Ten Strange Medieval Ideas about Animals
Vipers killing each, panthers and their sweet breath, and how deer cure themselves of illness – the medieval bestiary and strange ideas about animals.
‘That melodious linguist’: Birds in Medieval Christian and Islamic Cosmography
“Birds,” writes Albertus Magnus, “generally call more than other animals. This is due to the lightness of their spirits.”
Animals in Saxon and Scandinavian England
In this book an analysis of over 300 animal bone assemblages from English Saxon and Scandinavian sites is presented. The data set is summarised in extensive tables for use as comparanda for future archaeozoological studies.
The use of animals in medicine of Latin tradition: Study of the Tresor de Beutat, a medieval treatise devoted to female cosmetics
The Tresor de Beutat is a medieval treatise written in the 14th century. It contains a set of medical and cosmetic recipes aimed exclusively at women.
Animals in the Middle Ages: The Elephant
Here are ten interesting notes about medieval elephants
The Wolf Miracle in Magnuss saga lengri
The account of the consumption and regurgitation by wolves of a murdered man, before he is revived by Saint Magnus, is to be found at the very end of the series of miracles tales which concludes Magnuss saga lengri
The contribution of insect remains to an understanding of the environment of Viking-age and medieval Dublin
This paper examines the important contribution that sub-fossil insect remains can make to an understanding of the environment of Viking-age and medieval Dublin.
How Chickens looked different in the Middle Ages
A new study on domestic chickens has revealed that until the end of the Middle Ages they looked very different from the ones we see on farms today.
Seals and Sea Ice in Medieval Greenland
With a view to placing such developments in the context of changes in the past, the focus of this paper is an interdisciplinary study of the interaction of different seal species in Arctic/North Atlantic regions with sea ice, and, more specifically, the implications for the Norse settlements in Greenland in medieval times.
The role of goat in English medieval husbandry and economy
This paper presents a summary of an on-going PhD project that aims to re-assess the role of goats in the medieval economy and society of England.
The history of foxglove poisoning, was Edward IV a victim?
The history of foxglove poisoning, was Edward IV a victim? Peter Stride (University of Queensland School of Medicine, Australia) Fiona Winston-Brown (Librarian, Redcliffe…
Knightly Bird Vows: A Case Study in Late Medieval Courtly Culture
In the late Middle Ages, there was a series of instances wherein knights vowed upon birds.
What is an Australasian parrot doing in a 15th century Italian painting?
The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is a species of parrot native to Australia and eastern Indonesia. However, you can also see one in the Madonna della Vittoria, a painting made in 1496 by Andrea Mantegna.
Pigs and Pollards: Medieval Insights for UK Wood Pasture Restoration
In this article, I examine the medieval evidence for how pig husbandry functioned in wood pasture in England.
The Biennial Chaucer Lecture: For the Birds
In The Squire’s Tale, Chaucer draws on the genre of romance as a way into thinking about the cultural place of falcons.
How cutting off a horse’s tail was a big insult in the Middle Ages
Want to humiliate your adversary? Attacking his horse and cutting off its tail was the preferred method, according to a recent article.
Like a Duck to Water: Representations of Aquatic Animals in Early Anglo-Saxon Literature and Art
In the second book of his Life of Columba abbot Adomnan of Iona relates some details regarding the second and third voyages of the monk Cormac in search of ‘a desert place in the ocean’.
Do Animals Go to Heaven? Medieval Philosophers Contemplate Heavenly Human Exceptionalism
Beginning in about the second century C.E., Christian philosophers reflected upon the nature of human beings, our purpose on earth, and our path to the promised afterlife. In the course of these reflections, they considered our relationship to nature, and the non- human animals that share our world.
The Beauty of the Bestiary
Bestiaries were encyclopedias of animal life, complete with descriptions of the animals, their places in the world, and often their symbolic relationships to Christianity.
Hunting in Medieval literature: Satisfaction of Conquest or Thrill of Pursuit?
In this study, I propose that just as hunting moved away from its utilitarian function and became a method of self-expression, so too the hunt for erotic love became, in the medieval period, less about gaining a marriage partner and more about satisfying forbidden passions.
Top Ten Monsters of the Middle Ages
People in the Middle Ages, just like today, could imagine a very strange monster!
Why Cats were hated in Medieval Europe
Cats in medieval Europe mostly had a bad reputation – they were associated with witches and heretics, and it was believed that the devil could transform himself into a black cat.
Poultry and Predators in Two Poems From the Reign of Charlemagne
Poultry and Predators in Two Poems From the Reign of Charlemagne By Jan Ziolkowski Denver Quarterly Volume 24, no. 3 (1990) Introduction: Were…
Preventing ‘Monkey Business’. Fettered Apes in the Middle Ages
The practice of keeping monkeys and apes in captivity during the Middle Ages, mainly as pets, is well known.
Call for Papers: (Un) Expected Animals in (Un)Expected Places in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period
Conference taking place on May, 6-7 2014, at the University of Louisville, Kentucky