Mitología Medieval

8/20/2019 Mitología Medieval

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B

easts and

Myths of the

M

iddle ges

Ashley MilletteAashish Srinivas


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Table of Contents

Medieval Mythology…………………………….Page 2 Medieval Tapestry………………………………Page 3

Pliny the Elder………………………………….Page 4

Medieval Heraldry……………………………...Page 5

The Dragon…………………………………….Page 6

The Chinese Dragon……………………………Page 7

The Basilisk……………………………………Page 8 The Phoenix……………………………………Page 9

The Centaur…………………………………….Page 10

The Griffin……………………………………..Page 11

The Mandrake………………………………….Page 12

The Stag……………………………………….Page 13

The Unicorn……………………………………Page 14

Robin Hood…………………………………….Page 15

The Canterbury Tales………………………….Page 16

King Arthur…………………………………….Page 17

Merlin…………………………………………..Page 18

Glossary…………………………………...Pages 19-20

About the Authors………………………………Page 21

Picture Credits…………………………………Page 22

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Medieval Mythology

During the Middle Ages, myths and legends were extremely popu-lar. Topics ranged anywhere from unicorns to the Holy Grail with

animal myths being of immensepopularity. While some of thesemyths portrayed strictly imaginary

beasts, such as the centaur, othersembellished actual animals, such asthe stag. These myths were notonly used as entertainment, but

also had various spiritual and religious implications. The unicorn,

for example, signified the unification ofGod and Christ. Although many of themyths have lost popularity since the Mid-dle Ages, some are still popular. Many

mythical beasts of the medieval age ap-pear in the Harry Potter books and mov-ies. Several others also appear in TheChronicles of Narnia .

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Medieval Tapestry

Atapestry

is any piece ofart woven on a loom. Themedieval period was veryfamous for its tapestries.,and many of the tapestrieswoven during this era in-

cluded pictures of beastslike dragons and unicorns.Tapestries were useful be-cause they could be easilyrolled up and transportedfrom place to place.

One of the most important tapes-tries of the medieval period wasthe Hunt of the Unicorn Thistapestry pictures a group of hunt-ers that are trying to kill a uni-corn. The tapestry also featuresother animals such as a stag, a

lion, and a wolf. Five other tap-estries, including “The Unicorn isFound”, “The Unicorn Defends

Itself”, and “the Unicorn in Captivity,” tell the entire story of the hunt.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Bayeux_Tapestry_WillelmDux.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/The_Hunt_of_the_Unicorn_Tapestry_1.jpg


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Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder

was a Ro-man writer who lived from24 to 79 A.D. He livedalmost a

millennium

, or athousand years, before theMiddle Ages, but he was

still very important to itsmythology. His book,

Naturalis Historia , wasone of the most important early books because it explained the ancient un-derstanding of the world.

Much of the mythology of the Middle Ages came

directly from the mythology of Rome and Greece.Almost every creature which is found in medievalmythology, including dragons, unicorns, and man-drakes, can be found in Pliny’s book.

Did you know?Pliny the Elder was killed in the erup-

tion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. He

was near the city of Pompeii whenMount Vesuvius, a volcano, erupted

violently. His death was written about

by his nephew, Pliny the Younger.

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Medieval Heraldry

Heraldry is the art of making seals orsymbols. In medieval times, heraldrywas very important because it was usedto identify people. Kings and knightswould each have their own coat of armsand hold them up during battles so thateverybody could identify who they were.Many of the symbols used in heraldrywere animals, each of which symbolizeddifferent traits.

Each kingdom has its own coat of arms aswell. The coat of arms of England has threelions. This coat of arms was created by

Richard the Lionheart . The three goldenlions on a black background represent brav-ery and strength. Most other coats of armsfeatured either animals or, less commonly,plants.

Other Coats of Arms

Bavaria — Panther and lionsScotland — Unicorns and lions

France — Fleur-de-lis (a flower)

Spain — Lion and a pomegranate

The Netherlands — Lions and a pair of wings

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Kingdom_of_scotland_royal_arms.svghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/England_COA.svg


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The Dragon

The dragon is the most well-known of all medieval creatures. It was the fierc-est of all serpents and the one which struck the most fear into the hearts ofmen. The dragon had small wings which allow it to fly. It was often shownspitting fire from its mouth, but somecultures believed that it spit ice or poi-

son instead of fire. The dragon alsohad very sharp teeth and tongueshaped like an arrow. Even though itcould easily kill a man with its mouth,the power of the dragon was said to liein its long and scaly tail.

A creature similar to the dragon is knownas the

wyvern

. This creature had only twolegs and was used in many coats of armsin England. The dragon and the wyvernwere both symbols of power and courage.

A Scientific LookThe origin of the dragon is not

known. Some believe that early

“dragon bones” were actually

dinosaur bones.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/H%C3%A9raldique_meuble_Dragon_%28wyvern%29.svg


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The Chinese Dragon

The dragon is a very significant icon in Chinese culture. It was once commonamong the Chinese to refer to themselves as “the Descendents of theDragon”. The Chinese dragon is thought of as a symbol of good luck andprosperity. It differs from the European dragon because it is never feared ordreaded.

In China, dragons have many powers, including ruling over the seas, creatingwind and rain, and protecting fortunes. They are said to have the head of thecamel, the scales of a fish, the ears of a bull, the neck of a snake, and theclaws of an eagle. Because they have the best traits of all the other animals,they are thought of as the most powerful creatures in China.

Did You Know

The dragon is a sym-bol of the Chinese

New Year, which usu-

ally occurs in January

or February. Chinese

New Year parades

around the world fea-

ture people dressed as

dragons representing

good luck for the year

to come.. Every 12th

year after the year

2000 is a year of the

dragon.

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The Basilisk

*An Interesting Fact*

Although much more serpent like inthe movie, this is indeed the seemmythical beast from Harry Potter andthe Chamber of Secrets !

The basilisk, one of the fiercest beasts of the Middle Ages, was known asking of all the serpents. Its name, which came from the Greek word basilis- cus , means “little king”. Although itis considered a serpent, its body re-

sembles that of a rooster but with thetail of a snake. According to legend,

the basilisk’s odor could kill othersnakes, fire coming from the basi-

lisk’s mouth could kill birds, and if aman looks at it, he would die in-stantly. Its hiss can also kill otheranimals. The venom from its bite was

said to make the victim fear water. It

hatched from a chicken egg and livedin dry places like deserts. The only enemy of the basilisk was the weasel,which could kill it with its stench.

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The Phoenix

Although there aremany myths and leg-ends about the phoe-nix, two in particularare famous throughout

the world. The firstgives an account of amystical species ofbird that lived in India.

Once the phoenix reached the age of 500 years, it would cover itself

in frankincense, fly to an altar, and be consumed in flames. When theflames would burn out, a worm would come out of the ashes and turninto a phoenix three days later.

The other legend gives an account of a purple and red bird born inArabia. Unlike the other legend, this one claims that it was only pos-

sible for there to be one phoenix on the earth at a time. When thephoenix grew old, it would climb onto a pile of wood and spices andbecome ignited by the sun. When it was done burning, a new phoenixwould appear from the ashes.

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The Centaur

The centaur was a mythical creature with the lower body of ahorse and the upper body of a man. The centaur supposedly re-

ceived its name fromThessaly horseman whoin warfare appeared to

be of the same body astheir horses. In modernliterature, centaurs areperceived as bow andarrow toting creatures

with a love for astrologyand future-seeing.

Fast Fact!The centaur can be seenin many childrens’ mov-ies including several ofthe Harry Potter moviesand the Narnia series.

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The Griffin

The griffin was an ancient half bird,half mammal creature with a lion bodyand eagle wings. Its place of birth isundetermined but most legends say itwas born in either the Hyperborean

mountains or Ethiopia. Many peoplefeared the griffin because in most

myths the griffin was portrayed as avicious animal who would take peopleback to its nest to feed its young. Thegriffin was

strong enough to carry an ox and could easily dig goldout of the ground. Its only enemy was the horse. Thegriffin was also associated with medicine and it wasbelieved that just one griffin feather could cure blind-ness.

Fast Fact

The griffin signifies divine power.

id you know…

The griffin is an emblem of theChristian view of remarriage be-cause they mate for life.

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The Mandrake

Did you know? The mandrake appears in various movies,plays, and books including Harry Potterand The Chamber of Secrets , Machiavelli’s

play Mandragola , and The Bible.

The mandrake, a common plant used inmagic and religious rituals, was thought tohave roots that resembled a human body. Itis said that when a mandrake is pulled fromthe earth, it shrieks so loudly that everyone

around it will either die or go insane. Toavoid hearing the mandrake’s scream, peo-ple trying to obtain the plant would tie a dogto it and lure the dog forward, pulling theplant out of the ground with it.

Fast Fact

The mandrake was the most popu-lar anesthetic of the Middle Ages.

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The Stag

The stag, also known as the deer, had many medicinal values. Accordingto legend, if a person ate venison that person would never get a fever be-cause stags were immune to fevers. If drinks were made from the tearsand bones of a stag,they were said to cure

heartache. Its enemywas the snake, and thestag would kill thesnake by drawing itout of its hole andtrampling it. Ironically,as in myths aboutsnakes, stags can alsobe charmed by music.To catch stags, hunterswould play the reed

pipe, which would put the stag into a trance, making it easy for them tobe caught. Stags could live for an extremely long time and would renewthemselves by eating snakes and drinking enough water to dilute thepoison. The stag is also a symbol of Christ.

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The Unicorn

Did you know...That the unicorn has several metaphorical mean-

ings? In some medieval myths the unicorn sym-bolizes Christ. Its wildness signifies the inabilityof hell to hold him, while the horn symbolizes hisunity with God.

The unicorn, one of the most famous mythical creatures of all time, playsa very different role in medieval mythology than most other myths. Theunicorn resembled a smallgoat or horse with agrooved horn sticking outof its forehead. Suppos-

edly, the unicorn was afierce beast that couldonly be caught by a younggirl. The unicorn wouldfall asleep in the girls lapand could then be cap-

tured. Most people be-lieved that the horn of a unicorn was extremely valuable and that it couldbe used to detect poisonous substances.

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CAUTION

: This is NOT a real picture!


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Robin Hood

Robin Hood, one of the most famous outlaws of all times, was also oneof the most famous myths of medieval times.Hood, whose exact origin is unknown, sup-posedly lived in the Sherwood Forest withhis “band of merry men”. Robin and his

men were known throughout the land asoutlaws who robbed from the rich and gaveto the poor. Robin Hood’s arch enemy was

the Sheriff of Nottingham, who vowed to im-prison Robin forever. Although there is notmuch evidence, some sources say that the

story of Robin Hood was based on real peopleand events.

Did you know…

The story of Robin Hood was turned intothe Disney hit, Robin Hood in 1973.

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The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales area group of stories writtenby Geoffrey Chaucer inthe 1300s. They werewritten in a very old form

of English known as Mid-dle English.

Each of Chaucer’s tales is

told by a person by about his or her life. There is a knight’s tale, amiller’s tale, a cook’s tale, and a wife’s tale, among others. The sto-

ries were very important to the mythology of the Middle Ages be-cause they were so widely read and discussed. They represent thebeliefs of people during the Middle Ages.

A look at Middle EnglishIt is very clear that the English of Chaucer is verydifferent from modern English. Here are some linesfrom the beginning of the Canterbury Tales:

When Zephyrus eke with his swoote breathInspired hath in every holt and heathThe tender croppes and the younge sunHath in the Ram his halfe course y-run

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King rthur

King Arthur

is a legendary Englishking. Much of the mythology of theMiddle Ages focuses on the adventuresof King Arthur and his

Knights of the

Round Table. King Arthur and hisknights often fight dragons and other

beasts while defending their kingdom.

One of the most important storiesabout King Arthur is the story of Ex-calibur, Arthur’s sword. Arthur is saidto have pulled the sword with his immense strength from a stone in which

it was stuck. In another version of the story, the Lady of the Lake giveshim the sword. All of the Arthurian legends are told in many differentways. This is because they were told

orally

, meaning through word ofmouth, before they were written down. Because of this, each person had adifferent idea of the stories and so there were many forms of them.

Was King Arthur real?

It is plausible that King Arthur was a real historical

figure in the 700s A.D. If he is not a real figure, his sto-ries may also have been loosely based on a real man.

Some say that he was the king that defeated the Saxons,

who were trying to take over England.

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Merlin

Merlin

was the most importantwizard in the Arthurian Legends.He is said to have used magic tomake the birth of Arthur. He is avery wise and gentle man. It isbelieved that his father was not a

man, but rather an Incubus,which is a demon-like spiritwhich roams the world.

The legend of King Arthur says that Merlin

was Arthur’s adviser. It goes on to saythat the Lady of the Lake threw Merlin in jail, ending his role in legend.

A Demon?The French Poet Robert de Bo-

ron wrote a poem about Mer-

lin, describing him as demon-like. He is more commonly de-

picted as a wise and kind old

man.

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Glossary

Anesthetic - A drug that induces sleep; often used in surgeryAstrology - The study of space and the heavenly bodiesCanterbury Tales - A group of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in

the 1300s in Middle English.Chaucer, Geoffrey - The writer of the Canterbury Tales . One of the

greatest writers of the Middle AgesDescendents of the Dragon - Name which ancient Chinese culturesused to refer to themselves.Emblem - An object or a representation that functions as a symbolEthiopia - A country in eastern AfricaExcalibur - The legendary sword of King Arthur

Heraldry - The art of making coats of arms and royal seals.Holy Grail - A dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper.Hyperborean Mountains - An imaginary continent which was lo-cated where Antarctica is now.Incubus - A spirit which can father wizards.King Arthur - A legendary king of England.

Knights of the Round Table - Knights such as Lancelot, Galahad, andBedivere who helped King ArthurMerlin - The wizard and advisor of King Arthur

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Millennium - A period of 1000 years, 100 decades, or 10 centuriesOrally - Spoken rather than written Pliny the Elder - Roman writer who died in the eruption of Mt. Vesu-

vius in 79 A.D. A lot of his stories were still around in the MiddleAges.

Richard the Lionheart - King of England from 1189 to 1199. Hewas one of the leaders of the Crusades.Sherwood Forest - A royal forest in Nottinghamshire, EnglandTapestry - Any piece of art woven on a loom. An example is theBayeux TapestryThessaly - A region of Italy on the east coast

Wyvern - A dragon-like creature without front legs

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bout The uthors

Ashley Millette was born on a sunny day in July. She grew up withher brother and sister in the town of Douglas, Massachusetts, whereshe lived until age 14. She then moved to Auburn. Shortly after, shebegan school at the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Sci-ence at WPI where she is currently a junior. Although she enjoys all

academics, she especially enjoys science and humanities. After com-pleting high school, she hopes to attend college and major in environ-mental engineering. When not at school (or doing homework), Ash-ley partakes in many activities such as softball and horseback riding.

Aashish Srinivas is currently a student in the Massachusetts Acad-emy of Math and Science at WPI. He was born in Bangalore, India

but moved to the United States when he was five years old. Hewent to school in both Framingham and Northborough, MA beforehe decided to come to Mass Academy in Worcester. He enjoys

running and swimming. In the future, he wishes to train for run-ning a triathlon. He is very interested in biology and wants to ma-

jor in that subject in college.

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Picture Credits

http://www.graphpaper.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/holy_grail_660.jpghttp://tattoo.about.com/library/graphics/mikewingdrag.jpghttp://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast265.htmhttp://media.photobucket.com/image/basilisk/AngelofthePhoenix/basilisk1.jpghttp://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast149.htmhttp://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Centaur.gifhttp://astalythe.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/kwhiteford_centaur.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Venice_-_Statue_of_a_griffin.jpghttp://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b826/images/griffin_up.pnghttp://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast1098.htmhttp://dic.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/77/Mandragore_officinale_fruits.jpghttp://www.iconart.org.uk/works/med_4.jpghttp://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast140.htmhttp://bestiary.ca/chimaera/wp-content/images/mandrake-root.pngOrior/1186282287_resunicorn.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Robin_Hood_Memorial.jpghttp://www.tkn.tu-berlin.de/research/trace/plakate/RobinHood.jpghttp://www.draconian.com/dragons/Images/Chinese%20Dragons/Chinese-Dragon-Green-17-large.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Nibelungendrache.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H%C3%A9raldique_meuble_Dragon_(wyvern).svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:England_COA.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bayeux_Tapestry_WillelmDux.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hunt_of_the_Unicorn_Tapestry_1.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_taleshttp://www.ibiblio.org/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/g-nature/images/nature04.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bedivere.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bedivere.jpg
https://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.draconian.com%2fdragons%2fImages%2fChinese%2520Dragons%2fChinese-Dragon-Green-17-large.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.draconian.com%2fdragons%2fImages%2fChinese%2520Dragons%2fChinese-Dragon-Green-17-large.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2f3%2f34%2fNibelungendrache.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aH%25C3%25A9raldique_meuble_Dragon_%28wyvern%29.svghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEngland_COA.svghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBayeux_Tapestry_WillelmDux.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aThe_Hunt_of_the_Unicorn_Tapestry_1.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fCanterbury_taleshttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ibiblio.org%2fexpo%2fvatican.exhibit%2fexhibit%2fg-nature%2fimages%2fnature04.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2f0%2f01%2fBedivere.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2f0%2f01%2fBedivere.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ibiblio.org%2fexpo%2fvatican.exhibit%2fexhibit%2fg-nature%2fimages%2fnature04.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fCanterbury_taleshttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aThe_Hunt_of_the_Unicorn_Tapestry_1.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBayeux_Tapestry_WillelmDux.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEngland_COA.svghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aH%25C3%25A9raldique_meuble_Dragon_%28wyvern%29.svghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fupload.wikimedia.org%2fwikipedia%2fcommons%2f3%2f34%2fNibelungendrache.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.draconian.com%2fdragons%2fImages%2fChinese%2520Dragons%2fChinese-Dragon-Green-17-large.jpghttps://exchange.wpi.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=a34f796b5d0141b8afdf5b8edfec2c7f&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.draconian.com%2fdragons%2fImages%2fChinese%2520Dragons%2fChinese-Dragon-Green-17-large.jpg

Mitología Medieval

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