Knight v Snail III: Extreme Jousting (from Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor, France (Picardy), c. 1315-1325, Yates Thompson MS 19, f. 65r) / British Library, Creative Commons
Im Grunge-Artikel «Strange Things Found In Medieval Manuscripts» wird u.a. erklärt, weshalb in mittelalterlichen Manuskripten immer wieder Ritter vorkommen, die gegen Schnecken kämpfen (via Archivalia):
«One leading theory is that it depicts the struggle of the poor and their fight against the aristocracy. Other theories include the representation of the «saucy sexuality» of women, the resurrection of Christ, the annoyance of garden snails, or the inevitability of death (via TED-Ed).
Meanwhile, Lillian Randall proposed a political theory in her article «The Snail in Gothic Marginal Warfare.» According to Randall, the snail represented the Lombards, a group widely despised at the time for various unsavory characteristics. An example: a report in the 13th century criticizes them for such grievances as «failing to wash their hands before meals and of boorishness for speaking out of turn.»»