Medieval Creatures, Imagined and Real: Imagery, Depiction and Reality Concerning Medieval Animals c. 1100 – c. 1400 CE

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the European medieval perceptions of certain animals, from the twelfth to the fourteenth century (primarily in England and France). More specifically, this project seeks to understand the ways in which literary depictions of animals differ from the modern scientific canon in different genres of writing, including epic poetry, romance, fabliaux, fables and chronicles. The animals covered are the wolf, fox, sheep, lion and serpent. The central questions posed by this thesis are whether observation of these creatures was undertaken by medieval peoples and whether such observations had an effect on the depiction of these animals in literature. Linked to this is the query of whether an animal’s geographical location in relation to the writer has an effect on the ‘realism’ of its depiction. The results of this investigation are slightly different for each different animal, as anticipated. Geographical proximity of the animal to the place of writing has a noticeable effect on the accuracy of depiction, but observation is largely overruled by the following of literary tradition originating from classical and biblical texts. The aim of most medieval writings was not to portray animals empirically but in a means deemed practical or entertaining for the audience, so direct observation was not a priority.