Series: Medieval Animals

Introducing the Medieval Ass presents a lucid, accessible, and comprehensive picture of the enormous socioeconomic and cultural significance of the ass, or donkey, in the Middle Ages and beyond. In medieval times, the ass was a vital, utilitarian beast of burden, rather like ubiquitous white delivery vans today. At the same time, however, the ass had a rich, paradoxical reputation....

Since the Middle Ages, bearshave mostfrequentlybeen seenas objects. For many centuries, Europeans regarded bears as pests to be eradicated because of the danger theyposedto human beings and livestock, whilst in recent decadestheyhaveincreasingly been seenas victims to be protectedfromhuman violence. When a bear attacks, thecontemporaryresponse is typically to blame human beings' failure,eitherto signal their presence inbears' habitatsor to bear-proof their backyards.Forclimate...

A wide-ranging account of the fox in medieval culture. By turns enchanting and erudite, Introducing the Medieval Fox traces the cultural history of the sly vixen back to its source in early modern Europe. Through fables and stories about the fox’s cunning escapades across epic poetry, bestiaries, paintings, statues, and stained glass, Paul Wackers offers the broadest introduction to the...