what did these people thnk when they saw creatures like apes or Orangutans did they think of them as almost humans? or demons or heck even gods? did they write anything about them. Honestly i wanted to find out after i had read a bit about the monkey god Sun Wu Kong
While you’re waiting for a more complete answer, I briefly touch on some traditions about apes (medieval and otherwise) in this response: Prior to an understanding of common descent, how did people explain why apes look suspiciously human?
In a similar vein, you may be interested in the responses to this much older question: What did people think of the anatomical and cognitive similarities between humans and apes before before evolution?
Hope these help!