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People Are Cracking Up At These 50 Medieval Memes Made By A History Professor
Interview With Author
While memes might seem synonymous with modern life in general and the internet in particular, they are just one of the ways we try to encapsulate a feeling or mood in something that's easy to share. But truth be told, our ancestors were not that different from us in many ways.
The “Medievalist Matt” Instagram page is dedicated to everything from interesting facts to hilarious and relatable memes. We got in touch with its admin and creator, Matthew Ponesse, Professor of History at Ohio Dominican University, to learn more. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments section below.
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#1
XenoMurph 1 year ago (edited)
Yes would have to be a brother, they burned Sister Cadfael as a witch for mixing herbs and knowing things.
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Irishwoman abroad 1 year ago
Not if you're a monk, only if you're a woman
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#2
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Bored Panda got in touch with Matthew Ponesse, Professor of History at Ohio Dominican University who created and still runs the page. Given that it has thousands and thousands of followers, we wanted to hear his opinion on what makes it so popular.
“I think humor is the main attraction. There is so much stress and anxiety in our daily lives. I think my page offers a bit of relief from the daily challenges that we all face. Secondly, the nature of communication has changed drastically in the last decade. People value memes not only as a source of entertainment, but for how they respond to current events or social phenomena.”
#4
Enceladus 1 year ago
And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the Lord did grin.
Jules 1 year ago
And remind me what number we count to before we lobbest the holy handgrenade.....? 😁😁😁
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Huddo's sister 1 year ago
These pictures remind me of Redwall (I just added a few of the series to my collection from a garage sale last weekend).
#5
Celtic Pirate Queen 1 year ago
That looks like the home screen on my husband's computer. He claims to be so organized, but when I ask for something, he can never find it.
#6
Moonie Pinkslip 1 year ago
There was a whole lotta weird şhït goin' on in those medieval times...
Nevid 1 year ago
The people who designed the monastery rules were probably not humans. If they were, they would have known making your monks swear to live the most boring life would result in your monks making life less boring one way or another.
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Son of Philosoraptor 1 year ago
I have an idea to start my symphony! A double fart followed by three descending half notes!
“Memes provide a light-hearted or irreverent commentary on the issues of our day. I try to stay on top of current affairs and cultural changes, and occasionally respond to them through my memes. Lastly, I think people are fascinated by the unknown. There is much about the Middle Ages that people are unfamiliar with. When brought into contact with our culture, medieval ideas and images can appear bizarre, strange, and hilarious, especially when taken out of context.”
#7
M O'Connell 1 year ago
It is, from the Hermit Saints Triptych, left panel.
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#8
Kristal 1 year ago
OMG! It reminds me of the owl in Sleeping Beauty when the animals find prince Phillip's clothes and they put his red cape on the owl
SleepSycho 1 year ago
Guess they accurately depicted their source material of medieval fairy tales
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
"I love to Sing-A, about the Moon-a and the June-a and the Spring-a, I love to Sing-a, about the sky of blue-a and the tea for two-a and the..."
Wisteria Bookworm 1 year ago
“*scoff* So what if Steve got a new hoodie? I still got a better personality than him”
#9
Nevid 1 year ago (edited)
Skeletons everywhere is an end of the Middle Ages, beginning of Renaissance thing. That was due to the black Plague killing so much that people became accustomed to the sight of decomposed bodies. The Plague is more or less what also caused the Renaissance to happen as well. The "rebirth" of the cultural, political and economic power was because of the vacuum the Plague left.
Naturally, we wanted to hear more about why he chose to focus on the Medieval ages in particular. “When I was younger, I was fascinated by the differences of medieval life. Castles and knights, serfs and peasants, pilgrims and heretics. It all seemed so fantastic and otherworldly. However, as I came to learn about the Middle Ages, I began to notice how very little humans have changed over time.”
#10
Tempest 1 year ago
Two nights back I watched my cat curling her paws (biscuit making style) in her sleep. What do you think she was dreaming about then?
TribbleThinking 1 year ago
Being a baby again, safe and snug against mamma. Kittens do that kneading motion when suckling, to express their mother's milk. I've done it to help along a struggling kitten.
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nomnomborkbork 1 year ago
I'd happily equip the squirrels and rabbits in my yard with shields just to see what my dog would do.
#11
martymcmatrix 1 year ago
Nothing needs to be brought back here. The »therapy snail« acts as a metaphor, both for the insight of the person undergoing therapy, the waiting time until your first appointment, as well as the duration of your therapy and your general progress...🐌 🛋️
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
I have an emotional support snail. You just have to know where to find them.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
They're well grounded and at home wherever they go. Seems like an ideal state of mental health.
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Andy Frobig 1 year ago
If you can't handle me at my severed leg wearing-est, you don't deserve me at my nothing wearing-est
“We still ponder the same questions, cultivate the same ambitions, and attempt to overcome the same challenges. Now, I take delight in how familiar it all is. Perhaps this is why my memes are relatively successful. I approach medieval art as a reflection of our own world. I may exaggerate the connections at times, or perhaps see things that are clearly not intended. But my motivation is to connect the past and the present in a meaningful way.”
#13
BrunoVI 1 year ago
... but seriously... I'm pretty sure STEM has something to do with becoming awesome at building giant machines for flinging boudlers
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Jo Portway 1 year ago
Implying that there are many men trebuchet masters. Is this Kier's new miliary proposal to cut spending?
Forrest Hobbs 1 year ago (edited)
Keir's reversing years of Tory armed forces cuts. It's always the same: Tories cut the armed forces, Labour build them up again. Have you forgotten it was Cameron who scrapped the UK's aircraft carrier force before Blair's new ships were in service? Anyway, there aren't many people in charge of trebuchets at all, what with them being rare beasties these days. https://www.warwick-castle.com/explore-1/shows/shows-attractions/legend-of-the-trebuchet/
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DutchPanda 1 year ago
She did it right. Do what makes you happy (and brings food on the table)
TribbleThinking 1 year ago
Literally, if you like. It can hurl lifestock.
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Šimon Špaček 1 year ago
18 kilos only? Wow, I would think that those stones are much bigger. Like two or three times heavier.
Forrest Hobbs 1 year ago
I wondered about that too. I suppose it's because this is a demonstration machine intended to run without huge running costs - big enough to impress, but not so big as to be uneconomic. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65099834
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Child of the Stars 1 year ago
Tbf, it would take an understanding of physics to do this well, so still STEM 🤷♀️
Sam T Godfrey 1 year ago
That's a job?? I'm moving to the Grand Empire and get a job!! Can anybody fling me that far?
#14
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Wow! How does the artist make those people look so natural when they fall down?
#15
Many of us have a picture of what the Medieval ages were like, but it’s generally a mishmash of outdated ideas and Hollywood cliches, so we wanted to hear some common misconceptions Matthew has encountered when it comes to the past. “The greatest misconception I have encountered is that the medieval period was a dark age characterized by ignorance, superstition, chronic warfare, abusive leaders, and a church opposed to new ideas and progress.”
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Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Sure. Just wait a sec while I find my Sherpa slippers from LL Bean. Then I'll fix us a big bowl of buttered mice.
#18
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
WHOA! Did you see that?! A flippin' DOG ridin' a flippin' BICYCLE!!
“When you study the Middle Ages, you can’t help but appreciate the vitality of its peoples and the richness of their cultures. This was a dynamic time filled with growth, innovation, and scientific advancement,” he shared with Bored Panda.
#19
David 1 year ago
Except a wyvern is a type of dragon, so statement is still correct.
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Lotekguy 1 year ago
My first thought, too. Happy New Year to all for whom it's applicable!
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Cuppa tea? 1 year ago
They probably weren't in surprise when saw platypus the first time. The guy might be even - see, told ya, but not, you didn't believe me.
#21
BunnyMommy 1 year ago
I love the bunny! When a bunny is mad at you, it will go sit with it's back to you! Eventually it will peek over it's "shoulder" and see if you are paying attention to it's "mad" stance. Yes? You are forgiven! No? You are going to get "talk to the tail!" a little bit longer.
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
I'll take the baby-faced koala bird. Unless somebody else has already asked for it.
“Cities flourished, cathedral spires reached the sky, scholars advanced our understanding of the world, and merchants and traders flourished. True, there was war and disease. Yes, injustice occurred (as it continues to today). But characterizing the Middle Ages as a time of darkness misses the real story.”
#22
Bertha Madott 1 year ago
These are musical notes not plums!!!! The FLAT one is called a ligature, covering several notes.
BunnyMommy 1 year ago
I think he cut the snail with legs in half, and the snail half is feeling liberated.
#23
Arlene Harris 1 year ago
this is an illustration of a French saying, "as comfortable as a cat in a bath" (in other words, not at all comfortable)
#24
He had a few last thoughts. “People sometimes tell me that a particular meme made them laugh out loud in an inappropriate place like a doctor’s office or a meeting, and that the whole room turned to look at them strangely. I just want everyone to know that I consider this greatest compliment.”
#25
Maggie Fulton 1 year ago
Gods…AI must have gone back in time and is responsible for all Medieval art!
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#26
Pernille 1 year ago
Stop yelling, a vywern weren't a thing in medieval times, and dragons and snakes were favourites. And to add to the confusion vywern comes from Latin vipère meaning snake.
Load More Replies... Pamela Christie 1 year ago
It's only fair to warn you - I've brought my lawyer with me this time, and he's going to stay right on my tail, recording the whole thing.
#27
#28
David Jeffery 1 year ago
Yes, but in Australia we missed out on the whole Brat girl summer; now we gotta miss out on shadowy cloaked figure Autumn too?
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Wait. It's starting to rain. Let's finish this inside, where my scuba-masked butler will fix whatever is wrong with your face.
#29
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
They just weren't that good at drawing pineapples under the sea back then
Maggie Fulton 1 year ago
Wait, how would they have heard about igloos in Medieval times? That has to be something else, right? Maybe a wyvern.
#30
Abel 1 year ago (edited)
And the most important one: The m***********g goat headed battering ram.
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#31
BrunoVI 1 year ago
I always wondered what those medieval women with the high headgear were hiding. Raccoon owls weren't my first guess. (Marge Simpson hair was.)
Maggie Fulton 1 year ago
Are those super dogs or super deer on the shield, or something completely different?
#32
#33
Evagating Beewolf (she/they) 1 year ago
*10 years later* Ok, we reached the enemy...oh damnit they've moved.
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#34
XenoMurph 1 year ago
In modern parlance we call them skewers, they are attached after the marinade.
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Pamela Christie 1 year ago
If wishes were horses, then chickens would ride...and also be horses. And walk on stilts. And attend religious services.
#35
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Two fish are better than one. And that's not an ear-protector, it's a prop from Salvador Dali's painting, "The Persistence of Hot Cross Buns."
#36
#37
Maggie Fulton 1 year ago
Now I will always imagine smiley faces on the back of halos.
Load More Replies... Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Not many people know this, but Heaven is largely populated by anthropomorphic gumball dispensers.
Lori Truzy 1 year ago
give it a bit of sparkle and you have a whole bunch of hub cap diamond star halos
#38
Gwyn 1 year ago
He's stepped on a wingless wyvern. Legos of the dark ages.
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#40
#41
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
Imagine getting your hair cut at Beelzebub's Bobs. Or the Old Scratch Salon. Or Nick's Nails and Hair. Or Hair and the Horned One.
#42
#43
DutchPanda 1 year ago
I think she misunderstood when he asked her to play with his stick
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michael reid 1 year ago
There's an old toy which is a hoop attached to a stick with a ring on the end that the hoop passes through so you can roll the hoop around using the stick. I think that's what this is showing, except the guy is the hoop, maybe meaning he's her plaything.
Arthur Waite 1 year ago
Is this a visual image of the expression "Bend over backwards" for you?
SleepSycho 1 year ago
What in the weird dark ages is going on here? I dealt with snail guys and leg hats, but whaaaa?!
#44
DutchPanda 1 year ago
The one in the bottom right is suddenly realizing that he has forgotten to turn off the stove
XenoMurph 1 year ago
I think he realised he forgot to wear his codpiece. There is zero protection.
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Jo Portway 1 year ago
Number 2 was trying to weirdly slice his orange, he didn't want to hurt anybody!
Pamela Christie 1 year ago
They're not fulfilled. They're all worrying whether there will be any PAAS Easter Egg Dye Kits left by the time they're able to make it to Walmart.
#45
Jules 1 year ago
I'm guessing they didn't look closely enough and thought the fish was an extended snout?
Load More Replies... Panda Pandemic 1 year ago
Crocodile? They mean dog right? That looks nothing like a crocodile. Not even a little.
Tabitha 1 year ago (edited)
How to draw a medieval crocodile: You put the snout and the bulbous forehead of a chihuahua, the ears of a xoloitzcuintle but kinda wavy, no whiskers, the cloven hooves of the devil on skinny chicken-legs, the body of a somewhat healthy deer, and the tail of a large cat together—-don’t forget to cover his privates with a nice pair of floral pants, to keep from upsetting the ladies (as if every man’s fashionable codpiece doesn’t do that already)—-and voila! You got yourself a picture of a genuine crocodile. I think. I mean, no one’s ever seen one yet, so…
#46
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago (edited)
Conversely, to remember the parts of modern building designs, just remember the acronym BLOC: Big Lump Of Concrete
#47
Dak Janiels 1 year ago
Idk - the feet are almost too natural and the correct number.
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Craig Ewart 5 months ago
People gave medieval scribes a hard time. This guy has never seen an elephant, never seen a picture of an elephant. Never even left Orkney. Hes basing his elephant on a chat he had with his mate Tristan who read a book, in Latin, written by a thousand year dead Roman historian, who mentioned an elephant, once.
#48
Purple light 1 year ago (edited)
These are artistic remderings of the expression: If the fox preaches the passion (about the suffering of Jesus) farmer watch your chickens. Meaning if a bad persons starts acting all holy, you better watch out.
#49
#50
DC 1 year ago
That dude with the hand on his head ... I've drawn several hand-headed people to amuse my Dad. Actually, I've drawn one silly character at least per day since about 1.5 years, so they're already piling up a bit, and I'm running out of features to include. Cyclopses, button-eyes, stitched-together atrocities that have boobs or hands or feet on, or instead of, their head, ... pigs' noses ... horns of many varieties, tusks with a knot in them, cut-off limbs with a bone sticking out ... heads with a bone sticking out ... all been there.
Bertha Madott 1 year ago
Top right is the Guidonian hand. After Guido D’Arezzo. System of teaching music before they had invented notes and key signatures. Very early medieval.
#51
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
Yes - Sumela Monastery near Trabzon City in Turkey.
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Lara Verne 1 year ago
Hey, Pandas, let's find some nice cliff building and live there. It would be way more fun than monastery.
#52
Bay Bo 1 year ago
Some of these r so bizarre, makes me want to look into the meanings behind them. Probably shouldn't though, somethings u can't unlearn
Kit Black 1 year ago
At the time, it was ~modern art~ Can't you picture all those medieval painters bein' edgelords & mocking their knightly older brothers & monkly middle brothers, telling dad he ~just didn't understand REAL ART~
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
Looks like me trying to figure out which way my tee goes while dressing in the dark "wait, that's the arm hole"
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#68
Multa Nocte 1 year ago
I got misty eyes as they said farewell (They said farewell) . . .
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#70
Cee Cee 1 year ago (edited)
Photoshopped. Base is an eroded rock in Thailand plus a bit of an Irish castle and quite a bit of a castle in Germany. This image has been doing the rounds for a few years now.
#71
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What do you think ?
Ladedah 1 year ago (edited)
Something tells me that - if they had the ability to produce movies in medieval times - all this creative imagination would at least save them from the monotony of seeing the SAME freaking movies remade every five to ten years. It's like most people today just gave up and decided "f**k originality"... let's just stick with what we know.
Rafael 1 year ago
This is just Hollywood. The same 3 or 4 conglomerates investing the GDP of a small nation want to make sure not to offend anyone, and to please everyone.
Load More Replies... Cee Cee 1 year ago
The medieval Christians believed every animal represented aspects of human existence. So moral messages in the marginalia of texts. Many look bizarre as they most likely were drawing based on descriptions of animals they'd never seen. Others based on folk tales etc. There are some wonderful bestiary blogs out there which describe this better than I can.
Roxy222uk 1 year ago
I would love to know what some of these symbolise. It must have been so obvious back then. To give a modern day example, I've just watched s4e5 of Slow Horses, in which Roddy Ho has a sprig of mistletoe hanging over his computer chair. It is never referenced, and to many cultures would be utterly meaningless. But it tells us the time of year, very specifically, and also **a lot** about Roddy Ho. So obvious when you know. I imagine using things like the rabbits or snails is a short cut to saying stuff, but has got lost in the mists of time.
Serena Myers 1 year ago
"Snails were recognised in medieval times for their unusual strength, given that they were able to carry their home on their back. Confrontation with a snail, therefore, could represent a test of personal strength as well as mental fortitude. Once, the snail became a creature to be hunted down and destroyed in a display of strength and bravery." Imagine going on a snail hunt!
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The Phantom Stranger 1 year ago
When I was a kid, one of the local TV stations would play the Beatles animated movie "Yellow Submarine" every New Year's Eve. After having seen these pictures, it seems much less trippy now...
Mike F 1 year ago
If I had to guess, it would be total, screaming boredom. Their daily routine would have been very regimented, and spending all of those hours copying their books would have been mind numbing. At least the dudes who did the gardening got to be outside.
Load More Replies... Ladedah 1 year ago (edited)
Something tells me that - if they had the ability to produce movies in medieval times - all this creative imagination would at least save them from the monotony of seeing the SAME freaking movies remade every five to ten years. It's like most people today just gave up and decided "f**k originality"... let's just stick with what we know.
Rafael 1 year ago
This is just Hollywood. The same 3 or 4 conglomerates investing the GDP of a small nation want to make sure not to offend anyone, and to please everyone.
Load More Replies... Cee Cee 1 year ago
The medieval Christians believed every animal represented aspects of human existence. So moral messages in the marginalia of texts. Many look bizarre as they most likely were drawing based on descriptions of animals they'd never seen. Others based on folk tales etc. There are some wonderful bestiary blogs out there which describe this better than I can.
Roxy222uk 1 year ago
I would love to know what some of these symbolise. It must have been so obvious back then. To give a modern day example, I've just watched s4e5 of Slow Horses, in which Roddy Ho has a sprig of mistletoe hanging over his computer chair. It is never referenced, and to many cultures would be utterly meaningless. But it tells us the time of year, very specifically, and also **a lot** about Roddy Ho. So obvious when you know. I imagine using things like the rabbits or snails is a short cut to saying stuff, but has got lost in the mists of time.
Serena Myers 1 year ago
"Snails were recognised in medieval times for their unusual strength, given that they were able to carry their home on their back. Confrontation with a snail, therefore, could represent a test of personal strength as well as mental fortitude. Once, the snail became a creature to be hunted down and destroyed in a display of strength and bravery." Imagine going on a snail hunt!
Load More Replies... The Phantom Stranger 1 year ago
When I was a kid, one of the local TV stations would play the Beatles animated movie "Yellow Submarine" every New Year's Eve. After having seen these pictures, it seems much less trippy now...
Mike F 1 year ago
If I had to guess, it would be total, screaming boredom. Their daily routine would have been very regimented, and spending all of those hours copying their books would have been mind numbing. At least the dudes who did the gardening got to be outside.
Load More Replies... You May Like If You Need A Laugh Today, ‘Laughgorithm’ Has Found You The Perfect 70 Memes 50 of the Best Memes of All Time That Are Icons of Internet Culture 50 Hilarious Posts From This Account Dedicated To Sharing “Men’s Humor” (New Pics)
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