Folios 178v – 179r, Gospel of Mark

The symbols are in framed panels around a cross, with another, stepped cross at its centre. Interlaced snakes writhe in four T-shaped panels at each extremity of the cross. In the corner pieces top right and lower left, a chalice sprouts vine tendrils which are bitten by peacocks. Interlaced human figures are compressed in the corner pieces top left and lower right. In the one lower right, four figures stand within the confines of their frame, their necks unnaturally elongated and their heads hanging down in what may be intended to recall the Crucifixion. In the one top left are four men with red triangles on their cheeks, with knees bent, pulling each other’s beards.

Animal imagery is used throughout the Book of Kells as symbols of Christ to assert his divinity: lions, fish, snakes and peacocks. Snakes within the book have a double meaning. The creatures are usually thought of as representing evil in the world – as in the Garden of Eden – and are synonymous with the devil. However, an alternative meaning can be gleaned from the book’s serpents also, as they shed their skins and renew themselves, which could again represent the resurrection of Christ.  Peacocks, too, are integral to the decoration of most of the major pages in the manuscript. They appear at the end of text lines and in prime positions next to images of Christ. They are thought to represent Christ’s incorruptibility or immortality, due to the ancient belief that peacock flesh does not decay.