Medieval Bestiaries

The book explores the animal world in the Middle Ages—its cultural and spiritual significance, the semantics of symbols, changes in how people perceived animals, and the importance of this knowledge for modern readers. Bestiaries, medieval illustrated volumes, describe unusual traits of animals: deer can live a thousand years, goat blood can cut a diamond, and a lynx is able to see through walls. These books focus more on moral and religious teachings than on science: the lion symbolizes Christ and strength, the bear embodies the devil and vices, and the fox reminds us of traitors. Michel Pastoureau helps readers understand how people of the Middle Ages saw a world filled with symbols and dreams that continue to influence our culture. The book includes an introduction and editing by Mikhail Maizuls, known for the project “Suffering Middle Ages,” as well as illustrations. Translated from French by Denis Golovanenko. The “Lod” project by AST Publishing House offers advanced humanities research, including philosophy, cultural studies, and anthropology.