Mythical animals in the Early Modern educational literature

This bachelor thesis focuses on two mythological animals, specifically on unicorn and phoenix from antiquity to the early modern age. Firstly, in the first chapter I discuss used methodology and current state of research about all animals in general, including mythological ones. The second chapter introduces the unicorn in ancient and medieval sources where this mythical animal was born and developed. The third chapter forms the half of the main topic of the thesis, namely unicorn in the 16th and 17th centuries. The next chapter follows the codification of the phoenix in antiquity and the Middle Ages, where this mythical creature also had its origins. Chapter five forms the second half of the thesis, which looks at the mythical bird in 16th and 17th century scientific and travel writings, but also how the phoenix was depicted in fiction. The following chapter is a presentation of the phoenix in material sources from antiquity to the early modern period