1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910788482903321

Autore

Roling Bernd <1972->

Titolo

Drachen und Sirenen [[electronic resource] ] : die Rationalisierung und Abwicklung der Mythologie an den europäischen Universitäten / / von Bernd Roling

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden ; ; Boston, : Brill, 2010

ISBN

1-283-03930-3

9786613039309

90-04-18942-4

90-04-18520-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (832 p.)

Collana

Mittellateinische Studien und Texte, , 0076-9754 ; ; v. 42

Altri autori (Persone)

RolingBernd <1972->

Disciplina

133.4/2094

Soggetti

Animals, Mythical - Europe - Identification - History

Natural history - Study and teaching (Higher) - Europe

Animals, Mythical, in literature

Demonology - Europe - History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Tedesco

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [669]-763) and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

Einleitung -- Vom Wasserdämon zum Meeraffen: die Sirene -- Vom Teufel zum Affen: der Satyr -- Von der Teufelsgeburt zum Mammutknochen: der Gigant -- Zwerge und Primaten: die Pygmäen -- Vom Dämon zur Eidechse: der Drache -- Schlussbetrachtungen -- Literatur.

Sommario/riassunto

What kind of being did a sailor see, when he was confronted with a mermaid? A demon, a fairy, a monster, or only an extraordinary marine mammal? Transmitted by the tradition of ancient natural history the European universities faced many creatures belonging to natural science as well as to mythology, which still could be observed throughout the world. While medieval sholarship treated those beings as subjects for demonology, early modern scholars started to rationalize the sirens and satyrs and developed new models of explanation. Throughout hundreds of academical disputations the debate on hybrid creatures can be followed up to the time of Linné and Buffon and the zoological classifications of the 18th century. This study



reconstructs the discussions of hybrid creatures as part of the Early Modern change of paradigms and the longue durée of ancient and medieval natural history with the help of five examples, sirens, satyrs, giants, pygmies, and dragons.