Bestiaries were medieval books that catalogued animals, including real and mythological creatures, with moral lessons. The Physiologus, written in 2nd-century Greece, linked natural history and Christian moral lessons. Bestiaries were compiled by St. Ambrose and St. Isidore of Seville, and the Aberdeen and Ashmole Bestiaries are well-known. Bestiaries have survived beyond the medieval era, with modern examples by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jorge Luis Borges, and reference bestiaries for fantasy games.
A bestiary is a type of book, common in medieval times, that catalogs animals. Medieval bestiaries typically included both real and mythological creatures, thus incorporating natural history, cryptozoology, and legend. Plants and minerals were also sometimes included in the bestiaries.
A typical bestiary entry includes a drawing of the animal, a description of its attributes and habits, and a related moral lesson for readers. The symbolic associations of various animals depicted in bestiaries are an integral part of cultural symbolism in the West. For example, even today many people have internalized the symbolism of a lion representing courage or a donkey for stubbornness.
While medieval examples are the best known, bestiary first appeared in the early Christian era in Greece. The Physiologus, written anonymously in 2nd-century Greece, linked classical Greek studies of natural history and Christian moral lessons. Staples of the bestiary genre, such as the pelican tearing off its breast to feed its young and the phoenix rising from its funeral pyre, first appeared in the Physiologus.
Other early examples of the bestiary were compiled by St Ambrose and St Isidore of Seville. Two of the best known bestiaries of the medieval era are the Aberdeen Bestiary and the Ashmole Bestiary, both dating from around the 12th century. Many early medieval bestiaries are kept in libraries and museums, and some are on public display. They often include beautiful illustrations or lighting.
The idea of the bestiary has also survived beyond the medieval era, and modern examples can often be found. French illustrator Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges are two more recent authors of bestiaries. Reference bestiaries are often available for fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons. If you’re curious about what a medieval bestiary looked like, there’s an interesting interactive website with material from various medieval sources at bestiary.ca.
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