23 Medieval Animal Memes Straight from the Kingdom of “Close Enough”

Hear ye, hear ye, fellow animal fans, for we have brought forth to you the meme menagerie of the past few centuries.

No more stale bread from the rear end of a noble's celebration. No more filthy waters from the dry well in the center of town. We bring you a tray full of animal memes from yesteryears, that prove once and for all - when you're hungry for humor, it is always there. From the past, at the present, and in the far future as well. Animals were always present, and animals have made us laugh for centuries, if not millennia.

And we? Humanity has always commemorated these little animalistic moments of laughter. Today, in the digital age, we make so with pixels and captions. But back then, when sources were limited and certain crafts had not even been invented yet, people still had the wit and wisdom to illustrate these funny animals in their manuscripts. And that just means we get to enjoy this animal humor even now, centuries later.

So gather round the town center, and let us rejoice in these magnificent medieval animal memes. They represent over a millennium of humanity's fascination with the animal kingdom, dotted with modern comedy that would always put a smile on our faces. Especially when the animal in question is nowhere near looking like it does in real life.

01

via @Channel3Memes
02

via @Channel3Memes
03

via @hometoursandotherstuff
04

via @hometoursandotherstuff
05

via @WeirdMedieval
06

via @medievalstinatt
07

via @medievalistmat
08

via www.medievalmemes.org
09

via @hometoursandotherstuff
10

via @medievalistmatt
11

via @hometoursandotherstuff
12

via @hometoursandotherstuff
13

via @hometoursandotherstuff
14

via @hometoursandotherstuff
15

via @59SouthLee
16

via @crabs-and-bedbugs
Now that you've enjoyed a fair amount of regular medieval animal memes (though nothing about them is regular, if we're honest), you're about to dive into a digital time machine to rate yourself on the scales of medieval animals - specifically lions, dogs, ducks, and owls. All were actually very important during the medieval period.
Lions were powerful symbols of royalty, courage, and divine authority in medieval Europe. Though not native to most regions, they appeared in heraldry, literature, and art, representing kingship and strength. The “lionheart” ideal shaped chivalric identity and political imagery across kingdoms.
Dogs were indispensable companions in medieval daily life - used for hunting, guarding property, and herding livestock. Beyond utility, they symbolized loyalty and fidelity, often appearing in art and literature as emblems of devotion, especially in relation to knights and noble households.
Ducks were valued both as a food source and for their feathers, which were used in bedding and clothing. They were commonly raised in rural and monastic settings. In symbolism, ducks could represent adaptability, moving between land, water, and air.
Owls carried complex symbolism in medieval times. Often associated with wisdom due to their watchful nature, they were also linked to darkness, solitude, and even ill omens. In religious contexts, they sometimes symbolized those who rejected spiritual “light” in favor of ignorance.
17

via @hometoursandotherstuff
18

via @hometoursandotherstuff
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via @hometoursandotherstuff
20

via @SpillTheMemes
And now that you've scrolled down so much, you've reached a point so far in time that you're about to witness a few bonus memes of animals from even before the medieval period!
21

via @hometoursandotherstuff
22

via @facetedcarapace
23

via El Jem Museum, Tunisia.