In the medieval West, the East was seen as a place of wonders concentrating everything that was different and opposite. From the 13th century onwards, with the opening up of the eastern trade routes due to the stability established by the Mongol Empire, numerous travellers ventured to explore the Asian continent of which there had been no news since antiquity. Their writings reflect an entire system of otherness in which the monster emerged as one of the most prominent components.

Following the itineraries of different travellers through the Orient, this paper aims to analyse these fantastic beings, their characteristics and their relationship with space. Thus, this enables the definition of the distinctive traits of this marvellous imaginary, its peculiarities, and its overall importance in the rediscovery of these spaces and their places.

Biographical note
Lorena Pazos Romero is a researcher integrated into the Institute of Medieval Studies of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University (IEM-NOVA FCSH). In 2018, she obtained her Master’s Degree in History – Specialist Field in Medieval History at NOVA FCSH, with the dissertation entitled “Monsters and fantastic beings, a founding imaginary in the construction of the image of the Orient”, under the guidance of Professor Maria de Lurdes Rosa and the co-supervision of Professor Paulo Catarino Lopes. In the same year, she received her Master’s Degree in Profesorado en Educación Secundaria Obrigatoria, Bacharelato, Formación Profesional e Ensino de Idiomas. Speciality: Geography and History from the University of Vigo. In 2015, she graduated in History at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Her core research interests are: Cultural History, Medieval Imaginary, Travels and travellers and is currently working on her doctoral project.