Academics: BUT WHY? || Gardeners: ...
I've always been fascinated by those medieval depictions of knights fighting snails. Central and Western European Medieval manuscripts in particular are littered with marginalia snail fights. And the phenomenon has had the academic world baffled and confused for the longest time. As a gardener, I find this highly amusing. I obviously do not have any concrete proof, or else it would have been published, but.... One thing that unites gardeners all across Europe (and probably most of the world) is their frustration with slugs and snails. Think about it. Most illustrated and illuminated manuscripts were the handiwork of monks. Most monasteries were self-sufficient, and, while the actual farming was usually left to serfs or laybrothers, the kitchen and herb gardens were usually tended by the monks. So they would have come in close contact with snails. Now this could have been a wide range of snails. But, considering how wide-spread this phenomenon was, my money is on this fucker: The (Brown) Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum)
Originally from the Mediterranean, by the Middle Ages, this snail had spread out across Central and Western Europe, and North Africa. It is thought to have been introduced to various regions by the Romans, and, while it is mostly unclear whether the sources are talking about the brown garden snail, or the vineyard snail (which is referred to as the spotted vineyard snail in some languages and easily confused with the other, as they are similar in size and shape), however, their habitat overlaps considerably with the former Roman provinces. Unlike the vineyard snail, which needs chalky soil to thrive and mostly feeds off dead plant matter, the brown garden snail is highly adaptive, can survive harsh winters, will eat absolutely ANYTHING, thrives on any type of soil (even concrete), slithers across copper, glass shards and quite possibly molten lava like it's nothing, and ISTG you could throw those buggers into Mount Doom and they would emerge refreshed and hungry like they just got back from a relaxing day at the sauna. AND DID I MENTION THAT THEY WILL EAT ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING? I'm a vegetarian, but by god, these little shits have made me at least consider making an exception... Now, why am I so invested in these hellish creatures you ask? I have a garden. A tiny one. 150m². Between March and October, I am forced to go snail hunting every. Single. Night (!) if I want to harvest so much as a few holey cabbage leaves. I collect a minimum of 2 buckets of snails EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. From a 150m² garden. While being eaten alive by insects. They must respawn somewhere, I'm sure of it. I, TOO, FELT THE NEED TO DEPICT MY FRUSTRATION IN A DRAWING. I GET IT. I have no proof, but I KNOW that some medieval monk just went "JUST DIE, YOU FUCKER!!! LEAVE MY CABBAGES ALONE!!!" And I think that's beautiful. Anyway, never underestimate a gardener. This is exactly where Sam Gamgee got his fighting spirit from.
(You can find the silly sticker here)
