The association between the bat<\/a><\/strong> and the devil comes from the symbolism attributed to this little animal. We have already discussed this in an earlier post on depictions of fantastical beasts in gargoyles<\/strong>, but for now, recall that Origen of Alexandria (2nd-3rd centuries) considered the bat a symbol of heretics. In Poitou, there is a legend that Satan descended in the form of a bat into the middle of an irreverent dance, and the dancers fell one after another, killed by the mere touch of his wings. Bats are depicted in manuscripts (The El Escorial Bestiary <\/em>and The Oxford Bestiary<\/em>) and on choir stalls (Yuste, Poitiers). In addition the bat became the symbol of the Jewish people who \u201chate the light of day and love darkness\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Le\u00f3n Cathedral (Spain)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another of the creatures that has bat-like wings is the dragon<\/a><\/strong>. Baltru\u0161aitis says that the Far East is clearly a land of dragons. A drawing by Wu Tao-Zu (8th century) and a reproduction by Li Long-mien (11th to 12th centuries) both show dragons with membranous wings. In the 13th century, dragons were often depicted with bat wings and jagged crests. Men with bat-like wings were also born in these lands, as can be seen in some bronzes from the Tcheou dynasty (11th-3rd centuries BC). Most authors today admit that these wings were taken by the West from Chinese depictions of evil devils, not dragons, since Asian dragons almost never have wings. Besides dragons, the bat\u2019s membranous wings were also depicted on griffons, basilisks, hybrid beings<\/strong><\/a> and sea creatures, all sinister and demonic beasts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\t\t![\"gargolas,](\"https:\/\/doloresherrero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/G\u00e1rgola-de-la-Catedral-de-Le\u00f3n.gif\" "\\"\\"")
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