This image is of The Whore of Babylon as illustrated in Hortus deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg, 1180 CE. The Whore of Babylon is a Christian figure of evil that is mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The full title is “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth”. She is associated with the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation, which is probably the creature in the illustration. The Whore of Babylon is said to have committed fornication with the “kings of the world”. The Whore of Babylon is connected to the seven headed in the beast due to her international power. The beast with seven heads represents the seven mountains on which the woman has seated. It is also believed that the seven horns represent seven kings; five that have ruled and fallen, one currently in power and one yet to come. Mountains in scriptures are often representative of kingdoms; this could very well be the reason that the seven heads also represent kingship. It was believed that she has committed some kind of fornication that was a symbol of false religion and faith; it was seen as a lack of fidelity to God. The appearance of the beast is of a leopard, the feet of a bear, a lion’s mouth, and ten horns. The Bible says that the number/name of the beast – 666 – is a mans number indicating that the beast is a human entity. The number ten symbolizes the completion of a cycle and is the number of heaven, the world, and universal creation; the beast has ten horns. Sources: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-whore-of-babylon http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-10 http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-7 http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/revelation-13-beast/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whore_of_Babylon
