‘Weird Medieval Guys’: 50 Amusing And Confusing Medieval Paintings

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 medievalart! It’s colorful, creative, quirky, andgoofy, 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 atBored Pandahas 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.This post may includeaffiliate links.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

My Favorite Picture I Took At The Louvre. I Call It “Freaked Out Lion Is Getting His Nails Done”

A Dog Riding A Bunny Spear-Fighting A Bunny Who Is Riding A Snail With The Head Of Rick Rubin

Pigs vs. Elephants, France, 1420-1425

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 Britannicanotesthat some researchers see the Renaissance period starting in the 13th century, while others argue that it began in the 14th or even 15th centuries.

The Encyclopædia Britannicanotesthat some researchers see the Renaissance period starting in the 13th century, while others argue that it began in the 14th or even 15th centuries.

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

Medieval Paintings Of Cats Are Weird

Seems Like Lions Had More Character Back In The Day

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.

These Breathtaking Horses

He Looks So Careless

Medieval Goofy?

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.

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.

Hare Riding A Hound With A Trained Snail Of Prey, Before 1390

Weird Medieval Bat

Someone Tried To Paint A Catfish

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.’

Medieval Boar With Pants

They Definitely Knew How A Dog Looked Like

Adorable Bats

Olivia, who created ‘Weird Medieval Guys’ half a decade ago, previously toldBored Pandaall about the project and the inspiration behind it. Shesharedthat 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.

“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.

Lion, France, 15th Century

A Snail By Jacob Van Maerlant

Cats' Life During Medieval Times

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.

“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.

Medieval Garfield Looking For Lasagna

Love Depictions Of Lions From Countries That Clearly Don’t Have Lions

Looks Like A Demon. Kind Of Like Cats Are Now

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.

“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.”

Someone Getting An Elephant Shrew Described To Them?

At Least They Tried To Depict A Frog

An Elephant Protecting Her Baby From A Dragon, 14th Century

“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.

This Elephant With A Tornado Trunk By Jacob Van Maerlant

This Beaver With A Fish Tail

Lion, England, 1390-1460

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.

Medieval Oyster

That Owl Is Trying His Best

Medieval Monkeys Being Medieval Bros With A Medieval Kitten

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 theMiddle Ages? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

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 theMiddle Ages? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

This Leopard That’s Clearly Distraught Over His Misrepresentation