History
fromOpen Culture
1 week agoWhy Animals Look So Strange in Medieval Manuscripts
Chimera refers to bizarre combinations of parts from different sources, originating from a mythical creature with a goat body, lion head, and dragon tail.
"The bedtime stories of mermaids, vampires, and fairies that many of us grew up loving were often created - or contain monsters and characters that were inspired by people who had similar lives and loves to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people living today," Coward writes in his book's intro. "To truly understand who queer people are today involves an adventure into the fantastical stories of our past."