Willibrord predikt tegen afgoderij 1783 - 1795

This engraving by Reinier Vinkeles depicts Willibrord ordering the destruction of a Wodan idol. The imagery is striking: the bishop, adorned with a cross, stands in stark contrast to the idol breakers and the felled statue of Wodan, a deity revered by Germanic pagans. Consider how the cross held by Willibrord, a symbol of salvation, directly opposes Wodan, here representing the vanquished old gods. We find similar acts of iconoclasm throughout history, from the smashing of Byzantine icons to the Reformation's destruction of Catholic imagery, each marking a shift in cultural and religious power. This act taps into a deep human impulse: the need to dismantle old beliefs to make way for new ones. It’s a drama played out on the stage of the psyche, where primal fears and hopes clash in the form of symbols. These are not merely images, but potent carriers of cultural memory, constantly evolving as they resurface in different eras.