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Sheela-na-Gigs or Sheela Na Gigs are grotesque figurative carvings of naked females displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings in Ireland and the Britain, sometimes together with male figures. An example can be seen at Kilpeck in Herefordshire. The name is an Irish Gaelic phrase for an immodest women, literally meaning "Sheila of the breasts".
Sheelas were first carved in France and Spain in the 11th century, and reached England and then Ireland in the 12th century, though the continental carvings are more likely to involve male figures. Such carvings are said to ward off death and evil. Other grotesques such as gargoyles and Hunky Punks are frequently found on churches all over Europe and it is commonly said that they are there to keep evil spirits away.
While some say that they represent female deities or goddesses, Ronald Hutton argues that their location on churches and ugliness by mediæval standards suggests that they were used to represent female lust as hideous and sinfully corrupting.
References
- Ronald Hutton, The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
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