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Monster


Monster

A monster is often referred to something that is inhuman or unnatural to normal human standards and biology. However, these types of traits can often be exaggerated and be depicted as something much more horrific than it actually is. Many times in books illustrated by Ulisse Aldrovandi, monsters are illustrated to be as demonic creatures with horns and tails, very much adding theatrics in their appearances. (Copenhaver 2016, 449)

The word “monster” derives from the Latin word monstrare, which means “to demonstrate”, which can refer to how it demonstrates a role or idea within a society. (Lawrence 2015, 1) The imagery mentioned before suggests these monsters in roles that suggest certain imagery of these ideas.

Most ideas of what a monster is often comes from a religious connotation of an Anti-Christ or the devil itself, and that they represent the witchcraft and evils of the magical world. It’s because of this that a lot of creatures in the world (animals, insects, etc.) were labelled as these monsters that should be avoided at all costs, and were presented in such a dangerous light. A monster is basically a byproduct of the dark side to the beliefs of magic, and that anything living that seemed somewhat inconceivable to the culture was considered a monster, due to all these writings and pictures that had left people with the idea that anything different is a monster.

Key Words: Devil, Magic, Inhuman, Satanic, Aldrovandi

Bibliography:
  • Copenhaver, B. P. (2016). Magic seen, heard and mocked. In The book of magic: From antiquity to the Enlightenment. London: Penguin Classics, 447-452.
  • Lawrence, N. (2015, September 07). What is a monster? Retrieved from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/what-is-a-monster


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