Real Animals in the Siège d’Antioche

This companion piece to Carol Sweetenham’s essay on ‘The Wonders of Nature’ examines the representation of real animals, domestic and wild, in the Siege d’Antioche. For purposes of comparison, reference is also made to the Chanson d’Antioche, the Canso d’Antioca, the Gesta Francorum, Albert of Aachen, and Baldric of Bourgueil. The animals concerned are mainly live (occasionally dead) ones, but some appear in dreams, the decoration of artefacts, and similes and metaphors, all these lending an insight into the attitudes and expectations of authors and their public towards animals. The texts here present them primarily in utilitarian terms: as an essential means of transporting goods and people, and as food, though also include some animals viewed as threats. Among the various beasts used for transport, horses receive particular attention in this chapter: the crusaders’ need for them, their loss and acquisition, crusaders’ particular riding skills, and the relationship between horse and rider. Types of animals used for food or hunting vary somewhat between the sources. The Siège also shows the enemy sacrificing animals to their gods. Real animals are not however confined to practical matters: the Siège draws on animals to create colour, atmosphere, and mood—horses above all, but also birds and fish, some bordering on the exotic, others suggesting something of the culture of the author.