Why knights fought snails in medieval art

Medieval snails and knights — who knew? It turns out that medieval illuminated manuscripts featured a lot of bizarre imagery in the margins, but this pocket of art history might be one of the most intriguing.

Scholar Lilian Randall provides the best theory for the unusual motif: these medieval knights fought snails in the margins because snails represented the Lombards, who had become widely despised lenders throughout Europe. Snail was an insult and, over time, it became a type of meme detached from its original meaning.

Of course, like much of art history, this theory is just a theory. But it gives us an insight into the rich culture of marginal art and all the complexity, confusion, and amusement that sits on the side of the page.

[sammylong]

The answer is simple, in medieval times giant snails were a real menace but thankfully the brave Knights of Europe wiped them all out for us.

[jordanguy]

This is not a question I've ever asked, nor was I ever going to ask. yet here I am for an answer

[rthem]

everybody gangsta till the giant snail start fightin

[FrizzleLamb]

This is the medieval times' equivalent to today's "this meme will be hard to explain in 100 years"

[TheSwordbirdsPage]

i have a feeling it was probably over something dumb. like a well-known person freaked out over a snail once and they started mocking them through drawings of snails vs knights

[beelzeboo]

Its quite obvious that they were fighting giant snails hundreds of years ago

[Andy-gqhb]

The correct title would have been, "Rare medeival memes"

[lukmigindnuforhelved]

Knights were the athletes superstars of the time. Monks were the academics.

Maybe the nerds were mocking the jocks?

[schmurble]

RIP dude at the end. Horrifically murdered by a mutant snail from the 1300s. Gone too soon.

[ChronicleLiving]

Legends says that the French Knights are still fighting with snails in their fancy restaurants.

[seepdrer]

When you are lvl 1 player, so you have to fight some snails to get some xp.

[CraftxTD]

This technically is a meme since a meme is an “element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.”

[chistinelane]

The reason we don't see them is because the knights won. The greatest heroes we never knew

[dutchministryofdefence]

its a older meme sir but it checks out

[kitsandcards]

Back then they go braggin about "I fought snails more fearsome than you!"

[itsjustlukeRevive]

Snail: *slimes* on Knight's foot
Knight: DEMON!!! 🗡️

[johnpetrov]

Yes it is most accurate to say the snails are a meme. In my law class we ran over an ancient Roman law that required individuals to flee from battle if an avenue of retreat was available, rather than to fight an aggressor. This law was meant to prevent personal skirmishes from resulting in pointless death. Two aggrieved parties would menace each other with weapons then slowly back away to avoid combat while keeping their honor. In the margins of the book containing this law, there is a knight defending himself from a snail. Obviously, the point is that he could easily run away from the snail. That's the punch line. Like any meme, every time it appears the joke is slightly different until the original meaning is obscured. The joke might have several origins; there's no telling where it came from.

[hallaman]

Man, this guy just ignoring the invasion of the giant alien snails.

[ml]

*_So basically this is the birth of shitposting?_*

[darrenlynch]

The snails were very clearly just a meme for the medival arts