The concept of a 'Mappa Mundi' or 'Mental Map of Creation' is deeply rooted in historic and religious contexts, predominantly Christian, and is associated with theological interpretations of the universe's creation. This intangible map, not physically drawn but artistically conceptualized, serves as a visual aide-memoire of God's creation as narrated in the Bible.
Envisaged by medieval monks, the Mappa Mundi is not merely a geographical representation of Earth, but a comprehensive view of the cosmos, encircling the Earth and heaven,}}\,}}
The Biblical Foundation of the Mappa Mundi
The Mappa Mundi is based on the narrative descriptions of the world found in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. It reflects the medieval worldview where the Earth was considered the navel of the universe, with Jerusalem at its center. The depiction is aligned with the Christian belief system, echoing the universality of God's creation.
The map is dotted with prominent Biblical sites like the Garden of Eden, Genesis's Mount of Olives, the sea of Tiberias, and the three falls or torrents of the Jordan River,Gate to Hell, Fountain of Youth, and the Terrestrial Paradise.
The Center: Jerusalem
The Mappa Mundi prominently features Jerusalem as its core. It underscores the city's symbolic role as the center of the world and the heart of Christianity. Here, Christ, the spiritual axis, ascends to heaven, and the Church claims authority, echoing the church fathers' teachings of 'In hierarchiam ecclesiae a Ierusalem'.
Jerusalem's significance is underscored by its position on the 'mountain of divine vision,' atop the scientifically inaccurate but theologically meaningful 'column' dividing the landmass.
Boundaries and Borderlands
The Mappa Mundi's perimeter is adorned with exotic species of animals, geographical anomalies, and mythical creatures. These borderlands represent the known world's limits, often rivered by the Nile and the Oceanus, demarcating the inhabited world. They're an expression of the medieval worldview's finite nature, superseded only by the heavenly regions.
Beyond these borders dwell the mythical races like the Sybarians, the Scythians, and the Andelibeans, further underlining the new-age explorers' presumed danger and allure. They served as potent metaphors for the spiritual challenges of uncharted territories.
The Cosmic Landscape and the Hierarchical Order
The Mappa Mundi's depiction of cosmic spheres, heavenly bodies, and hierarchies is essential to understanding its creators' worldviews. It manifests the schema of the celestial bodies, as understood by medieval scholars, and reaffirms the hierarchical order in the Christian cosmos, from the lowest to the loftiest, from chaos to divinity.
The map's upper layers include the Primum Mobile, the Empyrean, the Firmament, the Aether, the Air, the Fire, the Water, and the Earth. Each layer plays a role in the Great Chain of Being, from angelic choirs to mortal humans, revisiting the themes of creation and salvation.
The Waters Above the Firmament
In the Mappa Mundi, the waters above the firmament hold unique significance. They echo the Genesis narrative where God confines the divine chaos and Waters into 'the firmament' to create the 'sky'. For medieval cartographers, these waters were not simply part of the atmosphere but a theatrical backdrop for celestial plays.
The waters are marked with celestial bodies like the sun, moon, stars, and constellations. Their movements and arrangement are seen as divine messages, communicating the will of God, and forecasting Christ's timing of deaths and resurrections.
The Earth: A Theater of Humanity
On the Mappa Mundi, Earth is the stage where human drama unfolds. It's a tapestry of history and geography, interlacing sacred and secular narratives. The 'geographical' accuracy is more symbolic than literal, serving as a dramatic backdrop for Biblical history.
The inclusion of clangoues or distorted regions like India, Ain and Taprobana, or the mythical Porcupine Islands, with their monstrous inhabitants, further emphasizes humanity's curiosity and the terra incognita's dangers.
Indeed, the Mappa Mundi transcends mere cartography, embodying a powerful theological vision of creation and salvation. It's a masterclass in medieval art, inundated with spiritual symbolism, reflecting a worldview deeply entrenched in Biblical teachings. Hence, approaching this artifact requires a Shakespearean equipoise – navigating the byways of geographical fiction and theological fact, delving into a collective mind, where cartography and theology intertwine, and dance.