Images of figures in cloaks with a hood, carved into stone, are found in different parts of Europe. Who were these mysterious people? Pagan gods, monks, gnomes, spirits or some unknown creatures to us, the name for which was lost after many centuries? This fascinating historical theme has worried more than one generation of researchers of antiquity.
There are many speculations and theories about genii cucullati (hooded perfume). Carvings and clay figurines of these creatures are found throughout continental Europe and Britain. In most cases, it is impossible to determine whether it is a woman or a man, but one of the figurines found in the vicinity of the Moselle has a mustache on its face.
Another Roman bas-relief from the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
The Gauls portrayed the genii cucullati as solitary giants, similar to the symbolic phallus. And in Britain, cucullati were short and always carved in stone by three of them. The objects that these creatures held in their hands were also different: baskets of money or eggs, scrolls, daggers and swords.
Many of these figurines were found near the springs, so the researchers suggested that they were deities that bestow healing: “For centuries, people watched water and its power, and then composed myths and legends associated with it. Cleansing and healing effects were attributed to water. As convincing evidence, they cited the fact that sometimes these mysterious people were depicted next to Telesphorus, the son of Asclepius, the god of healing.
Other researchers drew attention to the small stature of these mysterious creatures. Waldemar Deonna, who wrote a monograph on hooded supernatural figures, said that they may not be great gods, but minor demons. Deonna claims that cucullatus is a gnome.
Hooded Trinity with Deity, Corinium Museum, Cirencester.
But even this assumption did not put the final point in the investigation. On two British bas-reliefs, cucullati were depicted next to the mother goddess. Perhaps they were protectors at every stage of human life - birth, maturation, death and afterlife. These may not be people, but hooded snakes, cobras, symbols of fertility in early Indo-European religions. It is also possible to draw parallels with the ancient Egyptian uraeus, the symbol of the pharaohs, and its sacred cobra.
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In short, the mystery of the hooded figurines has not yet been solved, and these unusual people in cloaks - an important part of the European heritage - simply refuse to reveal their ancient secrets.
Author: Elena Muravyova