To trace the origins of Celtic art it is necessary to encompass the globe. Indian, Egyptian, Germanic and Viking influences are all possible contributors to the development of Celtic Illumination. He directs our attention to the famous Irish carving on a sarcophagus found at the rock of Cashel and which is now in Cormac's Chapel. It has, or at least it had when it was complete, a zoomorphic decoration consisting essentially in two monsters superimposed on each other, one turned towards the right, the other towards the left. It should be noted that the great beast appears to consume the snakes.
Similar decoration appears an many Celtic manuscripts.
These devises also feature prominently in the Book of Kells and from the 9th century, became very popular in Ireland. In Irish manuscripts a creature that frequently replaces the great beast and the pretentious worms is the dog. The appearance of the dogs is one of the major feature that distinguishes Irish art. If once again, we apply the principal that the dogs represent the monks themselves, we can now look into Irish Legend to further elucidate the appropriateness of using the hound as a symbol for the Christian Monk. In the Red Branch Cycle the boy Setanta arrives late at his host house.