From Hermes Kriophoros to the Good Shepherd: Iconography and Meaning Changes of Ram-Bearer

Abstract

The images of men figures carrying a ram on their shoulders, the earliest go back to the Prehistoric Period and have spread since the 3rd millennium BC. They have turned into a very meaningful concept shaped according to the traditions of cultures in which they belong although they did not show a major change over time. The figures, was used within the scope of ritual in the rites where magic was performed, later turned into a political allegory, reflecting concepts such as the shepherd of the city, or took place in real scenes where rams carried as offerings in daily life are shown. In the Greek world, in this study, the motif, which was used as a political allegory, served a religious purpose in the later period. In the festival held in Tanagra in the context of a cult for Hermes, a handsome young man walking around the city walls with a ram on his shoulder as a representation Hermes, who was determined as the protector of the city, to be adopted with the epithet Kriophoros, and the cult statue of the god was incarnated as a ram. In this context, the iconography of the cult statue of the god, which was carved by Kalamis in the 5th century BC, became a prototype and its effects extended to Late Antiquity. The fact that the figure chosen for the new messages of humility and dignity that the early Christians wanted to convey is Hermes Kriophoros, who is related to the concept of "Good Shepherd" in the Gospel of John, is not only about the simple lives and protection instincts of shepherds. With this figure taken from the pagan motif stock, a connection will be made with the epithet Psykhopompos that Hermes has, and as well as Jesus can be seen as someone who directs souls to the afterlife and has the power to influence the destinies of people. Within the scope of this research, it is aimed to determine the iconographic and semantic qualities transferred from Hermes Kriophoros to the Good Shepherd in Late Antiquity, and to analyze the realistic or metaphorical aspects of the concept of the Good Shepherd, as well as figures carrying ram.

Keywords

• Kriophoros
• Ram-Bearer
• Hermes
• Good Shepherd
• Late Antiquity

Hermes Kriophoros’tan İyi Çoban’a: Koç Taşıyan Figürlerin İkonografi ve Anlam Değişimleri

Öz

En erken örnekleri Prehistorik Döneme dek uzanan ve MÖ 3. Binden itibaren yayılım gösteren omuzlarında koç taşıyan figürlerin görüntü kalıpları, zaman içerisinde majör bir değişim göstermese de içinde bulunduğu kültürlerin geleneklerine göre şekillenen çok anlamlı bir kavram haline dönüşmüştür. Önceleri büyü yapılan ayinlerde ritüel kapsamında kullanılan sahne, daha sonra politik bir alegori aracına dönüşerek şehrin/ülkenin çobanı gibi kavramları yansıtmış ya da günlük hayatta adak olarak taşınan koçların gösterildiği sahnelerde yer almıştır. Makalenin başlangıç noktasını oluşturan Grek Dünyası’nda ise önceleri politik bir alegori kapsamında kullanılan betim, sonraki süreçte dini bir amaca hizmet etmiştir. Hermes’e yönelik bir kült bağlamında Tanagra’da gerçekleştirilen festivalde, yakışıklı bir gencin kentin surları etrafında omzunda bir koç ile dolaşması, kentin koruyucusu olarak belirlenen Hermes’in, Kriophoros epiteti ile benimsenmesini sağlamış ve tanrının kült heykeli koç taşıyan biçimde enkarne edilmiştir. Bu kapsamda, tanrının MÖ 5. yy’da Kalamis tarafından yontulan kült heykelinin ikonografisi, bir prototip niteliğine bürünmüş ve etkileri Geç Antik Çağ’a dek uzanmıştır. İlk Hristiyanların iletmek istediği alçak gönüllülük ve saygınlığı içeren yeni mesajları için seçilen figürün, Yuhanna İncili’nde geçen “İyi Çoban” kavramıyla bağlantılı olan Hermes Kriophoros olması, yalnızca çobanların sade yaşamları ve koruma içgüdüleri ile ilgili değildir. Pagan motif stokundan alınan bu figürle birlikte, Hermes’in sahip olduğu Psykhopompos epiteti ile bağlantı kurulacak ve İsa da ruhları öbür dünyaya yönlendiren ve kişilerin kaderlerini etkileme gücüne sahip olan biri olarak görülebilecektir. Bu araştırma kapsamında, koç taşıyan figürlerin yanı sıra Hermes Kriophoros’tan, Geç Antik Çağ’daki İyi Çoban’a aktarılan ikonografik ve anlamsal niteliklerin belirlenmesi ve İyi Çoban kavramının gerçekçi ya da metaforik yönlerinin analizi hedeflenmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kriophoros
• Koç
• Hermes
• İyi Çoban
• Geç Antik Çağ

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