Front page of the Judgment of Tudela Cathedral
Punishment of slander
Punishment related to blasphemy, lying, false testimony or defamation, we see once again how in the Age average follows the idea of being punished in the organ with which one has sinned. Two naked figures appear, whose language are imprisoned by a rotating wheel of fire, which is driven by a devil who also punishes the sinners with a large hammer. As the wheel turns, the sinners enter and leave the river. In this particular representation M.L. Melero saw a mixture of Christian, Jewish and Muslim sources for its depiction, and furthermore B. Mariño pointed out that it is possible that reminiscences of royal judicial practices survive, since in the Middle Ages average convicts were punished with a wheel for slander and defamation.
Photo: Carlos Martínez Álava
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