ABSTRACT
The author analyzes the medieval explorations of human identity that were shaped by people's definition of animality. Medieval thinkers repeatedly defined humanity by trying to establish a clear boundary between humans and animals. By focusing their attention on this interspecies border, people can learn much about animals, people, and human identity. Medieval ideas were significantly shaped by Christian thinkers in the early centuries after the birth of Jesus. The boundaries between human and animal were wide, and theologians believed there was no possibility for transition between the species. In medieval literature from the twelfth century to the end of the Middle Ages, people see a growing preoccupation with human/animal hybrids and a growing credulity with regard to such creatures. The proliferation in literature and art of such creatures on the edges between humans and animals reveals the change in mind-set that began to return medieval Europe closer to the classical view that saw humans and animals along a continuum.
