![]() ![]() There’s a great blog post from the British Library all about this subject! ![]() What’s the deal with all the snails in medieval manuscripts? Snakes and other serpents usually had negative symbolic connotations, often standing in for the idea of evil or temptation to sin (as the serpent tempted Eve in the Bible), but the bestiary also describes how they shed their skin as a lesson to people to be willing to cast off their old selves on the path to salvation. Those symbols were then incorporated into tapestries, sculpture, and other decorative arts that were part of domestic and public spaces. Lions were seen as symbols of nobility and power, so they were often incorporated into family heraldry. Where did the idea of flanking an entrance with lions come from? Rich folks had a more…varied diet for example, we know that King Richard III feasted on exotic birds including swans and egrets. We know of medieval people eating the same kinds of animals we still do today-beef, pork, and fish were common. Which animals were the most popular to eat and which ones were the most “taboo” to eat? See this example (below right) where Saint Michael fights a dragon in the main image, but the margins contain several decorative dragons. It was usually true that dragons were seen as “bad guys” and unicorns as “good guys” in a symbolic sense, but these animals also often appeared as decorative elements that had less meaning. I have often wondered if dragons were always evil and unicorns always a sign of purity? Why do medieval Europeans put dragons in a negative light in comparison to other cultures?īecause a dragon appears as a representative of Satan in the Bible’s Book of Revelations, and Christianity was such a powerful religion in medieval Europe, the dragon was closely associated with evil (see below left image). The bestiary talks about how the dragon’s ability to topple elephants by winding themselves around their feet is like how the devil tries to bring down righteous people on the path to Heaven. The dragon, as king of the serpents, usually symbolizes the idea of evil or the devil. What do dragons symbolize in medieval history? You can find dragons in Antique works of art as well, like this 5th century B.C. We don’t have any record of people finding dinosaur bones in the Middle Ages, but that didn’t stop people from believing in dragons. Was the myth of dragons created because someone in the Middle Ages found dinosaur bones? Then you can run away fast with the cub! We have some evidence of exotic animals being kept in royal menageries, but not much else to suggest that such animals were “domesticated.” You should throw a mirror at the mother tiger so she is distracted and thinks her own image is her cub. One of the most popular medieval legends was about how to catch young tigers (presumably to keep them). In this image, a knight and his wife lament over the fact that the fish who live in the moat of their castle have many offspring, while they are left childless.ĭid they domesticate wild animals like tigers or even alligators? I think I might use that the next time I get a cat! Look closely at this manuscript page and you can see Alexander petting his cat underwater! One pet cat name we know of from a medieval text is Cruibne (little paws). The most common pets were cats and dogs, but we also know of people who kept more exotic animals like birds and monkeys. ![]() What animals did people have as pets in the Middle Ages? You might never look at these critters the same way again. The depiction of animals in the Middle Ages can be both mystifying and captivating to modern audiences, and we asked you to share your biggest questions on our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages.Įlizabeth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts, and Larisa Grollemond, assistant curator of manuscripts, went to work finding the answers. Illustrations helped readers visualize familiar creatures and helped them understand animals they may have never seen before, but the bestiary also provided stories about how animals could be seen as symbols of morality and Christian doctrines. Illuminated images and descriptions of animals were joined together in the bestiary, a kind of medieval encyclopedia of animals. Animals represented themes and lessons from Christianity and were important characters in allegorical tales for example, elephants and dragons battled as mortal enemies as a symbol for the struggle between good and evil, while unicorns had a penchant for maidens in the forest, an allusion to the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.
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