Fantastic creatures of the Middle Ages: the bestiary and its wonderful animals

Of all the medieval manuscripts, the bestiary is by far the most fun. Medieval bestiary - a book about animals. It is full of unusual information and charming illustrations about a variety of creatures.

The bestiaries were based on an early Christian text entitled "Physiologist" and the works of Herodotus, Pliny the Elder, Isidore of Seville, Aesop and others. All these texts contained moralized allegories about animals and other representatives of the natural world. Thus, the medieval bestiary attributed some features to animals, and also allowed us to draw Christian moral lessons.

Animals may have positive or negative symptoms. For example, it was believed that a pelican pecked its own breasts to resurrect its dead children thanks to its blood. For medieval consciousness, this was a symbol, an allegory of the Resurrection of Christ.

The negative side was represented by a monkey. The absence of her tail was compared with the fact that this part of the body is absent in the animal in the same way as Scripture in the devil.

Most medieval Europeans, including the creators of bestiaries, never encountered creatures living in other countries, so they had no idea how such animals would look or act. It is not surprising that medieval images of crocodiles look more like wolves or lions than real reptiles.

Medieval bestiaries also include many creatures, which are simply fiction, because people did not have the opportunity to distinguish the mythical from the exotic. If there can be an elephant with huge ears, a long trunk and a massive trunk, then why not be a phoenix bird that resurrects itself from its own ashes, especially when it is a beautiful Christian allegory?

Medieval bestiary may seem naive to modern viewers, but its creators cannot be denied a rich imagination and express their admiration.

Each section talked about an incredible event, facts and animals. All of them were presented by the author as real. The reader from the book could learn, for example, how to behave if he suddenly met the ghost of a dead beautiful girl, or if a baby was born with the head of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, or if a girl was born, and immediately eight-year-old, at worst what to do if he managed to catch a centaur.

Damn not joking, maybe wild centaurs roamed the earth at that time?

Watch the video: 10 Bizarre Medieval Creatures (May 2024).