Animals in Medieval Europe

Freedom of Species

Sometimes if we take a look at how animals were percieved in the past, it can give us new insight into our perceptions of animals today. Join Meg and Trev to discuss how people in Medieval times in Europe perceived animals wild, domesticated and fantastical. We look at how the dominant paradigms of the times (Paganism and Christianity) affected how different animals were treated, the unique relationships peope of the time had with animals, how the different classes of people viewed animals, and take a look at human art from the Medieval period in the form of colourful depictions of animals in books known as Bestiaries, animals in music and also animals in stories and legends of the time. Can we say for sure that Medieval times were more brutal for animals than they are now, or is this a myth? What unexpected animal was closely associated with Christain divinity in the Middle Ages? How did people's perceptions of animals change as Christianity became the dominant religion? What animal pulled the Norse goddess Freya's chariot? These questions and more will be answered in this history based show. Gone Medieval podcast episode: Fantastic Beasts of the Middle Ages https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/fantastic-beasts-of-the-middle-ages Exeter Riddle 15 (modern English translation by Dr Megan Cavell) https://theriddleages.com/riddles/post/exeter-riddle-15/ Aberdeen Bestiary https://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/ Music by Ensemble Dragma from their album Song of Beasts: Fantastic Creatures in Medieval Song https://outhere-music.com/en/albums/song-beasts-fantastic-creatures-medieval-song Un Pellegrin Uccel - a madrigal by Paolo da Firenze circa late 1300s/early 1400s Una Panthera - a three-voice Italian madrigal by Johannes Ciconia circa 1390s Fenice Fu - a madrigal by Jacopo da Bologna circa 1300s Image from the Aberdeen Bestiary circa 1100s