Art in Crete and Mycenae

Lion gate (Mycenae)

   The islanders of Crete and the Mycenaeans of the Greek mainland developed different but related cul­tures. The works of art they created reflected their customs and beliefs. The magnificent death mask (above), found at Mycenae, was formed from a thin sheet of gold pressed to the face of the dead man. It reminded those who saw it of his likeness and served as a costly and dramatic memorial. The skills of the Mycenaeans are also visible in the enormous structure (right). Two lions are carved at the top of the gateway. Moles near the top of the animals suggest that their heads, now lost, were attached separately.
   To the people of Crete the bull was sacred, figuring in activities of religious significance. It was also used in sport (below). Here men and women are somersaulting over the back of a charging bull.

Loki (Norse mythology)

   Loki was the troublemaker among the gods of Norse mythology. Although born into a family of giants who warred with the gods, he became Odin's foster brother and was accepted among the gods. He was handsome, but cunning and wicked. Loki appears often in Norse legends. He helped the gods with their problems, but he also troubled and taunted them,

   His worst deed was to cause the death of Balder the Beautiful. As punishment, he was chained to a rock with a snake hung over him. The snake dripped poison which Loki's wife caught in a cup. But, when she left to empty the cup, the poison dripped on Loki's head.

   Norse legend says Loki must remain chained there until the end of the world, when he will break loose and fight with the giants against the gods.

Loki chained

Who were the Lollards?

   Lollards were originally a religious group of the early 1300's in Holland. About 1387, the term began to be used as a name for the followers of the English religious reformer John Wycliffe. The Lollards preached obedience to God, reliance on the Bible as a guide to Christian living, and simplicity of worship. They rejected the richness of the Mass, most sacraments, and papal supremacy. They denied that an organized church was necessary for salvation. Most Lollards were poor priests or laymen. They wore long russet gowns, carried staffs, and lived on what they could beg. Henry IV, who became king in 1399, persecuted the Lollards because their views disagreed with religious law. By 1420, their movement had been practically stamped out.
   The Lollards had little permanent effect on religious life in England, but they had great influence in Bo­hemia. There, John Huss was burned at the stake in 1415 for preaching Wycliffe's doctrines. One hundred years later, Martin Luther embraced some of Huss's ideas. In this way, the Lollards helped to pave the way for the Protestant Reformation.