Lesson #4 – Bestiaries
Materials: Images for illustration activity, Medieval bestiary images
Activities:
1. Ask students questions about the Physiologus based on homework introduction (to see
who actually read it!) Tell them this is a from a handbook for preachers in the Middle
Ages. Go over first half of unicorn passage, having each student translate a sentence
2. Have students work in groups on reading the second half of the passage for
comprehension. They should make a list of how it is that the unicorn symbolizes Christ,
according to the Physiologus.
3. When students finish, ask for the 4 ways given that the unicorn is a symbol of Christ.
4. Give a brief background Power Point presentation on Medieval bestiaries, starting from
the point that a major source for bestiaries was in fact the Physiologus. See Lecture
Outline for details. Students should be taking notes.
5. Illustration activity to demonstrate difficulty of illustrating exotic animals in the Middle
Ages:
- Students each work with a partner
- Give each pair a picture of a less well-known animal (keep it secret from other groups!)
and some information about its habits.
- Each pair is to write a description of the animal’s appearance – remember, you are in the
Middle Ages and you cannot compare it to any other animals besides common farm
animals.
- Have each pair give their description to another pair, who have to draw what is
described
- While students are working on this, take the original drawings and post them around the
room.
- Finally, have pairs go around room to find the actual photo of their animal that goes with
their drawing. How accurate were they? Ask students if they know the actual names of
the animals they were drawing/describing.
- Ask students to imagine how people in the Middle Ages or ancient world would have
known about exotic animals – stories only – so how would they know how to depict
these animals besides using their imagination
6. Show images from Medieval bestiaries. First have students try to guess what the animal
is, then give the answer and provide some “fun” details about each animal: some of its
habits, and the allegorical interpretation given to the animal.
Homework:
See worksheet on Physiologus. Students are to pick an exotic or monstrous animal and write a
bestiary entry for it. They are to include where it lives, its characteristics, appearance, and
habits, and a moral interpretation for 3 aspects of the animal. They are also to write a
paragraph in which they explain how they would use this animal in a sermon if they were a
Medieval preacher. How could this animal/monster teach people a moral lesson?
Power Point presentation on Bestiary
What is it?
- Written during Middle Ages
- Collection of descriptions of animals, real and imaginary
- Moralizing explanations accompany each animal
- Not meant to be scientific, meant for moral instruction
- Beautiful illustrations:
- 'to improve the minds of ordinary people, in such a way that the soul
will at least perceive physically things which it has difficulty grasping
mentally: that what they have difficulty comprehending with their ears,
they will perceive with their eyes' (Aberdeen MS 24, f25v)
Sources
- Physiologus
- Popular tales
- Pliny, Aristotle
- 3rd-4th c. Greek, Latin copies followed
- Isidore of Seville, Etymologies
- Solinus, Collectanea rerum memorabilium
- 3rd century
- Description of the ancient world: historical, geographical, social,
religious, and natural history details
- Used Pliny, Pomponius Mela (1st c. AD geographer)
Use
-
Often commissioned for use in seminaries to instruct students
Material for sermons
Illustrations instruct illiterate public
Bestiary images found everywhere: manuscripts, in
churches/monestaries, tapestries, furniture, mosaics
Versions
- Most Latin bestiaries come from England – 12th c.
- Many written in French
- Later, encyclopedists took over the tradition – Bartholomeus
Anglicus, Thomas of Cantimpre – widely popular – no allegory
Whale: Harley Bestiary, England c. 1230-1240
Sailors think whale’s back is land, get out on it, make fire, whale gets hot, dives, ship sinks
Moral interpretation: Whale is the devil, who deceives people and drags them down to hell
Pelican: Museum Meermanno, MMW, 10 B 25, France, c. 1450
Babies peck at mother, who kills them, then revives them by dripping her own blood on them
- Moral interpretation: Pelican is Christ, whom the world struck with its sin, and who then redeemed the
world by his own blood
Ostrich: Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. Kgl. S. 1633 4, English 14th c.
Can digest anything, even iron, but careless of its eggs, lays them when it sees the Pleiedes rise, buries
them in sand and waits for sun to warm them
Moral interpretation: As an ostrich forgets its eggs, so man should forget the world, as the ostrich looks
for the summer star, so man should look towards Heaven
Bear: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, 76 E 4, Folio 34v, Flanders or Utrecht, 1450-1500
gives birth to shapeless masses, has to lick them into shape of cubs
Weasel: Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16, Folio 65r, Flanders, c. 1350
Conceives through the mouth and gives birth through the ear
Moral interpretation: Weasels signify people who hear the divine word, but do nothing with their
knowledge
Panther: Kongelige Bibliotek, Gl. kgl. S. 3466 8º, Folio 17v, England, c. 1300
After eating, it enters its cave, on the 3rd day it comes out and roars, the sweet-smelling breath kills its
enemy the dragon
Moral interpretation: Panther signifies Christ, who drew mankind to him, as the panther draws animals
to it by its breath. His enemy, the devil, is represented by the dragon. On the third day after his death,
he emerged from his tomb, and roared out his triumph over death
Images for Illustration Activity
- catches insects with its sticky fingers
- nocturnal
- covered in bony armor
- digs for grubs with claws
- up to 6 ft. tall
- lives in Australia
- cannot fly
- lives in Madagascar
- onmiverous
- lives in trees
- move extremely slowly
- uses long flexible tongue to catch and eat termites
- lives in swampy forests of South America
- small animal lives on insect
- uses tail for balance as it sits up on hind legs to absorb
sun’s heat with its belly
- slightly larger than a cat
- lives on bamboo
-
- lives in Australia
- carries young in a pouch
- uses large back feet to move by hopping
furry animal lays eggs, mainly aquatic
lives in Australia
Introduction: Physiologus
The passage you will be reading is an excerpt from the Latin version of the Physiologus.
The Physiologus is a collection of stories about both real and mythical animals, along with an
allegorical interpretation. Some animals represent Christ, some the Devil, others good and bad
qualities. There is the phoenix, who rises from his own ashes after three days, like Christ.
There is the unicorn, another Christ-figure, whom you will meet here. One of the satanic
figures, the hyena, digs up the dead from their graves and devours them.
The Physiologus was written first in Greek in the third or fourth century at Alexandria. It
was translated into Latin around the year 400. After this, its popularity spread widely throughout
Europe. During the Middle Ages, it was translated into most of the vernacular languages in
Europe, and commonly used by priests as material for sermons.
The title Physiologus, meaning “the naturalist,” is not the original title; it was given to it
because of the author’s numerous references to what “the Physiologus says.” In addition, it is
quite different from other “natural histories,” such as the works of Pliny the Elder or Aristotle,
whose aim was to provide objective knowledge about nature. The aim of the Physiologus is to
provide a moral interpretation of nature, and to see the symbolic meaning believed to be
imbedded in all of creation.
After you have read and translated the passage, you should be able to answer these
questions:
1. What does the unicorn look like, according to the Physiologus?
2. How can it be caught?
3. In what ways is the unicorn similar to Christ? (4 reasons)
Homework Assignment:
You have just read a description of the unicorn, and an explanation of how every aspect of the
unicorn was interpreted to represent an aspect Jesus Christ. Pick any animal – preferably an
exotic or monstrous one! – and write a description and allegorical interpretation for it modelled
on the unicorn passage.
Include:
-
a physical description
a description of its habits
an allegorical interpretation for at least 3 aspects of the animal
(for instance, the fact that it eats grass signifies _______, the fact that it
has a horn signifies________, and the fact that it is brown signifies
________)
Then, in a paragraph explain how you would use this animal in a sermon in the Middle Ages.
How could you instruct your congregation using this animal as an example?
Unicornis
1
Est animal quod Graece dicitur monoceros, latine vero
unicornis. Physiologus dicit unicornem hanc habere
naturam: pusillum animal est, simile haedo,
acerrimum nimis, unum cornu habens in medio capite. Et
5
nullus omnino venator eum capere potest; sed hoc
argumento eum capiunt: puellam virginem ducunt in
illum locum ubi moratur, et dimittunt eam in silvam solam;
at ille vero, mox ut viderit eam, salit in sinum virginis, et
complectitur eam, et sic comprehenditur, et exhibetur in
10 palatio regis.
Sic et dominus noster Iesus Christus, spiritualis
unicornis, descendens in uterum virginis, per carnem ex eā
sumptam, captus a Iudaeis, morte crucis
damnatus est; de quo David dicit, “Et dilectus sicut filius
15 unicornium.” Quod autem unum cornu habet in capite
significat hoc quod dicit salvator, “Ego et pater unum
sumus.” Quod autem dicitur pusillum animal: propter
incarnationis eius humilitatem; dicente ipso, “Discite ā me,
quia mitis sum et humilis corde.” Quod autem est similis
20 haedo unicornis – et salvator noster secundum apostolum:
Factus est in similitudinem carnis peccati, et de peccato
damnavit peccatum in carne.” Bene ergo dictum est de
unicorne.
monosceros: from Greek mono- (one) + ceros- (horn)
pusillum: pusillus, -a, -um, small
haedo: haedus, -ī, m., young goat, kid
acerrimum: acer can mean “wild” when referring to animals
nimis: too, excessively
cornu: What case? You might want to review the declension
of this odd noun.
argumento: here a synonym for ratio, -onis, method
ducunt: same subject as “capiunt”: maybe “people who do
catch unicorns”
moratur: who is the subject? It’s the same as ille in the next
line
viderit: what tense?
salit: salio, -ire, -ui, saltus, to jump
sinum: sinus, -i, m., lap
complectitur: complector, -ctī, -xus sum, to embrace
exhibetur: Think of it as a royal petting zoo.
sumptam: from sumo, -ere, to take up, enter upon
morte crucis damnatus est: idiom. “was condemned to
death on the cross,” Lit., “was condemned with death of the
cross.”
dilectus: diligo, diligere, dilexi, dilectus, to love, cherish.
Supply “est.” The quote is from Ps. 28.6
Quod: “The fact that”.
salvator: salvator, -oris, m., savior. Quote: John 10.30
dicente ipso: what construction? ipso: = salvator
discite: disco, -ere, didici, teach Quote: Matt. 11.25
mitis: mitis, -e, meek, mild
corde: cor, cordis, n., heart
apostolum: apostolum, -i, n., apostle. Here, John. Quote:
John 1.14.
de peccato: “as for sin…” peccatum, -i, n., sin