Thread: everyone knows that medieval art is filled with snails fighting knights, but there's actually a whole medieval snail ecology and society, from snail-birds to snail-monks. And, ofc, snail-cats.
WARNING: this thread gets very very silly.
(Paris, MS. 62) pic.twitter.com/VDxqRya481
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
There are some strange illustrations and depictions in many medieval art and manuscripts, things whose existence we can’t really begin to fathom. In one particular instance, Erik Wade, a lecturer and medievalist at the University of Bonn found an interesting saga of snail societies. From half-human or half-animal, half-snail creatures to depictions of a snail god with its worshipers, these tales are quite amusing and begs the question, who in the world thought all of this up? And what were they on?
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(Image credit: Erik Wade/Twitter)
Ofc, the existence of snail-monks implies a snail-god, but the Catholic Church repressed almost all evidence of this mysterious being. Only a few depictions of the snailgod and its worshipers remain.
(BL MS Add. 49622; Gorlest Psalter) pic.twitter.com/38YISqLg3d
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
It is distressing to report, but snails were often hunted by medieval humans, especially for their shells, which made fine houses.
(Morgan Library, MS M. 461, fol. 78 r; BNF, French 22971, fol. 60 v) pic.twitter.com/Eri6XBagZE
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
Source: neatorama