Page 13 of The Villains of Winter

Isa Herrera sipped her thermos and shook her head, straightening in her seat, before she raised a hand. “There’s no Holy cross, halo, or religious symbolism of the time anywhere to be seen on the painting. I don’t think it’s meant to be religious.”

Professor Hexley nodded in her direction, not a nod of assent, but a nod for her to expound on her rationale.

Isa expanded her thoughts as she crossed one leg over the other. “After all, Titian titled the work An Allegory of Prudence, perhaps he wasn’t ‘prudent’ as a young man when he was a dog, sure, instead, he was ruthless as a grown man with the mindset of a lion, before he learned to become shrewd and calculated like a wolf. It’s the progression of intellectual maturity as a man.”

Isa mentioned that the Latin inscription in the painting translated to: ‘Learning from Yesterday, Today acts prudently lest by his action he spoil Tomorrow[2].’

A young man in the back unwrapped a piece of gum. “It might be religious. Pierio Valeriano’s Hieroglyphica included An Allegory of Prudence with a serpent in 1556.” The young man, Callum Han, stuck the gum in his mouth casually. “I interpreted it as a temptation of men to sin when they’re young and later regret it when they’re older in age. Men spoiled their lives over sin and temptation in the puritanical framework of its historical time period. Think of the serpent as the temptation in the garden of Eden; the temptation of men.”

Isa remained firm in her assessment. “No, the serpent is due to ancient mythology more than the Catholic interpretation of serpents as an evil entity, there was a popular rediscovery of hieroglyphics at the time, specifically The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo. Instead, take Serapis for example–a creature depicted with the head of a lion, a dog, and a wolf encompassed in a serpent.”

Callum countered, “That’s still a religion at the time. Hellenistic religion.”

Isa pressed on with a note of perspective. “It’s not religious at all. If you look at Titian’s Self-Portrait circa 1562, he wears the same red cap as the elderly man, so the argument could be made that it’s Titian himself in his elder years. It’s not invoking religion, it’s self reflection.” Her point made Elliott’s head rise and he found himself nodding whenever Isa spoke, even though he didn’t know anything about hieroglyphics. Isa took another careful sip of her silver thermos, steam curling over the lid. “I’ve heard that the younger men are his son and nephew respectively, therefore, it’s not likely that he’s claiming they’re all living in sin and regret. He’s expressing the significance in their stages of life. It’s self reflective.”

Elliott agreed with her, and for a rare moment, he interjected in class. “Morbicus’s Saturnalia depicts a three-headed creature in a similar structure of the head of a dog, a lion, and a wolf. Serapis represents time itself, and it’s a direct reference of time, in my opinion.” Elliott explained further, “The Saturnalia pre-dates the Catholic religion of the time, so I don’t think it was referring to Catholic sin and regret in that sense. I think it’s a mythological reference to represent the passage of time in a man’s life. Saturn was the literal Roman god of time–”

Callum refuted him as he shrugged off his cashmere sweater despite the cold draft from the caves. “It’s more likely religious, it’s not about time itself. The Saturnalia holiday in honor of the god Saturn wasn’t a sex ritual of debauchery with sin, or a human sacrifice ritual with immorality, it was a season of offerings and gift-givings that later on became Christ’s Mass itself, Christmas, based on Jesus Christ. Saint Francis of Assisi’s nativity scene was in 1223 AD. That was celebrated by the later time of Titian, so it might’ve centered on Catholic sin after all. Catholicism permeated everything, including Titian’s work.”

A junior agreed, “Exactly. Titian painted Religion Saved by Spain to commemorate the Battle of Lepanto, and it was blatant religious propaganda.”

“It was political propaganda. There’s a difference,” someone beside Elliott rebutted. His comment broke out in an argument where a crowd of voices overlapped.

“Titian was pagan, vulgar, and violent. It shows in his work.”

“His paintings were violent and paganic, that doesn’t mean he was. Basic sense.”

“Titian had entire paintings devoted to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, not Jesus Christ.”

“Elliott?” A girl spoke behind his ear. Elliott turned, and she handed him a Band-Aid from her purse. His blood leaked on his desk. He mumbled a thank you, trying to keep his hands still and hidden beneath his desk. Blood smeared onto his pens.

“Don’t mention it. By the way, I think you’re right about the passage of time.” She sounded embarrassed for Elliott, as he had stammered and stuttered earlier. “Try to sound confident next time. More people will listen.”

Elliott didn’t think that was true, but he expressed his thanks.

Callum Han’s voice entered Elliott’s ears. “Titian painted the Crucifixion with Saint Mary and Saint John present in another work.” Callum repeated himself, “Catholicism was the widespread religion at the time. Why do none of you understand that?”

Elliott tried to get a word in edgewise. “Well, think of Plutarch’s Book III of Africa–”

“You mean Petrarch’s Africa,” the student beside him corrected. “Plutarch was Greek.”

“Right.” Elliott was worried he was rambling, he could feel everyone staring at him, and he tried to rush out all of the words piercing through his hectic mind. “In 1343 AD, Petrarch’s Africa depicts Scipio Africanus as the epic poem’s hero when the Roman General Africanus led the invasion into Africa. In the epic, Serapis is associated with Apollo–”

Someone behind Elliott groaned. “Fucking hell. Callum is right. Titian wasn’t a worshiper of mythology. None of this is mythology.”

Callum set his sweater on his desk, and asked him, “Alright, then if it’s not about Catholic sin and regret, then what is it about, Elliott?”

“I…It’s loss of innocence.” Elliott earned more groans scattered around the room. He impelled himself to press on as he adjusted his tie that suffocated him as he explained. Be confident. “My belief is that people tend to associate violence with youth. Everyone focuses on the mistakes and impatient tempers of the youth as a dog. The reckless sex. The aggressive rages. The careless freedoms. However…look at which are the most violent creatures depicted in the painting. The matured man is a lion, which is one of the deadliest animals in the Savannah. The old man is a wolf which is one of the most lethal carnivores of the forest. A dog is friendlier, affectionate, and in the painting itself the dog is panting with its tongue out. In history, dogs were domesticated from wolves, yet this is in reverse, the dog eventually becomes the wolf. Therefore…I think it’s about how one day as men, we are dogs that will become lions and wolves. From the pressures, darkness, and struggle of life, every man will need to become a wolf. It’s about how we become a danger to survive.”

Brutal creatures. Elliott bit back his words. How boys become brutal creatures when they become men.

“Interesting perspective, Elliott,” Hexley remarked. “There’s not a full-fledged carnivore depicted until he becomes a grown man. That’s a powerful argument. Yes, Brisa?”

A junior with the horn-rimmed glasses raised her hand. “May I ask a personal question, professor?”

“If you want.”

“Professor Hexley, why did you become a professor when your twin was hung at…the winter ritual? In the student newspaper last month, there was a mention of his death.” Every head turned towards her, rumbles of confusion rattled around the room. Professor Hexley had a brother killed in the winter ceremony? Professor Hexley was a student at Æscwulf College?