Abrac
I don't think those are stones to be honest. One's a hole in the snow left by one of his crutches and the other's a footprint. At least that's how they look like to me.
5 of Pentacles
5 of Pentacles
I don't think those are stones to be honest. One's a hole in the snow left by one of his crutches and the other's a footprint. At least that's how they look like to me.
5 of Pentacles
The man with crutches has a bell around his neck like a leper. In the 15th and 16th Centuries there was a massive leprosy outbreak and lepers were confined in secure units outside the cities. I would guess that he is a leper because of the rags and his lesions which were common with lepers.
In the 18th century, hospitals excluded patients with contagious diseases like leprosy, fever children and stds. These people were eventually housed in institutions specifically designed for them and from which the word 'lock' is derived. Loques is a French word for bandages or rags. The excluded were locked up and restrained and they were called Lock Hospitals.
Prostitutes became the lepers when syphilis replaced leprosy in the 18th century. There was a massive outbreak of syphilis and venereal disease hospitals were set up. The average age for a syphilis infected prostitute was nineteen.
This may be a prostitute and leper neither of which would have been welcomed by a church. A leper would infect the congregation and a prostitute would have been seen as unchristian and unclean.
I got this information from a book called, Prostitution and Victorian Society by Judith R Walkowitz.
Looking again at the image, it looks like the snow is falling so heavily that the foot prints of the woman are being covered up and it isn't a stone
caridwen, I like your hypothesis about a leper and a prostitute, but has it been conclusively established that it's a church? I'll admit it gives the impression of a church because of the stained glass (or at least something that looks like stained glass). But there's no Christian symbolism on it and Waite mentions nothing of a church.
What an amazing information! Thank you for sharing, Caridwen!
Hmm, lets say that its a stone indeed and that the woman is a prostitute; let's they are passing by the Church - Fives being related to the Hierophant/Pope and thus to dogma among else;
what came to my mind was: "Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast The First Stone" (John 8:7 ),
and , from there, the (hypothetical) meaning of harsh judging/judgement.
Does it make sense?
I don't think those are stones to be honest. One's a hole in the snow left by one of his crutches and the other's a footprint. At least that's how they look like to me.
5 of Pentacles
I'm undecided at this point whether it's a church or not. caridwen, your point about windows in churches not necessarily having Biblical scenes is well-taken. There doesn't seem to be enough conclusive evidence one way or the other. It's whatever it means to each person I guess.
Edit: In the end it may not matter. Since Waite focused on the casement itself, that seems like a good place look for meaning. There are two pieces of glass missing. Could that be a metaphor? Just as the glass has been neglected and lost, the two beggars, because of their rank, have been neglected and forgotten by society. Perhaps at one time they were "beautiful," like the glass.