Sexuelles Tabu und Strafe im interdisziplinären Diskurs Zur mittelalterlichen Aufnahme und Fortschreibung eines antiken Tierexempels in Naturphilosophie, Theologie und Recht

Abstract

This article traces the path of a tale in Aristo­tle’s ‘Historia animalium’ that illustrates the connection between sexual taboo and punishment in the animal king­dom and became a major reference in medieval learned literature. It appeared in discussions of the incest taboo in natural philosophy, learned law, and theology alike. The aim of this article is to examine the varying details and overall narrative transformation of the Aristotelian tale, which has spread across various disciplines and centuries. In doing so it will also examine the extent to which the premodern debate of sexual norms and devi­ance depended on specific logics of diverse disciplines and cultures of knowledge.