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Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

hyperallergic.com

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Re: Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

#4

Post by wickerman »

Although I understand the middle ages' worldview was entirely christian and thus tracing the evolution on the symbolic perception of animals would involve tracing it through christian authors I'd contest that to fully understand the origin of this symbolism one has to broaden the view a lot further than St. Augustine... 2nd 3rd century christian texts and thought emerge from a very very cosmopolitan world where pagan conceptions of the nature of reality (i.e. neoplatonism, orphism, chaldean theology) are mixing with the newly emergent jewish sect that we'll later call christianity, and even with new jewish apocalyptic and esoteric thought.

Re: Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

#6

Post by ariehkovler »

I'm not totally convinced by this. Some of the animal archetypes predate the medieval bestiary and appear in, say, Roman or Greek plays, or pre-medieval texts like the Talmud, or Aesop's Fables.

EG Crocodile tears goes back to Plutarch. Lions' association with Kingship is Biblical.

Re: Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

#7

Post by codezero »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #5

Interesting, I wonder why cartographers in the medievil and renaissence periods used to draw sea monsters on their maps. Was it for similar reasons as explained in the article? https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/can-you-spot-all-the-s...

My understanding is those maps were for display and not actual use by sailors. The creatures are meant to be fun and fanciful to the not so adventurous person who keeps it on display at their home and uses it to entertain guests.

I base this on buying a few very old maps. One with California as an island, well after it was understood not to be. Simple things were pretty novel in the past.

Re: Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

#9

Post by kaycebasques »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #5

Interesting, I wonder why cartographers in the medievil and renaissence periods used to draw sea monsters on their maps. Was it for similar reasons as explained in the article? https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/can-you-spot-all-the-s...

Did early sailor journals ever mention their fears of monsters? If they really believed these monsters existed, I’d expect sailors to write something along the lines of “we have entered the domain of the Leviathan. Everyone is on edge.”

Re: Interpreting the Beasts of the Middle Ages

#10

Post by high_5 »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #5

Interesting, I wonder why cartographers in the medievil and renaissence periods used to draw sea monsters on their maps. Was it for similar reasons as explained in the article? https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/can-you-spot-all-the-s...

"Here be dragons" of our age: https://www.bitchute.com/video/vAWcTGmj2ro9/
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