Medieval art of animals often looked…
中世纪艺术中的动物常常看上去……
a little different from the real world species.
与真实世界中的动物有些不同
And this mismatch was compounded with any animal
在艺术家们显然从未见过的动物身上
the artist had clearly never seen before.
这种差异会表现得更为明显
European texts from this period are full of
这一时期的欧洲文本充斥着
hilarious attempts to depict of far-off species,
对远方物种的荒诞不经的描述
So lets take a look at some of the most inaccurate
就让我们来看看其中一些最离谱的例子
— bearing in mind it would be difficult to know what,
记住 如果你从没见过某种动物
say, an elephant would look like if you’d never seen one before.
比如大象 你很难了解它到底长什么样
And speaking of Elephants,
说到大象
they’re a good place to start when it comes to inaccurate depictions.
从它开始来了解那些离谱的描绘确实合适
Medieval artists seemed to struggle with the concept of the trunk,
中世纪艺术家似乎对象鼻的概念很困惑
especially often rendering it in bizzare ways.
经常以各种怪异的方式来诠释它
Many illustrations also depict elephants
很多插画还会描绘
supporting entire stone castles on their backs,
大象用背部支撑整个石堡的形象
spurring from myths elephants were mighty enough
因为传说中大象力大无比
to carry around entire buildings.
足以扛起整栋建筑
This is, of course, incorrect.
这当然不正确
Another large African animal medieval artists struggled to
中世纪艺术家很难准确描绘的
portray accurately is the hippopotamus,
另一种非洲动物是河马
possibly to an even greater extent than the elephant.
其离谱程度可能更甚于大象
Most illustrations of hippos from the era are way off,
这一时期大部分插图中的河马十分夸张
with an assortment of aquatic traits like tails and dorsal fins
它们有着鱼尾和背鳍之类的水栖动物特征
actual hippos don’t possess.
而这些都是真河马所没有的
Other depictions almost make hippos like strange horses,
还有一些则把河马描绘成怪异的马
perhaps due to misunderstandings surrounding the animals name,
这可能是源于对它的拉丁文名称
which means ‘river horse’ in Latin.
“河中的马”的误解
Up next we have the giraffe,
接下来还有长颈鹿
an animal medieval artists portrayed with less frequently than the hippo or elephant.
中世纪艺术家对它的描绘不如河马与大象频繁
Compared to the hippo at the very least,
至少与河马相比
some pieces of art actually get the giraffe’s general appearance… mostly right,
一些作品对长颈鹿的外貌描绘……大致准确
emphasizing the long neck.
都突显了长脖子
Well, most of the time.
好吧……是大多数时候
Moving on to African predators, we have the hyena,
再说到非洲的掠食动物鬣狗
an animal with rather inconsistent interpretations across different paintings.
在不同绘画中 它形象各异
In some illustrations the hyena features horns
有些插画中的鬣狗头上长角
and almost resembles a carnivorous cow,
几乎就是一头食肉的牛的形象
while others are more dog like.
而另一些插画里它更像狗
One curious trend is in many images,
但许多绘画都有一个令人称奇的倾向
hyenas appear to be consuming the dead.
那就是鬣狗都正在啃食尸体
This is because of a common myth that
因为在一个流传甚广的传说里
the animals dug up cemeteries to eat human remains,
鬣狗会挖掘坟墓并吃掉人类遗骸
a concept which is inaccurate.
这种说法当然不准确
Moving to a different part of the world,
我们再转到世界的其它角落
another large predator which gets the short end of the stick
另一个在中世纪艺术中
in medieval art is the tiger.
被曲解的大型掠食动物是老虎
Far from the massive predatory felines of the real world,
中世纪艺术里的老虎是矮小的犬状动物
medieval tigers were small, dog-like creatures
身上也没有标志性的条纹
lacking the animal’s trademark stripes.
与现实中的大型猫科捕食者形象相差甚远
Strangely enough,
尤其奇怪的是
in many illustrations the tiger is drawn looking in a mirror.
许多插画中 老虎被描绘成正在照镜子
This stems from a legend that a hunter could steal a tiger’s cubs
因为传说如果用镜像分散母虎的注意力
if they distracted the mother with her reflection,
猎人就能偷走幼虎
as the mother would mistake it for her cub.
因为母虎会把镜像误认为自己的孩子
A pretty grim legend,
真是个阴暗的传说
and one that would more than likely result in
而且有人要是对着真老虎这么干的话
imminent death if tried on a real tiger.
很可能会命丧当场
Moving on to the world of birds,
再来看看鸟类世界
the ostrich is a species medieval artists seemed to find particularly challenging.
鸵鸟对于中世纪艺术家似乎极富挑战性
Most images of ostriches lack almost all of the animals defining features,
大部分关于鸵鸟的绘画都缺少其典型特征
including their long neck and flightless nature.
比如长脖颈和无法飞行的特点
Indeed, many depictions of the ostrich just look like standard birds.
确实 很多鸵鸟的描绘看着只是普通鸟类的样子
One unusual trend is the ostrich of mideval art
还有一个不寻常的现象就是中世纪艺术里的
is often shown abandoning it egg to roast in the sun.
鸵鸟经常被描绘为将蛋扔在太阳下烤
Although real ostriches do leave their eggs in exposed ground nests,
尽管真的鸵鸟确实会把蛋留在地表的巢里
this isn’t because they’re neglectful parents
但这不是因为父母太粗心
– their eggs do just fine in the open.
而是因为鸵鸟蛋放在露天并没什么问题
furthermore another odd trend
另一个奇特倾向
is illustrating the bird eating an iron horseshoe.
是把鸵鸟描绘成正在吃马蹄铁
This comes from another myth
这来自另一个传说
that the ostrich could digest anything — even metal.
相传鸵鸟能吞下任何东西 甚至金属
Once again, this is distinctly false.
这依旧纯属谣传
Another unique bird missing many of it’s most notable features is the Pelican,
另一种丢失许多显著特征的鸟类是鹈鹕
which in medieval art is a shot beaked organism
在中世纪艺术中 它的鸟喙变短了
lacking it’s trademark throat-pouch.
标志性的喉囊也消失了
A highly unusual theme is most depictions
关于鹈鹕有一个极不寻常的主题
show pelican families eating each other.
大部分画作会描述鹈鹕家族互相吃掉对方
The bizarre cannibalism comes from a legend
这怪异的互食行为来自一个传说
pelican babies try to eat their parents when fully grown,
鹈鹕幼鸟长大后会啃食自己的父母
prompting the parents to eat them in return.
这反过来又会迫使父母去吃孩子
This is an obviously inaccurate notion,
这一见解显然不正确
as any real species would die in a few generations
如果真有物种这么干
using such a behavioral model.
要不了几代它们就灭绝了
Diving into the ocean,
让我们潜入大海
the next animal worth touching on is the whale, an aquatic leviathan
下一个值得一看的是海洋巨兽鲸鱼
which rarely looks anything like the real species in medieval art.
它在中世纪艺术中的形象与现实毫不相像
In most depictions,
在大多数绘画中
the animal looks less like what we know of as a whale and more like a giant fish,
它的样子与鲸无关 倒更像是条大鱼
to the point where some versions are even covered in fish-like scales.
还有些版本甚至画上了鱼鳞
Some whales in medieval illustrations go a step further away from the real animal
有些中世纪插画更加放飞
and seem to have legs.
甚至画上了腿
While we’re dealing with the ocean, the dolphin is another interestingly,
说到海洋 在中世纪艺术里被画得有趣
albeit incorrectly portrayed marine mammal when it comes to medieval art.
但又离谱的另一种海洋哺乳动物是海豚
Like the whale,
与鲸鱼一样
the dolphin usually just resembles like a giant, slightly goofy looking fish.
海豚也总被画成看上去有些呆萌的巨型鱼类
One aquatic organism which deviates even further from it’s real-life counterpart,
然而 与现实相差更大的海洋生物是海龟
however, is the sea turtle, which for some reason is often portrayed as bipedal with a massive tail.
它经常被描画成长着巨大尾巴的两足动物
Sea turtles in medieval paintings
中世纪绘画里的海龟
also usually feature curiously shaped shells and segmented toes.
通常长着奇形怪状的壳和分开的脚趾
One depiction of a sea turtle seems to look more like a hedgehog,
还有一幅海龟图片看上去更像刺猬
with the artist likely hearing the animal was armored
艺术家很可能听说这种动物有铠甲
and incorrectly assuming the two species were equivalent.
于是错误地以为它和刺猬差不多
Going further inland, and one semi-aquatic predator
再往内陆走 有一种中世纪艺术家们
medieval artist took serious liberties with is a crocodile,
乐于自由发挥想象力的两栖捕食者是鳄鱼
with many images of the animal being borderline unrecognizable.
它们的形象大多暧昧不清 难以辨认
To be fair, some illustrations at least look more or less like a reptile,
公平地说 一些插画多少还能看出来像爬行动物
while others really deviate from crocodilian features,
另一些则完全偏离鳄鱼的特征
displaying hair, paws, bushy tails, and short, dog-like snouts.
长着毛发 爪子 毛茸茸的尾巴以及狗状的短鼻
Then again, some of the drawings of crocodiles which don’t include fur
还有些鳄鱼绘画即使没画上皮毛
don’t look all that better.
也还是画得不怎么样
Nearing the end of our list and truly veering into bizarre territory,
接近尾声 让我们转到最怪异的领域
we have the scorpion,
这是蝎子
another animal given fur and mammalian features
另一种被画上皮毛和哺乳动物特征的动物
without any clear explanation.
搞不懂为何要这样画
There’s something about giving a scorpion a non-arachnid face
还有 蝎子被画上了一张不属于蝎子的脸
which makes it look so fundamentally absurd.
看着着实荒谬
At least some depictions give it more legs than a standard quadruped.
至少 有些画给蝎子加了更多的腿 而不是四条
Well, some depictions.
好吧 只是其中一些画
At the very end of our journey,
最后
we have an animal you’d never be able to identify
还有一种动物 如果仅凭中世纪的绘画
just by looking at mideval portrayals,
你永远也认不出来它究竟是什么
the chameleon.
那就是变色龙
Although in real life the animal is a lizard,
尽管实际上变色龙属于蜥蜴
mideval artists sometimes portrayed it as a horse-like organism,
中世纪的艺术家有时会把它画成马形生物
and sometimes more like a cat.
有时甚至画得像猫
In either case, one thing is for sure
不管画成啥样 有一点是确定的
— it looks nothing like the animals it’s based on.
就是完全不像它真实的模样
The error might come from phonetic similarities
这个错误可能是因为
between chameleon and ‘leon’ or lion,
变色龙和狮子的英文发音相似
but truthfully the reason why chameleons are so inaccurate
但这一时期变色龙的艺术形象如此离谱的原因
in art from the period is anyone’s guess..
我们谁都不清楚
And that’s where our list comes to an end.
我们的名单就此告一段落
I hope you enjoyed this video
希望你喜欢这个视频
— if you did, I have another one like it
如你喜欢 我还制作了另一个类似的视频
on the strangest fictional medieval monsters.
介绍小说中最古怪的中世纪怪物
Please consider subscribing and leaving this video a like
如果你喜欢本视频的内容
if you appreciated the content.
请考虑订阅我们并点个赞
Thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.
多谢观看 下个视频再见