[ariehkovler]

I'm not totally convinced by this. Some of the animal archetypes predate the medieval bestiary and appear in, say, Roman or Greek plays, or pre-medieval texts like the Talmud, or Aesop's Fables.

EG Crocodile tears goes back to Plutarch. Lions' association with Kingship is Biblical.

[yellowapple]

There also seems to be little mention of Norse Pagan influences despite animals (both mythical and mundane) being prevalent in Norse mythology.