Significance of Animals, Nature, and Imagery
In Celtic Folklore, animals are constantly being used in the stories which shows an admiration that the writers had in this time period for animals. “Lanval,” “Sir Gawain,” and “The Green Knight” are a few examples that use animals in the story comparing things such as beauty.
According to Lars Nooden, “Animals in Celtic and Welsh mythology are tied in with fertility and vitality, because they are living, moving, and growing. They also provide vitality and continued life for the tribes through their meat, skins, and bones. In addition, they are a connection to the realm of spirits and the gods. This connection is seen through their use in the hunt, search for secrets and wisdom.” The meat is used for food, the skins can be used for clothes to keep warm, and can also be a type of currency because they can be traded for other needs. The bones can be used as decoration, weapons, and can serve many other functions. In addition to these things, animals are a connection to the realm of spirits and the gods. This connection is seen through their use in the hunt, search for secrets and wisdom. For example, deer, be kind, …show more content…
For example, on lines 94 and 95 of the story, when talking about Lanval’s lover, “the lily and the young rose when they appear in the summer are surpassed by her beauty.” This is an example of how the poets of this era wrote of beauty. In these lines from the poem, Lanval is showing the woman as having characteristics that make her more beautiful than the things we see in the wild, like a flower. An additional example of this comes from line 106. In this example, Lanval is showing us the characteristics of his lady’s appearance, by explaining “she was whiter than the hawthorn flower.” In this example we see that not only Lanval, but men in general really liked women who were gentle and pure like a
In Celtic Folklore, animals are constantly being used in the stories which shows an admiration that the writers had in this time period for animals. “Lanval,” “Sir Gawain,” and “The Green Knight” are a few examples that use animals in the story comparing things such as beauty.
According to Lars Nooden, “Animals in Celtic and Welsh mythology are tied in with fertility and vitality, because they are living, moving, and growing. They also provide vitality and continued life for the tribes through their meat, skins, and bones. In addition, they are a connection to the realm of spirits and the gods. This connection is seen through their use in the hunt, search for secrets and wisdom.” The meat is used for food, the skins can be used for clothes to keep warm, and can also be a type of currency because they can be traded for other needs. The bones can be used as decoration, weapons, and can serve many other functions. In addition to these things, animals are a connection to the realm of spirits and the gods. This connection is seen through their use in the hunt, search for secrets and wisdom. For example, deer, be kind, …show more content…
For example, on lines 94 and 95 of the story, when talking about Lanval’s lover, “the lily and the young rose when they appear in the summer are surpassed by her beauty.” This is an example of how the poets of this era wrote of beauty. In these lines from the poem, Lanval is showing the woman as having characteristics that make her more beautiful than the things we see in the wild, like a flower. An additional example of this comes from line 106. In this example, Lanval is showing us the characteristics of his lady’s appearance, by explaining “she was whiter than the hawthorn flower.” In this example we see that not only Lanval, but men in general really liked women who were gentle and pure like a