Medieval Bestiaries

A bestiary is a compendium of beasts, monsters, stones, and a litany of mythical and nonmythical animals. These works were made popular in the middle ages and generally contained the natural history of the animal or creature along with an illustration. Also, medieval forms of these manuscript entries were paired with a sort of moral lesson taught through the animal as a Christian allegory.

Panther, Bern Physiologus, 9th century (4)

The Bestiary’s History

The earliest known Bestiary discovered is derived from second-century Greek influences. It is no secret that much of the Medieval world is influenced by the Greeks, and this is no exception. The Greek work titled, Physiologus, was created by an unknown author of the ancient world in Alexandria. The title can be translated to the modern “Naturalist.” It consisted of 48 sections dedicated to a creature, plant, or stones. This work was a compilation of pseudosciences in which fantastical descriptions were used to illustrate Christain dogma and morals (3). This work spawned many translations and replicating manuscripts. Some of the most popular Bestiaries include the Ashmole Bestiary and the Aberdeen Bestiary.

Contents of medieval Bestiaries comprised of a combination of older sources such as Physiologus, French manuscript, and then modern medieval and Christianized influences. Generally, each manuscript would follow the same structure of visual representation, description, and allegory.

British Library, Royal MS 12 F. xiii, Folio 10v (1)

The descriptions of the animals and creatures were not always accurate and should not be viewed as scientific research. That being said, the seemingly outlandish descriptions and tales attached to many of these animals and creatures persist in folklore to this day (3). For example, the unicorn’s attraction to a virgin female, the parental love of the pelican, the phoenix burning itself to be reborn, these are all derived from bestiary entries. If you have ever heard of the lion's "three natures" or it being referred to as the "King of Beasts," the bestiary is responsible for that. For example, the lion is said to erase its tracks with its tail as he walks. This was seen as a reflection of Jesus concealing his divinity (1).

Bestiaries were categorized in different ways. Some of these include alphabetization, animal groupings, or categorization based on geographical location (2). There was, however, no distinction between imaginary and real creatures; it would not be uncommon to find a griffin near a giraffe.

The Art of the Bestiary

Giraffe Koninklijke
Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16, Folio 50v (1)

The illustrations of the manuscripts, for as beautiful and detailed as they are, have not been researched to the extent that you may imagine (3). The illustrations are exceedingly valuable as both a reflection of the development of medieval illustration in the following periods, as well as aiding in revealing common or curious interpretations of the text. This was especially helpful for those illiterate of the time (3).

These manuscripts were often used during sermons aswell. Again, the illiterate of the period would recieve allegorical lessons through these creatures during mass as a means to reflect the modern world around them. These pictures were a visual language (2). Many of these illustrations were done by artists that have never seen the creature. They may have garnered inspiration from cave paintings or literary descriptions from bestiaries prior with no former illustrations (3). This is the reason for many inaccurate depictions, as you can see here from the illustration of a giraffe.

A Modern Transition

The Medieval Bestiary: Animals in the Middle Ages is a website devoted to preserving an online compendium of these various manuscripts and their information. Here, you can view over 3,000 pages of ancient world and medieval bestiary knowledge. If you are to visit here, I'll link to you a few of my favorite entries. Some of these I find interesting for historical or comedic value.

General website link: The Medieval Bestiary

A few of my favorites...

Bonnacon (Perhaps the most humorous)

For a good video on this topic, I've attached it here. It gives great information on bestiaries, their history, and some of the most interesting entries.

Video Link (5): Medieval Bestiaries or Why the lion is called the 'King of Beasts'

Works Cited

1. Badke D. The Medieval Bestiary. Bestiary.ca. Published 2011. Accessed October 20, 2020. http://bestiary.ca/index.html

2. Bestiary | medieval literary genre | Britannica. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. ; 2020. Accessed October 23, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/art/bestiary-medieval-literary-genre

3. McCULLOCH, F. (1962). Medieval Latin and French Bestiaries. CHAPEL HILL: University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469634883_mcculloch‌

4. The Physiologus: A Medieval Natural History Bestseller : History of Information. Historyofinformation.com. Published 2010. Accessed October 20, 2020. https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=1871

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5. History G. Medieval Bestiaries or Why the lion is called the “King of Beasts.” YouTube. Published online July 17, 2019. Accessed October 20, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTq7i0H6xHQ&ab_channel=TheHistoryGuy%3AHistoryDeservestoBeRemembered

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BU Medieval Literature - F20

Thursday, October 22, 2020