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.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
WARNING: this thread gets very very silly.
(Paris, MS. 62) pic.twitter.com/VDxqRya481
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?
-via Boing Boing
(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.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
(BL MS Add. 49622; Gorlest Psalter) pic.twitter.com/38YISqLg3d
It is distressing to report, but snails were often hunted by medieval humans, especially for their shells, which made fine houses.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
(Morgan Library, MS M. 461, fol. 78 r; BNF, French 22971, fol. 60 v) pic.twitter.com/Eri6XBagZE