Animal

Animals crop up in many areas of history.

Feasts

All manner of animals, from birds and beasts, to rodents and fish, can be marinated, boiled, stewed, roasted, baked, fried, stuffed, preserved and eaten!

List of some animals known to have been eaten:

• badger
• bittern
• boar
• bream
• cattle (including calves)
• capon
• chicken
• cod
• coney (rabbit)
• conger eel
• cray
• crane
• crow
• curlew
• deer (stags, bucks and roes)
• duck (including mallard, teal, shelduck and tufted)
• egret
• goat (including kids)
• hare
• heron
• horse
• goose
• gull
• greenshank
• jackdaw
• lapwing
• linnet
• magpie
• mallard
• moorhen
• oxen
• partridge
• peacock
• perch
• pheasant
• pig
• pigeon - including wood pigeon
• pike
• plover (grey and golden)
• porpoise
• quail
• rees
• rock dove
• rook
• seal
• sheep (both lamb and mutton)
• snipe
• sparrow
• squirrel
• starling
• swan
• teal
• thrush
• whimbrel
• whiting
• wild bull
• woodcocks

In desperate times other animals might also be eaten including:

• cat
• dog

Heraldry

Animals can be used as heraldic charges.

Animals in the SCA

A&S

• rearing of animals: falconry
• animal products:
  • skin (Leatherwork)
  • fur - to line or decorate clothing
  • wool spinning and weaving
  • felt - made by compressing wool or fur
  • flesh cooking (subtleties, or as mentioned above under 'feasts')
  • feathers & millinery (feathers, felt or leather can be used)
  • horn - used to make a variety of objects including tablet weaving cards
  • ivory - a denser type of horn from elephant, hippopotamus or walrus, prized to make carved objects e.g. cosmetic cases, chess pieces, statues,
  • bones - make a variety of objects including spoons, needles, statuettes and games and toys (e.g. knucklebones, children's teething rings). Also food setting agents e.g. gelatine (Is this medieval? I'm sure marrow was)
  • fertilizer
  • misc - dyes (various bits from animals were used in pigments/paints and dyestuffs) e.g. tyrian purple from molluscs, perfumes (musk from deer)
• depictions of animals: embroidery (animals are depicted), weaving

Combat

Some parts of the SCA permit equestrian events. Various animals are used in war scenarios (not real ones, of course!), such as goat/sheep stealing or hunting of the deer. Stuffed sheep also make excellent combat archery targets.