The medieval dragon. “Physiologus”, illuminated encyclopedias and bestiaries (8th-15th centuries): Text and Image. Doctoral thesis in History and civilizations

The ubiquitous of the dragon in the geographical area of the Medieval West makes it a fundamentally complex figure. Faced with an unfathomable production, as immense as the dragon itself, the Latin bestiaries offer a corpus which, thanks to the text-image relationship, allows us to analyse its symbolism and iconography. The production of the bestiaries is a continuation of the Greek Physiologus (2nd/4th century) and its Latin translations, and predates the encyclopaedic revival of the 13th century. It will therefore be important for us to understand the formation and processes underlying the symbolic evolution and iconography of the dragon, to identify the different stages that mark its history and contributed to molding its image in medieval times. To do this, it is necessary to identify the different symbolic components of the biblical dragon, at the very origin of the medieval monster, through the Old Testament, the Revelation and Patristic. This analysis aims to identify the complex and intertwined networks that govern the symbolism of the dragon in the Physiologus and its Latin translations. The study of the vernacular translations of the Latin versions of the Physiologus allows us to highlight the permanence and mutations of the dragon which began during the 12th century. The Latin bestiaries allow us to understand the links that unite and distinguish the dragon from the various snakes. The 13th century encyclopaedias, by compiling ancient knowledge and medieval traditions, redefine the place of the dragon in Creation and its symbolism. The iconographic analysis of the bestiaries allows us to determine the criteria inherent to the physiognomy of the dragon, its singularity in relation to other snakes and to understand how its depiction participates in the exaltation of its diabolical nature. - [Abstract]

Language: French