Actually, this is St. Martin of Tours, cutting down a sacred tree worshiped by the Druids.
No, I didn't know this before. I had a hunch that it might be someone engaged in an act of antipagan destruction; and a Google search on "St. Martin" confirmed my suspicion.
Not a particularly auspicious image for a Walk devoted to religious tolerance.
Brother Luke is correct. The tree Martin of Tours cut down was a pine tree, and the one depicted here is clearly an oak. The tree Boniface cut down was known as Thor's Oak.
St. George and the Cherry Tree?
ReplyDeleteLooks like the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit from Revelation 22:2.
ReplyDeleteJeffery Hodges
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Except that I miscounted and failed to note the woodsman chopping the tree down.
ReplyDeleteOdd image...
Jeffery Hodges
Actually, this is St. Martin of Tours, cutting down a sacred tree worshiped by the Druids.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't know this before. I had a hunch that it might be someone engaged in an act of antipagan destruction; and a Google search on "St. Martin" confirmed my suspicion.
Not a particularly auspicious image for a Walk devoted to religious tolerance.
So! Not a biblical image at all, then. Thanks, Alan.
ReplyDeleteKevin
Actually, St. Boniface chopping down the tree (oak?) worshipped by Druids.
ReplyDeleteBrother Luke is correct. The tree Martin of Tours cut down was a pine tree, and the one depicted here is clearly an oak. The tree Boniface cut down was known as Thor's Oak.
ReplyDelete(Thus the Wikipedia doth make experts of us all.)