the presence of the oculus in the bow does not seem to have a purely decorative character, as the magical and abominable properties of the eye are known. Animal-shaped emblematic bows and sterns as well as written oculi seem to be associated with the supernatural and magical properties of ships over time, echoing beliefs whose origins are lost in the depths of time and are intertwined with the “animation” of the ship as a living organism with its own biography. The article attempts to detect the above parameters in the cultures of the Aegean Bronze Age and especially in Minoan Crete.
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