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Christianity’s arrival complicated animal ornamentation’s meaning. The Church viewed some animal forms as demonic—serpents particularly were condemned as satanic symbols. Other animals could be reinterpreted—the eagle became John the Evangelist’s symbol, the lion represented Christ, certain birds suggested Holy Spirit.
The craftspeople adapted, creating designs that could be read in multiple ways. An eagle might be protective clan symbol to traditional believer but evangelist symbol to Christian viewer. The ambiguity allowed continuation of traditional forms while satisfying Christian requirements, the ornamentation becoming palimpsest that displayed multiple layers of meaning simultaneously.
Some animal forms disappeared entirely—those too strongly associated with pre-Christian belief, designs that could not be successfully reinterpreted within Christian framework. Others persisted virtually unchanged, their meaning subtly shifted but their forms maintained. The visual language survived even as its explicit interpretation was modified to accommodate new religious context.
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