Fables in Natural History: An Examination of the Allegorical in the Development of Natural History Texts

Abstract

The Latin bestiary is known not only for its striking illustrations but also for the extensive religious commentary which accompanies the description of nearly every animal. While there is debate over whether the bestiary was intended primarily as a religious tool or as a “scientific” encyclopedia, the most accurate image of the bestiary can only be gained by taking a holistic approach and treating all levels of the text as equally valid and important elements. A series of case studies in the premodern conceptualization of different animals—the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the unicorn—illustrates the ways in which medieval knowledge of animals was mythologized from earlier accounts and the ways in which factual truth, religious allegory, and medicinal and magical uses of animal products overlapped into a unified whole. The study of the bestiaries as works with both scientific and religious significance helps to give them a clear place in the history of science and the development of the field of natural history.