Literary Sources/Tradition: Enlightenment

Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures:
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Antoine Van Dale

Antoine Van Dale (1638–1708) was a Dutch physician and scholar who examined religious superstition from a rationalist perspective. His main work, De oraculis veterum ethnicorum (1683), critiqued the belief in ancient oracles, proposing natural explanations for their phenomena. The book was later abridged by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, increasing its influence in Enlightenment circles. … Read more

Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Earth as Animal

The idea of the Earth as an Animal is explored in the philosophical work ‘La terre est un animal’ by Félix Nogaret (Versailles, Year III), which speculates on the earth’s organic and animate nature. The concept reappears in various cultural traditions and scientific speculation, with analogies such as the earth breathing like an elephant, volcanoes … Read more