Tammy’s Reviews > The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the 12th Century > Status Update

Doves delight in the fruit which is heavenly wisdom. Dragons are terrified of the tree and do everything that they can to flee the shadow. Judas left the shade of the tree and the dragon devoured him.

pp. 159-161 The perindeus tree is in India (not an actual tree). It yields the sweetest fruit. It represents God the Father; its shade, God the Son. Doves live in it: God the Holy Spirit. When Mary sat under the tree, she is being o’ershadowed when Jesus was incarnated. Doves are the enemies of dragons! Of course they are! Those who dwell in the shade of the tree are safe. The dragons eat those who leave it.

Hedgehog - They illustrate prudence for two reasons: they can curl up into a prickly ball in self-defense. They look like a chestnut. They have the ability to close the north nostril when the north wind is blowing and the other, for other winds. They like to pick and carry around fruit. T.H. White found it fun that a friend was telling him about this lore while he was reading about that topic in the bestiary.

Pp. 139-140 Nightgales are beloved by the Persians. They must love music because they sing so beautifully. They sing all night and they announce the coming of the morning. (Males sing IRL.) The nightingale is the image of tender motherhood. She warms her eggs in her chest while she sings all night. It points to the poor woman who works with diligence and devotion all night and sings to her children while she works.

Pp. 133-134 Owls are nocturnal because they cannot tolerate the sun in their eyes. By rejecting the sun they show the image of the Jews rejecting Jesus. They are sitting in the darkness.

It’s surprisingly seen as restorative. The third crow of the cock reminded Peter of his faithlessness but that caused him to repent. Christ forgave him so he was restored. So, it’s a sign of restoration to the sick."

If the saura goes into a hole in the wall facing east and stretches itself toward the rising sun, its sight is restored. What a cool image!!!!!

The salamander is fascinating. It can kill more people in one blow than other reptiles. If it wraps itself around trees, it infects the fruit with venom and, if people eat the fruit, they die. If the fruit falls in the well, it poisons people who drink the water. If salamanders are in a fire, they put out the flames. None of this is true but it’s te imagery that matters in literature. Saura goes blind when its old.

pp. 181 The medievals imagined three kinds of small venomous snakes with poison that kills you so quickly there is no pain. The syrene is a white snake with wings and it flies. The seps poisons your blood and bones. The dipsa is so small that you can’t see it. Lhcan the poet wrote about it. There are reptiles with arms (frog, salamander, lizard, newt). I already read about the newt.

His mother’s maid noticed this and thanked Lucina for the help because the baby was delivered. It was a trick and, as soon as Lucina let go, he was born. As a punishment, Juno turned the maid into a weasel and she could only give birth through the ear by which she had deceived the goddess.