Animals as Symbols in the Galician Version of the General Estoria

Abstract

This article studies the animal symbolism in the Galician version of the General Estoria. Three different situations are analyzed. First, the creation myths symbolically depicting humankind’s arduous path towards civilization, where animals appear in relation to the legendary founders of a given human activity. Then, we analyze the narratives where the animals are given a symbolic meaning, which is then explained by the author, in keeping with that of other symbolic proposals of the same period.  We also study the presence of animals in a miracle where the unspeakable is conveyed through symbol. The various situations in which animals appear in the General Estoria and the number of mentions for each animal are analyzed. In the conclusion, we defend the originality of the work’s symbolic readings.