SIGLUM lecture (in Polish): Zofia Załęska “Wyrzucony na margines: figura tańczącego Obcego w gotyckich manuskryptach” (Pushed out to the margin: the figure of a dancing stranger in Gothic manuscripts’)

Dance was an integral and vital part of human life in the Middle Ages, and dancing figures were often depicted in the margins of late medieval manuscripts. Members of all social groups were represented in this way: from knights and courtiers through clergy to citizens and peasants. Apart from human dancers, one can also discern dancing animals and… strange hybrid semi-human creatures covered in thick fur. Who are they? Aliens living somewhere beyond the borders of the familiar medieval world? Or, perhaps, masked dancers? Are they dancing to the rhythm known by the Europeans or to their own wild rhythm and movements? During the lecture, we will talk about how to interpret such mysterious figures. We will also focus on their significance and role in the context of specific manuscripts.