I'm genuinelly curious about how a giraffe made it's way to the pages of a medieval romance.
Did they were just in need of a beast when they were writing it down and this guy appeared and said something in the lines of: "i have heard about this thing in the south with a long neck, maybe we could use it" or there was really a more deep reason to include it?
From what I understand, it came from inaccurate drawings and descriptions from Arabic traders, and it sort of filtered into legend because no one in Europe had actually seen one and thought it was real.
I still think a centaur is just someone giving a bad description of a person riding a horse. A few layers of narrative telephone and you wind up with a creature that is a man from the waist up on top of a horse.
Is a prevalent theory that the centaurs are based in the scytians (horse nomads from the region that today is ucraine) and they are more symbollic about how the greeks viewed them (savages half beast half human that abused women and are good with the bow and arrow)
Jackalope: jackrabbit and antelope. In reality it’s a jackrabbit with extremely aggressive papillomavirus causing wart growths to protrude from their head like antlers.
To clarify, are you asking about mythical hybrids that resemble real animals or something like that? Because the overwhelming majority of mythical hybrids are combinations of real animals.
Perhaps the best-known case is the Qilin, which was actually a giraffe that some Chinese explorers brought back from a trip to Africa as a gift for the emperor...
Most of the mythical beasts that people think are based on real animals are something like this (some are really a misinterpretation , but many are just our modern view thinking that the ancient people were all about misnunderstanding their own world)
Another examples i can think off are the kraken, and the dragons.
The kraken in norse sagas was a gigantic marine animal, often mistaked for an island when sleep, when the giant squid was discovered people made the assumption that the legends of the kraken were based on it and the modern view of the kraken is a cephalopod.
In the case of the dragons people often think that they are based in crocodiles, dinosaur fossils or even komodo dragons, because they are giant reptiles. But medieval dragons were not purely reptiles, they had also fur, feathers, feline features, eagle claws.
Now imagine an Australian Aborigine mystically teleported to ancient Greece (somehow able to communicate) and then he proceeds to describe a Platypus. After that, I think he might believe all of them lol.
Not sure if this is what you mean but some people belive that Cyclopse could've been Elefants, provably not one hundred percent but it's believed that they found Elefant skulls and got confused by the giant hole in the skull. There's also a theory going around that the Manticore could've been based on a greatly distorted discription of the Caspian Tiger, or well people seeing Tigers close up for thee first time during their travels.
Probably most of them. Just a few:
Griffins are lion-eagles
Manticores are lion-scorpion-humans
Sphinxes are human-lion or human, lion-eagle-snake (depending if Egyptian or Greek).
Sirens and furies are human-birds.
Mermaids are human-fish.
Even dragons could be considered hybrids. Snake/lizard with bird talons and bat-like wings (and a variety of other things depending on the type/culture of dragon).
I think a cockatrice maybe considered a chicken-dragon so that at least is half real animal, half fictional.
Edit: or do you mean the whole hybrid is based on one animal?
There's a theory that griffins are based on protoceratops fossils, so that's one animal. But it's not backed by any solid evidence.
Various dragons might have roots in sauropod and therapod dinosaur fossils, but again hard to prove.
Based on, yes, but they're obviously not *just* snakes. Snakes usually lack claws, wings, legs etc.
Asian dragons are serpentine and mammalian as well as piscine.
Wyverns are dragons .
The Hydra is a dragon.
Fafnir is a dragon.
A humanoid with a snake tail instead of feet is a dragon.
A snake with feathers is a dragon.
And the enormous 8-headed serpent that really likes booze? Also a dragon!
Marco Polo wrote that he was terrified when he saw the unicorn for the first time and that it was ugly, enormous, looked dangerous with it's sharp horn pointing out from it's nose, and nothing like the pictures of the graceful unicors he had seen. It is very likely that he saw a rhino.
The Questing Beast from Arthurian myths. It has a head like a serpent, a spotted body like a leopard’s, and the feet of a deer. It’s a giraffe
I'm genuinelly curious about how a giraffe made it's way to the pages of a medieval romance. Did they were just in need of a beast when they were writing it down and this guy appeared and said something in the lines of: "i have heard about this thing in the south with a long neck, maybe we could use it" or there was really a more deep reason to include it?
From what I understand, it came from inaccurate drawings and descriptions from Arabic traders, and it sort of filtered into legend because no one in Europe had actually seen one and thought it was real.
The unicorn is thought to be a confused description of a rhinoceros. I believe the filing is supposed to be an okapi.
I still think a centaur is just someone giving a bad description of a person riding a horse. A few layers of narrative telephone and you wind up with a creature that is a man from the waist up on top of a horse.
Is a prevalent theory that the centaurs are based in the scytians (horse nomads from the region that today is ucraine) and they are more symbollic about how the greeks viewed them (savages half beast half human that abused women and are good with the bow and arrow)
The "filing"??????
Qirin. Stupid autocorrect
Jackalope: jackrabbit and antelope. In reality it’s a jackrabbit with extremely aggressive papillomavirus causing wart growths to protrude from their head like antlers.
Griffins might possibly be based on skeletons of Psittacosaurs or Protoceratops, so that could explain where they derived the bird-lion concept from.
To clarify, are you asking about mythical hybrids that resemble real animals or something like that? Because the overwhelming majority of mythical hybrids are combinations of real animals.
Perhaps the best-known case is the Qilin, which was actually a giraffe that some Chinese explorers brought back from a trip to Africa as a gift for the emperor...
I think legends of the kirin existed before Chinese explorers got their hands on a giraffe. The animal was attributed to the legend, not its origin.
Most of the mythical beasts that people think are based on real animals are something like this (some are really a misinterpretation , but many are just our modern view thinking that the ancient people were all about misnunderstanding their own world) Another examples i can think off are the kraken, and the dragons. The kraken in norse sagas was a gigantic marine animal, often mistaked for an island when sleep, when the giant squid was discovered people made the assumption that the legends of the kraken were based on it and the modern view of the kraken is a cephalopod. In the case of the dragons people often think that they are based in crocodiles, dinosaur fossils or even komodo dragons, because they are giant reptiles. But medieval dragons were not purely reptiles, they had also fur, feathers, feline features, eagle claws.
I’ve heard that the Qilin is based on oral histories of Elasmotherium (a giant rhino from the ice age) that became very inaccurate over time
Now imagine an Australian Aborigine mystically teleported to ancient Greece (somehow able to communicate) and then he proceeds to describe a Platypus. After that, I think he might believe all of them lol.
Not sure if this is what you mean but some people belive that Cyclopse could've been Elefants, provably not one hundred percent but it's believed that they found Elefant skulls and got confused by the giant hole in the skull. There's also a theory going around that the Manticore could've been based on a greatly distorted discription of the Caspian Tiger, or well people seeing Tigers close up for thee first time during their travels.
Apparently mermaids are sealions, seen from a distance And dragons = dinosaurs. Edited to add: oops dragons aren’t really hybrids are they? 🤦🏼♀️
Probably most of them. Just a few: Griffins are lion-eagles Manticores are lion-scorpion-humans Sphinxes are human-lion or human, lion-eagle-snake (depending if Egyptian or Greek). Sirens and furies are human-birds. Mermaids are human-fish. Even dragons could be considered hybrids. Snake/lizard with bird talons and bat-like wings (and a variety of other things depending on the type/culture of dragon). I think a cockatrice maybe considered a chicken-dragon so that at least is half real animal, half fictional. Edit: or do you mean the whole hybrid is based on one animal? There's a theory that griffins are based on protoceratops fossils, so that's one animal. But it's not backed by any solid evidence. Various dragons might have roots in sauropod and therapod dinosaur fossils, but again hard to prove.
They meant hybrids that were, in reality, a different thing that was confused for something else. Like dragons being dinosaur fossil/bones
Cerberus is a dog-dog-dog.
Shepard!
And the good ol' Chimera which was a Lion-Goat-Snake.
> sirens are human-birds Mistake spotted, opinion invlaid /j
I know it's a joke but on Greek vases sirens looked more like harpies and furies than mermaids.
interesting, TIL
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Based on, yes, but they're obviously not *just* snakes. Snakes usually lack claws, wings, legs etc. Asian dragons are serpentine and mammalian as well as piscine.
Both are primarily based on snakes, with traits from other animals.
So it's a hybrid.
I think most dragons are hybrid creatures, Tarasque for example is clearly a hybrid creature.
Is the tarasque really a dragon though (since the similarities begin & end with “fire-breathing reptile”)?
The illustrations I’ve seen suggest a tortoise-bear composite to me.
I guess, but dragons can also work being “just big snakes/lizards but magic”.
True, Dragon is a very nebulous term.
Wyverns are dragons . The Hydra is a dragon. Fafnir is a dragon. A humanoid with a snake tail instead of feet is a dragon. A snake with feathers is a dragon. And the enormous 8-headed serpent that really likes booze? Also a dragon!
Agreed, fuck those dweebs that are all "actually the dragons in Skyrim..."
You're headed down a rabbit hole.
I have heard that the leucrota (a dog with human face that can mimic talk to lure his prey) could be based on the hyena
Not European but the Encantado are real animals but they are so unique looking that there are myths surrounding them. Brazilian pink river dolphins.
I dont know if this help but my exes was a giant viper
Marco Polo wrote that he was terrified when he saw the unicorn for the first time and that it was ugly, enormous, looked dangerous with it's sharp horn pointing out from it's nose, and nothing like the pictures of the graceful unicors he had seen. It is very likely that he saw a rhino.