Dear Pastor Roger,
The Sheila na gig is interesting . . .
Symbols like that can endure and do endure in Christian contexts, having lost their earlier pagan meaning - but I'm not familiar with this by any stretch of the imagination.
In Ukrainian, there are even a number of words that are descended from the names of pagan gods.
For example, the word for "danger" is "nebezpeka."
It means, in essence, "Not without Pek."
And "Pek" was a vicious house-guardian god of the pagan Ruthenians, the guardian of the hearth (as was "Tsur.")
Ancient curses, also repeated today by people who don't realize what they're saying, mentions these gods.
So "Not without Pek" means that there is danger involved somewhere . . .
Also, we often say that "the wind is walking" "Viter prykhodit." And this is from the time when the god of wind was honoured etc.
Interestingly enough, even Old Testament symbolism of a more curious sort has been adopted by the East Slavs.
It is traditional to wear a bronze neck baptismal cross, and this commemorates the bronze serpent that was raised on a pole in the desert by Moses, and to which Christ alluded when He compared that action to His Crucifixion (I have one that is both bronze and enamelled blue in accordance with OT tradition).
There is also the tradition of underlining the connection with the serpent of Moses by wearing, in addition to one's baptismal Cross, a small bronze snake on the same chain . . .
Also, we hear the term for Russian Orthodox Priest as "Batushka" - this is an endearing term for "Father" or "dear Father."
In ancient, pagan times, however, this was actually the name for the father of each family who performed pagan priestly rituals at the hearth in the home . . .
So you are a Baptist Batushka . . .or a "Baptushka?"
Alex
