In the winter semester 2022/23, the Bavarian Zoological Collection in Munich will host an exhibition showing a selection of items on the subject of “Fabulous! The Origins of Mythical Creatures” at the Fachbibliothek Philologicum (Library of Philology). The main exhibits will be flanked by a small assortment of early modern prints from the University Library’s historical collection.
All over the world, talk of mythical creatures has preoccupied humankind for millennia. Many of these creatures seem so fantastical that they could never possibly have been real. Or could they? As vast as our powers of imagination are, the scope of a biodiversity that has evolved over millions of years is greater still. And however much trouble old storytellers and the modern-day film industry have taken, a template, a type of (almost) every mythical creature really does exist. Unless, of course, we are talking about truly exceptional species such as the Bavarian Wolpertinger (or jackalope), which could never be left out of any self-respecting Munich exhibition …
For more information, please visit the University Library website.