6th grade written workshop
Illuminated Monsters
Tech-tool workshop –illuminated Monsters
The beast list includes all of the beasts found in Bestiaries and the Physiologus, as well as some from
other sources. It does not include beasts from non-European sources unless those beasts are the basis of
Bestiary, Physiologus, or other Western beast legends.
Amphisbaena
Beast
A serpent with two heads, one at either end
Antelope
Beast
An animal so wild no hunter can approach it
Ant-lion Beast
The offspring of an ant and a lion, or the lion of ants
Ape
Beast
Called "simia" because it is similar to humans
Asp
Serpent Blocks its ear with its tail so as not to hear the charmer
Ass
Beast
Badger Beast
An animal that is slow and resists commands
A dirty beast that bites
Basilisk Serpent Its odor, voice and even look can kill
Bear
Beast
The cubs are born unformed, and must be licked into shape by the mother
Beaver Beast
Hunted for its testicles, it castrates itself to escape from the hunter
Boar (Wild)
Beast
A savage wild pig or hog
Bonnacon
Beast
A beast like a bull, that uses its dung as a weapon
Bull
The Indian bull is tawny colored and swift as a bird
Beast
Caladrius
Beast
A bird which can tell if a sick man will die, and can cure disease
Catoblepas
Beast
A beast with a head so heavy it can only look down
Centaur Beast
A beast part man and part horse
Cerastes
Serpent An exceptionally flexible serpent with horns
Dipsa
Serpent A snake so poisionous that its bite kills before it is felt
Dragon Serpent The greatest of all serpents on earth
Elephant
Beast
Persian and Indian soldiers build wooden towers on the back of elephants and
fight from there.
Fox
Beast
A crafty and deceitful animal that never runs in a straight line
Frog
Serpent Land frogs die if exposed to rain
Giraffe Beast
A beast that looks like a camel but has the spots of a leopard
Goat
Beast
An animal that likes to live on high mountains
Griffin
Beast
A beast with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle
Hare
Beast
A timid beast that runs fast
Hedgehog
Beast
He-goat Beast
A beast so hot that its blood dissolves diamond
Horse
A horse is a horse, of course, of course...
Beast
A beast that carries away grapes on its sharp quills
Hydros Serpent A water snake that makes those bitten swell up
Hydrus Serpent The enemy of the crocodile, which it kills from the inside
Hyena
Beast
A beast that eats human corpses and changes sex
Ibex
Beast
A beast with horns so strong they can save it from a fall
Ichneumon
Serpent Another enemy of the dragon
Jaculus Serpent A flying serpent
Lamb
Beast
Leontophone
The lamb knows by their voice its own parents
Beast
A small beast that is deadly to lions
Leopard
Beast
The offspring of a mating between a lion and a pard
Leucrota
Beast
A composite beast with a mouth that stretches from ear to ear
Lion
Beast
The lion is the king of the beasts
Lizard
Bird
When the lizard goes blind, it looks to the rising sun
Lynx
Beast
The urine of the lynx hardens into a precious stone
Manticore
Beast
A composite beast with a man's face, a lion's body, and the stinger of a
scorpion
Mole
Beast
A blind animal that lives in the earth
Monocerus
Beast
A fierce beast with a single long horn
Muscaliet
Beast
A beast with the body of a hare, tail of a squirrel, teeth of a boar
Onager Beast
A wild ass that can predict the coming of the equinox
Onocentaur
Beast
Ox
The ox is a strong beast that can predict the weather
Beast
A beast with the upper body of a man and the lower body of an ass
Panther
Beast
A gentle, multicolored beast whose only enemy is the dragon
Parandrus
Beast
A beast that can conceal itself by changing its appearance
Pard
A swift and deadly beast that kills with a single leap
Beast
Pegasus
Beast
Phoenix Bird
A bird that rises anew from the ashes of its funeral pyre
Ram
Rams were the first animals to be sacrificed on alters
Beast
Salamander
Serpent Salamanders are so cold they can extinguish any fire
Scitalis Serpent A serpent with such a marvelous appearance that it stuns the viewer
Seps
Serpent The poison of the seps consumes both body and bones
Stag
Beast
A drink made from the tears and the heart bones of a stag is a cure for troubles of the
heart
Unicorn Beast
The unicorn is a fierce beast that can only be captured by a maiden
Weasel Beast
The weasel conceives at the mouth and gives birth through the ear
Wether Beast
The wether is named from the worms in its head
Wolf
Beast
If a wolf sees a man before the man sees the wolf, the man will lose his voice
Yale
Beast
A beast with flexible horns that it can move at will
Create your own Illuminated Monster
Choosing one beast of the bestiary and illuminate it as in the middle ages.
Explain the symbology of the illuminated monster; include it as part of it. (IM d1 d2)