# The origin of medieval monsters



## Zireael (Dec 29, 2012)

As the topic says. The sirens, the centaurs, the antipodes, the giants, the pygmies and whatever else.

I have an essay on the topic, but I don't know if I can post the link.


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## Shockley (Dec 29, 2012)

>_> <_<

 Pygmies are very real and not monstrous.


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## Zireael (Dec 29, 2012)

Pygmies as depicted in Middle Ages bestiaries, legends and the like were monstrous.


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## Shockley (Dec 29, 2012)

You'll have to source that for me.


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## Gurkhal (Dec 29, 2012)

I would assume that Classical Mythology is probably a source for these creatures due to the fact that Greek and Latin works were to my understanding widely read in by the educated elite in the Middle Ages.


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## CupofJoe (Dec 30, 2012)

Gurkhal said:


> I would assume that Classical Mythology is probably a source for these creatures due to the fact that Greek and Latin works were to my understanding widely read in by the educated elite in the Middle Ages.


And you got an influx of the Islamic/Middle Eastern traditions in to Western mythology once the Crusades got going...


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## Gurkhal (Dec 30, 2012)

CupofJoe said:


> And you got an influx of the Islamic/Middle Eastern traditions in to Western mythology once the Crusades got going...



That's true.


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## Zireael (Dec 30, 2012)

Shockley said:


> You'll have to source that for me.



It was a book we read in our medieval imagination course. David Williams, "Deformed Discourse: The Function of Monsters in Medieval Thought and Literature". The pygmies are somewhere in Part II - you can skip pt. I, it's boring and full of philosophy, while part II is a discussion of various monsters presented in the Middle Ages.


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## Chilari (Dec 30, 2012)

Centaurs and minotaurs are Greek in origin.


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## psychotick (Dec 30, 2012)

Hi,

List of legendary creatures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This may help.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Zireael (Jan 2, 2013)

Can I post a link to my essay, which is a response to Deformed Discourse?


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