Comments on: Cryptozoology in the Medieval World

By: Know it all

Know it all — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:11:37 +0000

Cryptozoology in the Medieval World: It brings to mind something I saw on television many years ago concerning a famous Medievel statue in a European town square commemorating the slaying of a horned dragon by one of the citizenry’s ancestors. The head of the dragon was modeled after the skull of the wooly rhinoceros of Late Pleistocene Europe. Based on the reports of heros slaying dragons in former times coupled with the sightings of “unicorns” would suggest a late survival of the wooly rhinoceros into historical times.

Perhaps the most famous cryptozoological event in the records of the ancient world:

“It was in all probability, an enormous specimen of this serpent, which once threw a whole Roman army into dismay. The fact is recorded by Valerius Maximus, who quotes it from one of the lost books of Livy, where it was detailed at greater length. He relates, that near the river Bagrada, in Africa, a snake was seen of so enormous a magnitude as to prevent the army of Attilius Regulus from the use of the river; and which after having snatched up several soldiers with its enormous mouth, and killed several others by striking and squeezing them with the spires of its tail, was at length destroyed by assailing it with all the force of military engines and showers of stones, after it had withstood the attacks of their spears and darts. It was regarded by the whole army as a more formidable enemy than even Carthage itself.

The whole adjacent region was tainted with the pestilential effulvia proceeding from its remains, as were the waters with its blood, so as to oblige the Roman army to shift its station. The skin of this monster, measuring in length one hundred and twenty feet, was sent to Rome as a trophy, and was there suspended in a temple, where it remained till the time of the Numidian war. ”

Source; p. 421, The Wonders of the World, by James G. Percival, 1836.

By: Grant

Grant — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:57:20 +0000

As cryptidsrus says, Herodotus was very interesting in that area (and every other area). As far as cryptozoology stories of a “titillating” kind, he also wrote about Hercules’ romance with the Snake-Woman.

By: easternbigfoot2

easternbigfoot2 — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:51:48 +0000

I saw you there! I was the blonde kid with the oregon bigfoot shirt who asked you about bigfoot intelligence, and ancestry.

You were REALLY great Loren!

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:10:09 +0000

Have a great time at the Museum, Loren!!!

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:08:43 +0000

One of my favorite ancient “cryptozoological” writers was Herodotus. His stories of giant, gold-digging ants are worth checking out. Sir John Mandeville also gave many wondrous tales of Dog-Headed people and men with feet so big they were used as umbrellas.

Pliny The Elder and his tales of the Kraken, Hyperboreans, Griffins, et. al are fascinating.

Even ol’ Julius Caesar managed to get a description of an unicorn he had seen in the Gallic forest in his GALLIC WARS. What makes it “believable” is the matter-of-fact way he describes it—a soldier describing a wonder.

I’m reading the essay now. Thanks for putting it in here.