Two crosiers opposite each other on the lower part of a pillar in Locmariaquer.
Two crosiers opposite each other on the lower part of a pillar in Locmariaquer.
The crosier, a simple, repetitive motif, often evokes the first shepherds' crook and symbolizes the 'gentle' control of humans over animals (and in a wider sense, the 'political' power of human beings over other humans).
The crosier symbol first appeared in the early Neolithic period. It was used in many civilizations (in Egypt or in ancient Rome for instance). In the Christian world, it led to the notions of 'Good Shepherd' and the bishop's crosier.
Isolated crosiers are not frequent on Armorican megaliths. Most of the time, several were represented together, either back to back or one above the other (with reversed curves). This pattern was followed even in the most complicated decorations, where patterns were symmetrical (the slab of the Table-des-Marchands in Locmariaquer for instance).
The elaborate association of the crosier and the axe motif is visible in old carvings like the ceiling of the Table-des-Marchands, but is not always clearly identifiable in later ones, like the 'beak' on top of the 'shield' on the Roudouallec menhir.