Marginalia Menagerie of 20+ Medieval Animals to Melt Your Brain Into Monk Madness

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Jul 11, 2026 10:45 AM EDT

Let's go back in time to a sillier period.

Animals have always been a silly source of joy to humans. Since the dawn of time, we've been watching animals, learning from them things like hunting methods, and inventing animal-based arts like Kung-Fu. But something happened during the medieval period - monks discovered that art is such a great pastime, even if they're not great at it. But they kept on drawing, and drawing, and drawing, even if all they've heard of an animal is a vague description, like "It's a giant grey thing on four, and… its nose is a huge trumpet, and its ears are two flapping blankets. You know, an elephant." So simple.

While the world is full of silly animal art, Medieval monks are the true MVPs of this hysterical practice. Think of the monk who has nothing to do, because the internet was not invented yet (or electricity to use it, for that matter), who just locks himself in a cellar to draw the silliest creatures imaginable. That's a life to lead. We wouldn't choose it, but we're definitely thankful for these monks, centuries ago, who gave up their lives to the craft, only for us to use all these said internet and electricity to make fun of what they've done.

But it's not just the monks. Animals are funny naturally. It's just especially apparent in their Medieval form.

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via @medievalistmat
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via @SpillTheMemes
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via @WeirdMedieval
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via @medievalstinatt
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via @medievalistmatt
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via @hometoursandotherstuff
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via @hometoursandotherstuff
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via @crabs-and-bedbugs
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via @59SouthLee
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via @hometoursandotherstuff
The entirety of medieval times is very cool to learn about, but it's about 1,000 years we're talking about here - that's a lot of time! But a specific part of it is arguably the coolest - the Viking era. While the medieval period stretches from the year 476 CE (the fall of the Western Roman Empire) to somewhere during the 15th century (depending on where, and who you ask), Viking times happened only between 793 CE (the infamous raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery in Northumberland, England) and 1066 CE (the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror). It's less than 300 years - much less than people think.
Now, did the Vikings have silly animal manuscripts? Well, they didn't have manuscripts like other cultures, but they most definitely had some silly billy animals. Here's just one meme to demonstrate:
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via @hometoursandotherstuff
Now, now, do you think the silly animal art stopped because the medieval period ended? Think again. In Europe, starting in Italy specifically, the medieval period gave way to the Renaissance in the late 1300s, spreading to the rest of the continent during the 15th century. It lasted all the way through the 17th century in some places. And their silly animals didn't stop appearing in manuscripts just because times have been changing. We've brought you a bonus Renaissance silly animal as an example right here.
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via @medievalistmatt
And what about even earlier times? Here are two examples, one just before the medieval period in northern Africa, and another stretching back even further to ancient Greece. Ironically, both are owls. Maybe ancient people didn't know that many animals.
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via El Jem Museum, Tunisia.
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via @facetedcarapace