The Tares (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ) 1864

This print by Sir John Everett Millais illustrates the Parable of the Tares. A sower spreads seeds at night, unknowingly sowing weeds among the wheat, a biblical metaphor for the presence of evil in the world. Notice the figure of the sower, his face illuminated with an almost manic glee, contrasted against the seeds of damnation he spreads. In the background, Millais adds a shadowy figure of a predator, perhaps a wolf, lurking in the darkness, a clear symbol of impending menace. This symbol echoes through time, from ancient depictions of Anubis, the jackal-headed guardian of the dead, to the monstrous wolves of Nordic myth, embodying our primal fears. The snake at his feet too, has a symbolic weight, reminiscent of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a symbol of temptation and deceit. The scene evokes a dreamlike quality, tapping into our collective anxiety about the unknown and the corruption of innocence. These symbols, deeply embedded in our cultural memory, continue to resonate, illustrating the cyclical nature of human experience.