Editing Wild man (section)

==Medieval representations==
[[File:Casket with Scenes from Romances MET DP-425-004.jpg|thumb|Knight saving a woman from a wild man, ivory coffer, 14th century]]
Some of the earliest evidence for the wild-man tradition appears in the above-mentioned 9th- or 10th-century Spanish penitential.<ref name="Bernheimer43"/> This book describes a dance in which participants donned the guise of the figures Orcus, Maia, and Pela, and ascribes a minor penance for those who participate with what was apparently a resurgence of an older pagan custom.<ref name="Bernheimer43"/> The identity of Pela is unknown, but the earth goddess Maia appears as the wild woman (''Holz-maia'' in the later German glossaries), and names related to Orcus were associated with the wild man through the Middle Ages, indicating that this dance was an early version of the wild-man festivities celebrated through the Middle Ages and surviving in parts of Europe through modern times.<ref name="Bernheimer43"/>

[[File:Manuscript 7 104v picture.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Wild people, in the margins of a late 14th-century Book of Hours]]
As the name implies, the main characteristic of the wild man is his [[wildness]]. Civilized people regarded wild men as beings of the wilderness, the antithesis of [[civilization]].<ref>Yamamoto, pp. 150–151.</ref>
Other characteristics developed or transmuted in different contexts. From the earliest times, sources associated wild men with hairiness; by the 12th century they were almost invariably described as having a coat of hair covering their entire bodies except for their hands, feet, faces above their long beards, and the breasts and chins of the females.<ref>Yamamoto, p. 145; 163.</ref>  

In art the hair more often covers the same areas that a chemise or dress would, except for the female's breasts; male knees are also often hairless. As with the [[feather tights]] of angels, this is probably influenced by the costumes of popular drama. The female depiction also follows [[Mary Magdalene's hair suit]] in art; in medieval legend this miraculously appeared when she retreated to the desert after Christ's death, and her clothes fell apart.<ref>Johnston, Barbara, ''Sacred Kingship and Royal Patronage in the La Vie de la Magdalene: Pilgrimage, Politics, Passion Plays, and the Life of Louise of Savoy'', Florida State University, R. Neuman, Dissertation, [https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055937/http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-07092007-221421/unrestricted/02bjjohnstondissertation.pdf PDF], 88-93</ref>

===Romanesque Europe===
A wild man is described in the book ''[[Konungs skuggsjá]]'' (''Speculum Regale'' or "the King's Mirror"), written in [[Norway]] about 1250:

<blockquote>
It once happened in that country (and this seems indeed strange) that a living creature was caught in the forest as to which no one could say definitely whether it was a man or some other animal; for no one could get a word from it or be sure that it understood human speech. It had the human shape, however, in every detail, both as to hands and face and feet; but the entire body was covered with hair as the beasts are, and down the back it had a long coarse mane like that of a horse, which fell to both sides and trailed along the ground when the creature stooped in walking.
</blockquote>

A "black and hairy" forest-dwelling [[Outcast (person)|outcast]] is mentioned in the tale of ''[[Renaud de Montauban]],'' written in the late 12th century.<ref name=":0" />

===Celtic mythology===
The 9th-century [[Irish mythology|Irish]] tale ''[[Buile Shuibhne]]''<ref name="Bromwich, p. 459">Bromwich, p. 459.</ref> (''The Madness of Sweeney'') describes how Suibhne or Sweeney, the pagan king of the [[Dál nAraidi]] in [[Ulster]], assaults the Christian bishop Ronan Finn and is cursed with madness as a result. He begins to grow feathers and talons as the curse runs its full course, flies like a bird, and spends many years travelling naked through the woods, composing verses among other madmen. In order to be forgiven by God, King Suibhne composes a beautiful poem of praise to God before he dies. There are further poems and stories recounting the life and madness of King Suibhne.<ref>[[Maureen O'Rourke Murphy]], [[James MacKillop (author)|James MacKillop]], eds., ''Irish literature: a reader'', pp. 30–34, 1987, Syracuse University Press, {{ISBN|0815624050}}, 9780815624059, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NaKepuxAP9UC&dq=Suibhne&pg=PA30 google books]</ref> The [[Wales|Welsh]] told a similar story about [[Myrddin Wyllt]], the origin of the [[Merlin]] of later romance. In these stories, Myrddin is a warrior in the service of King [[Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio]] at the time of the [[Battle of Arfderydd]]. When his lord is killed at the battle, Myrddin travels to the [[Caledonian Forest]] in a fit of madness which endows him with the ability to compose prophetic poetry; a number of later prophetic poems are attributed to him.<ref>Bromwich, p. 458.</ref> ''[[Saint Mungo|The Life of Saint Kentigern]]'' includes almost the same story, though here the madman of Arfderydd is instead named [[Lailoken]], which may be the original name.<ref name="Bromwich, p. 459"/> The fragmentary 16th-century [[Breton language|Breton]] text ''[[An Dialog etre Arzur Roe d'an Bretounet ha Guynglaff|An Dialog Etre Arzur Roe D'an Bretounet Ha Guynglaff]]'' (''Dialog Between Arthur and Guynglaff'') tells of a meeting between [[King Arthur]] and the wild man Guynglaff, who predicts events which will occur as late as the 16th century.<ref>[[Norris J. Lacy|Lacy, Norris J.]] (1991). "An Dialog Etre Arzur Roe D'an Bretounet Ha Guynglaff". In Norris J. Lacy, ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 114–155. (New York: Garland, 1991). {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.</ref>

[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] recounts the Myrddin Wyllt legend in his Latin ''[[Vita Merlini]]'' of about 1150, though here the figure has been renamed "Merlin". According to Geoffrey, after Merlin witnessed the horrors of the battle:

{{quote|
...&nbsp;a strange madness came upon him. He crept away and fled to the woods, unwilling that any should see his going. Into the forest he went, glad to lie hidden beneath the ash trees. He watched the wild creatures grazing on the pasture of the glades. Sometimes he would follow them, sometimes pass them in his course. He made use of the roots of plants and of grasses, of fruit from trees and of the blackberries in the thicket. He became a Man of the Woods, as if dedicated to the woods. So for a whole summer he stayed hidden in the woods, discovered by none, forgetful of himself and of his own, lurking like a wild thing.}}

===Slavic mythology===
[[File:Wildweibchen mit Einhorn.jpg|thumb|upright|''Wild woman with unicorn,'' tapestry {{circa|1500}}–1510 ([[Basel Historical Museum]]). As with most Renaissance wild women, she is hairy over the areas a dress would cover, except for the breasts and knees.]]
Wild (divi) people are the characters of the Slavic folk demonology, mythical forest creatures.<ref name="auto">Belova, 1999, p. 92.</ref> Names go back to two related Slavic roots ''*dik-'' and ''*div-'', combining the meaning of "wild" and "amazing, strange".

In the East Slavic sources referred: [[Saratov_Oblast|Saratov]] {{lang|ru|dikar, dikiy, dikoy, dikenkiy muzhichok}} – [[leshy]]; a short man with a big beard and tail; [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] ''lisovi lyudi'' – old men with overgrown hair who give silver to those who rub their nose; [[Kostroma_Oblast|Kostroma]] ''dikiy'' [[chort]]; [[Kirov_Oblast|Vyatka]] ''dikonkiy'' unclean spirit, sending paralysis; Ukrainian ''lihiy div'' – marsh spirit, sending fever; [[Carpathian_Mountains|Ukrainian Carpathian]] ''dika baba'' – an attractive woman in [[seven-league boots]], sacrifices children and drinks their blood, seduces men.<ref name="auto"/> There are similarities between the East Slavic reports about wild people and book legends about ''diviy'' peoples (unusual people from the medieval novel "Alexandria") and mythical representations of miraculous peoples. For example, Russians from [[Ural (region)|Ural]] believe that ''divnye lyudi'' are short, beautiful, have a pleasant voice, live in caves in the mountains, can predict the future; among the Belarusians of [[Vawkavysk|Vawkavysk uyezd]], the ''dzikie lyudzi'' – one-eyed cannibals living overseas, also drink lamb blood; among the Belarusians of [[Sokółka|Sokółka uyezd]], the overseas ''dzikij narod'' have grown wool, they have a long tail and ears like an ox; they do not speak, but only squeal.<ref name="auto"/>

===Late Medieval===
King [[Charles VI of France]] and five of his courtiers were dressed as wild men and chained together for a [[Masquerade ball|''masquerade'']] at the tragic ''[[Bal des Ardents|Bal des Sauvages]]'' which occurred in Paris at the [[Hôtel Saint-Pol]], 28 January 1393. They were "in costumes of linen cloth sewn onto their bodies and soaked in resinous wax or pitch to hold a covering of frazzled hemp, so that they appeared shaggy & hairy from head to foot".<ref>Barbara Tuchman;A Distant Mirror, 1978, Alfred A Knopf Ltd, p504</ref> In the midst of the festivities, a stray spark from a torch set their flammable costumes ablaze, burning several courtiers to death; the king's own life was saved through quick action by his aunt, [[Joanna II of Auvergne|Joann]], who covered him with her dress.

The Burgundian court celebrated a {{lang|fr|[[pas d'armes]]}} known as the {{lang|fr|[[Pas de la Dame Sauvage]]}} ("Passage of arms of the Wild Lady") in Ghent in 1470.
A knight held a series of jousts with an allegoric meaning in which the conquest of the wild lady symbolized the feats the knight must do to merit a lady.

Some early sets of [[playing cards]] have a suit of Wild Men, including a pack engraved by the [[Master of the Playing Cards]] (active in the [[Rhineland]] c. 1430–1450), some of the earliest European engravings. A set of four miniatures on the estates of society by [[Jean Bourdichon]] of about 1500 includes a wild family, along with "poor", "artisan" and "rich" ones.

===Martin Schongauer's Wild Men===
[[File:Sammlung Ludwig - Artefakt und Naturwunder-Schongauer-Wilder Mann80410.jpg|thumb|[[Martin Schongauer]] engraving, ''Shield with a Greyhound'', 1480s.]]

[[Martin Schongauer]] depicted wild people several times, including on four heraldic shield [[engraving]]s of the 1480s which depict wild men holding the coat of arms of the print's patrons. Each image is confined within an approximately 78 mm circular composition which is not new to Schongauer's oeuvre. 

In ''Wild Man Holding a Shield with a Hare and a Shield with a Moor's Head'', the wild man holds two parallel shields, which seem to project from the groin of the central figure. The wild man supports the weight of the shields on two cliffs. The hair on the apex of the wild man's head is adorned with twigs which project outward; as if to make a halo. The wild man does not look directly at the viewer; in fact, he looks down somberly toward the bottom right region of his circular frame. His somber look is reminiscent of that an animal trapped in a zoo as if to suggest that he is upset to have been tamed. 

There is a stark contrast between the first print and ''Shield with a Greyhound'', held by a Wild Man as this figure stands much more confidently. Holding a bludgeon, he looks past the shield and off into the distance while wearing a crown of vines. In Schongauer's third print, ''Shield with Stag Held by Wild Man'', the figure grasps his bludgeon like a walking stick and steps in the same direction as the stag. He too wears a crown of vines, which trail behind into the wind toward a jagged mountaintop. 

In his fourth print, ''Wild Woman Holding a Shield with a Lion's Head'', Schongauer depicts a different kind of scene. This scene is more intimate. The image depicts a wild woman sitting on a stump with her suckling offspring at her breast. While the woman's body is covered in hair her face is left bare. She also wears a crown of vines. Then, compared to the other wild men, the wild woman is noticeably disproportionate. 

Finally, each print is visually strong enough to stand alone as individual scenes, but when lined up it seems as if they were stamped out of a continuous scene with a circular die.