Depictions of the process of building the first humans were as varied as creative methods were. God is a sculptor in clay, a selfportraitist, a carver, a midwife, an automaton builder. In the illustration to the word Anima in the English encyclopaedia Omne Bonum depicts God creating Adam’s soul from stone, using a compass like that used by carpenters, architects or mathematicians.
Anima (soul) fabricated from earth James le Palmer, Omne Bonum (England, c. 1375) British Library, Royal 6 E VI f.94v