The Middle Ages aren’t just about heroic knights and epic battles. If there’s one thing that never fails to boost our mood, it’s medieval art! It’s colorful, creative, quirky, and goofy, and it showcases how the artists had to use every ounce of their imagination and stylistic skills to draw animals and monsters they may or may not have seen with their own two eyes. The results? Often incredibly bizarre but undeniably entertaining.
Our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the finest specimens of peculiar medieval art from every nook and cranny on the internet. We’ve found some of the strangest renditions of real animals and mythical creatures to confuse and amuse you, Pandas, so scroll down to check them out.
#1 Pigs vs. Elephants, France, 1420-1425
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#2 My Favorite Picture I Took At The Louvre. I Call It "Freaked Out Lion Is Getting His Nails Done"
Image credits: henryrollinsismypup
#3 Medieval Garfield Looking For Lasagna
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
The medieval era started in the 5th Century with the collapse of Roman civilization, lasting all the way to the Renaissance. When exactly the Middle Ages ended varies depending on what historian you talk to.
The Encyclopædia Britannica notes that some researchers see the Renaissance period starting in the 13th century, while others argue that it began in the 14th or even 15th centuries.
#4 Seems Like Lions Had More Character Back In The Day
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#5 A Snail By Jacob Van Maerlant
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#6 Lion, France, 15th Century
Image credits: discarding_imgs
Broadly speaking, the things that defined the end of the Middle Ages included the breakup of feudal structures, the rise of secular education, the strengthening of city-states in Italy, as well as the rise of national monarchies in England, France, and Spain. The Renaissance looked all the way back to the Classical age for inspiration.
#7 A Whale, 13th Century
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#8 These Breathtaking Horses
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#9 Medieval Boar With Pants
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
One of the most widely known social media projects that features wonky medieval illustrations is ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ (@WeirdMedieval), a fantastic account on X (formerly Twitter) that shares peculiar-looking medieval illustrations. The project has gotten so popular over the years that there’s even a podcast and a book out.
The person behind the ingenious ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ account is Olivia M. Swarthout (@tochterzwiebel). She started the project back in 2019. In the 5 years since its inception, the account has grown by leaps and bounds.
In mid-2022, it boasted just shy of 100k followers on X (still Twitter back then). However, now, in 2024, a jaw-dropping 678k people from all around the world now follow it on the social network.
#10 Looks Like A Demon. Kind Of Like Cats Are Now
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#11 A Dog Riding A Bunny Spear-Fighting A Bunny Who Is Riding A Snail With The Head Of Rick Rubin
Image credits: Familiar_Big3322
#12 Looks Like Pug Dog
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
As word about the ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ internet sensation spread, the creator started a podcast by the same name together with Aran, a historian.
The founder of the project, Olivia, even published a book in late 2023, titled ‘Weird Medieval Guys: How to Live, Laugh, Love (and Die) in Dark Times.’
#13 He Looks So Careless
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#14 This Beaver With A Fish Tail
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#15 At Least They Tried To Depict A Frog
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
Olivia, who created ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ half a decade ago, previously told Bored Panda all about the project and the inspiration behind it. She shared that she did some graphic design for a magazine at her university. In one issue, she used a lot of medieval imagery.
“I spent a lot of time online looking for images from medieval manuscripts to incorporate into the project, and I was amazed at the works that I found. Not just the art itself, but also the extent to which these priceless, one-of-a-kind manuscripts and documents have been digitized and cataloged online for anyone across the world to browse,” she told us during an earlier interview.
#16 Someone Getting An Elephant Shrew Described To Them?
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#17 Love Depictions Of Lions From Countries That Clearly Don't Have Lions
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#18 Medieval Paintings Of Cats Are Weird
Image credits: PuggoKing97
Olivia explained that accessing these sorts of medieval works of art from centuries ago is easy these days. In the past, however, it would have been incredibly difficult to do. She wanted to share some of the enjoyment she felt with everyone else.
“Because I found so many pieces that I thought were extremely funny and endearing and could only send so many of them to my friends before they got sick of me, I also liked the idea that I could connect with other people online about how cool the art is,” she said.
#19 That Owl Is Trying His Best
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#20 Adorable Bats
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#21 Hare Riding A Hound With A Trained Snail Of Prey, Before 1390
Image credits: innuendoPL
Of course, ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ is far from the only project to bring weird medieval art into the spotlight. This sort of content has been incredibly popular on social media for many years now. There are tons of accounts and projects dedicated to showcasing the strangest works of art from the Middle Ages. However, not many of them are as successful as Olivia’s account on X.
“Most of what I post is from the eras that are referred to as the High Middle Ages and Late Middle Ages, which encompass approximately the 11th to the 16th century. I do think that this period of time is very unique from a Western art historical standpoint because the printing press had not yet been invented, so all books were written out by hand and often included notes and doodles that were added in spontaneously by scribes who never thought these additions would be seen by the general public,” the founder of the project told us earlier.
“Therefore, we have a huge amount of content from this era that reflects the humor and thoughts of (somewhat) average people. And when we look at what they created, we actually find that a lot of it contradicts how we view the 'Dark' Ages.”
#22 Wild Cats In 15th Century, France
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#23 Elephants In Late 13th Century
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#24 Medieval Oyster
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
“There’s a perception that the Middle Ages was a very solemn, bleak era for humanity, and nowadays, we perceive medieval culture as extremely religious, superstitious, backward, and repressive. Much of the art that was created in that period has a reputation for being strange and ugly. So, we don’t expect to see ourselves in it, not in the same way that we can relate very emotionally to more conventionally beautiful art,” the founder said.
“When we look at, say, a drawing of a cat playing an organ, it’s easy to imagine it being endearing to its creator 600 years ago in the same way it is today, that it brought people the same kind of joy then as it does now. And I think we as humans enjoy how art and humor bridge that gap,” she told us.
“One of my personal guiding principles of internet use is that, often, you get back out what you put in, so I think by trying to keep the account pretty lighthearted and wholesome, I’ve attracted very kind-hearted feedback.”
#25 Why Do Medieval Cats Look Like Fully Grown Adults?
Image credits: JustzaneYT
#26 Cats' Life During Medieval Times
Image credits: reddit.com
#27 Medieval Frog
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
According to Olivia, lots of internet users seem to identify very much with the animals and monsters that she posts. “I love scrolling through everyone’s comments about who a creature is or what they’re doing. Even though I’m just a third party facilitating interaction with other people’s art, a lot of followers have left extremely sweet messages saying that my account brightens their day and that they look forward to my posts,” she said.
Among some of her followers are actual medieval art and history researchers, which just goes to show how successful ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ has gotten. “There are people of all ages and from around the world whose comments I luckily get to read and understand due to the magic of internet translation.”
She added: “I’m so glad that even though what I post is pretty silly, and I’m not an authority on medieval art whatsoever, so many different people are able to come together over my account! I’m really thankful for everyone who’s supported me, and I have so many more weird medieval guys that I can’t wait to share.
#28 If The Bear Is Brown, Lay Down. If It's Black, Fight Back. If It's White, Goodnight. And If It's Medieval, Climb The Smallest Tree Available, Totally Naked
Image credits: LeedsDogAndJacobiCat
#29 An Elephant Protecting Her Baby From A Dragon, 14th Century
Image credits: red_loeb
#30 The Best Depiction Of Ants
Image credits: archaeologyart
Which of these medieval illustrations did you like the most? Which ones made you smile and giggle the hardest?
Do you think you’d be able to do a better job at painting these creatures if you were suddenly transported back in time? What do you like the most about the Middle Ages? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
#31 Lion, England, 1390-1460
Image credits: GawkyLions
#32 Weird Medieval Bat
Image credits: kantun_15
#33 The King Sits On The Top Left As His Horse Protects Him From A Lion, 1486
Image credits: medievalmaven
#34 The Text On The Man’s Arm Reads: “The Sun’s Disk Went Into Darkness, Yunus Went Into The Mouth Of The Fish.” Around 1400
Image credits: _medievalart
#35 Wild Cats, 1485
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#36 Leopard, England, 13th Century
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#37 Lion, Belgium, 14th Century
Image credits: weirdmedievalguys
#38 Owl Fight By Godfrey Of Viterbo, Italy 13th Century
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#39 This Is Supposed To Be A Crocodile
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#40 Lions And Bears In Early 13th Century
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#41 This Elephant With A Tornado Trunk By Jacob Van Maerlant
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#42 This Crocodile With A Cougar Head
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#43 Someone Tried To Paint A Catfish
Image credits: zoruasaurus
#44 Four Rats Rowing A Little Boat In The 14th Century France
Image credits: archaeologyart
#45 Snails On A Ladder. France, Circa 1320
Image credits: Discarding Images
#46 A Big Medieval Cat?
Image credits: ch1l
#47 They Definitely Knew How A Dog Looked Like
Image credits: theb00gieman
#48 This 15th Century Drawing Of A Greyhound Is An Undisputed Masterclass In Stylisation
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#49 From The Cover Of My Medieval Literature Textbook
Image credits: Feyrahel
#50 Medieval Monkeys Being Medieval Bros With A Medieval Kitten
Image credits: QRP1940
#51 Now Those Are Some Nice Bats
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#52 An Illuminated Border From A Manuscript "Book Of Hours" Leaf (15th Century), Containing A Delightful Hybrid Creature That Looks Like A Bird
Image credits: Meepers100
#53 Some Medieval Drawings Of Elephants From A 13th Century French Bestiary
Image credits: Kunstkurator
#54 Looks Like A Cross Between A Cat, Bat And Bee. Where Can I Get One?
Image credits: youdamnskippy
#55 Medieval Depiction Of An Elephant By Artist Who Had Never Actually Seen One
Image credits: barbie_museum
#56 Both The Bird And The Dog Look Terribly Drawn
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#57 That Frog Has Seen Things
Image credits: weirdmedieval
#58 Scorpions Drawn By Someone, Who Never Saw Them In Real Life. 13th Century England
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#59 Snake Party, Spain, 1200
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#60 Giant Snails, France, 1480-1485
Image credits: medievalmarginalia
#61 Eagle-Owl, France, 1280
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#62 Lions, 13th Century
Image credits: medievalmaven
#63 Smiling Wild Boar From Book Of Hours, 15th Century
Image credits: discarding_imgs
#64 A Chorus Line Of Camels
Image credits: BLMedieval
#65 A Hippopotamus By Jacob Van Maerlant
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#66 This Owl With A Human Face
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#67 This Earless Elephant With A Castle On Its Back. By William The Clerk
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#68 This Leopard That's Clearly Distraught Over His Misrepresentation
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#69 A Tiger In 12th Century
Image credits: Youngstown_Mafia
#70 A Medieval Artist's Drawing Of Animals He Had Never Seen. Dolphin, Elephant And Antelope
Image credits: tmartin30
#71 Elephants According To Medieval Artists
Image credits: xenthen
#72 Bees Look Like Tiny Birds Or Bats
Image credits: WeirdMedieval
#73 Preaching To The Diverted. Germany, Hamburg, Before 1381
Image credits: PiersatPenn
#74 Medieval Human Dogs
Image credits: lafondathepoet
#75 I Love The Fact The Medieval Artists Had No Idea What Cats Look Like
Image credits: Red-havoc-
#76 The Manuscript Described This As A Panther
Image credits: EatAndGreet
#77 Medieval Goofy?
Image credits: FleurMacabre
#78 Trying To Depict Tunna In 1577
Image credits: dbeck003
#79 Monkey, Goat And Owl
Image credits: archaeologyart
#80 Ants, France, 1230
Image credits: archaeologyart