Back by popular demand: Bestiary 2.

[dolorous_ett]

Now I've established that I'm not the only one who likes strange mediaeval beasts, I don't feel too bad about posting a few more for your entertainment. Though I can't promise anything quite so dramatic as the self-castrating beaver.

The weasel, 'mustela', is a sort of long mouse; 'telon' means long in Greek. It is very cunning; when it gives birth to its young in a house, it carries them from one place to another and puts them somewhere different each time. Thre are two  kinds of weasel: one lives in the woods and is rather bigger... the other lives in houses. Some people say that they concieve through their ear and give birth throught their mouth, and others that it is the other way round, that they conceive through their mouth and give birth through their ear. They are said to be skilled in healing, so that if they find that their young have been killed, they can bring them back to life again.

There is an animal called the badger which is also known as the melot. It bites and is unclean, inhabiting mountains and rocky places. It makes holes underground by scraping with its feet. Some badgers are born to be servants to the others. They lie on their backs and pile on their bellies soil whcih the others have dug out. Then they hold a piece of wood in their mouth and clutch the soil with their four feet. The others sink their teeth into the wood and drag them backwards out of the holes, to the great astonishment of anyone who sees it.

Magpies or pies might be called poets, because they can speak words with different sounds, like men. They hang in the branches of trees, calling with importunate chatterings, and even if they cannot form a language, they can imitate the sound of the human voice.... It is said that this bird has something divine about it. The proof is that if a magpie is nesting in a tree, a nail or other fastening will not sta long in it, because it falls out as soon as the bird alights in the tree, but you can think what you like of this story. The sound of its voice may mean either the loquacity of heretics or the discussion of philosophers, as we said about the crow.

The pelican is an Egyptian bird which lives in the solitary places of the River Nile; and this is where is gets its name, because Canopus is the same as Egypt. It shows exceeding love towards its young. If it has brought offspring into the world, when these grow up they strike their parents in the face. The parents strike back and kill them. After three days their mother opens her own breast, and lies on her young, pouring her blood over the dead bodies, and thus bringing them back to life.

There are plenty more of that ilk - including several birds that "so far forget themselves" as to fornicate with birds of their own sex in their vile lusts. And I do wish I could have shown you the illustration that goes with the badger, lying on its back on the ground, acting as a sort of sledge.

Comments

[the-reda.livejournal.com]

You know, these are great and they are giving me plotbunnies!

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like them!

I tried looking up "plotbunny" in my Bestiary, but for some reason I couldn't find it... perhaps you could invent an entry?

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, the Self-Sacrificing Pelican. Does the book go on and on about how the pelican represents Christ, or is this thought to be so obvious that it needs no explication?

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

It does. I left it out because I don't put great screeds of Christian moralising in my journal unless I absolutely have to. (I've also just sabotaged a Jehovah's Witness plan to entrap lots of new Chinese students - but that's another story)

Still, here it is. Just for you.

So our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the author and originator of all creatures, begot us, and, when we did not exist, He made us. But we struck Him in the face; as Isiah said: 'I have begotten sons and daughters and raised me up, but they have despised me'. Christ ascended the Cross and was struck in the side: blood and water came forth for our salvation, to give us eternal life.

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

Oh, please. No plotbunnies? What about the above? Badger with a pile of manure being dragged away? Sprout herding her Huffs to distribute the suoweide "fertiliser" equally between plants? Still nothing? This screams of "How Hufflepuffs Got Their Coat of Arms" :)

[bufo-viridis.livejournal.com]

ETA: on the second hand, better stop looking for plotbunnies. I've just reread the part about weasels conceving through their mouth and my HP-fandom-schooled dirty mind start providing me with disturbing images.
*must not think disturbing images... must not think disturbing images...*

But the story with talking magpies has a kernel of truth - Gerald Durrell, the guy whose books I often and wholeheartedly reccomend, had a pair of such talkative birds.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

Dude, these are AWESOME! Not only that, but the info might come in very useful for some original fiction I have brewing. *stores*

[swythyv.livejournal.com]

OooooOOOOOoooo! Thanks so much. :D This is such great fun. Wasn't the world a fascinating place in the middle ages? I should go back in my files. The mythical beasts paper is long gone, but I bet I still have an even older one from high school, "Things That Go BUMP in the Night." I should type it into my journal for our mutual edification. I've likely forgotten half of it. Dishes of nitric acid against vampires sticks in my mind. That's one you never see in the movies.

I actually taught myself how to letter old English church text for the cover of that one. Its from an old English church litany, "From Goulies and Ghosties and long leggity Beasties and other things that go BUMP in the night, Good Lord deliver us!" or something like.

More! More! We're still not satisfied. ;D

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked them! (and if you post any of the said stories, post a link where I can see it, if appropriate!)

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Hope the disturbing images have gone away by now. *shoos away disturbing images*

I like magpies too - even though they are vicious things and prone to eating baby birds, they have a lot of personality, and it's charming to see them sitting in trees, bowing and cackling at each other. Though I've never yet heard one really talk.

I read quite a bit of Gerald Durrell as a child, and really enjoyed them. I don't think I've looked at one since - I wonder if I'd still enjoy them?

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Dishes of nitric acid for vampires? Well, that should work. Also handy against muggers, burglers and the like...

Do please post your essay if you find it. I'd love to see it!

I've never head that particular version of the Litany, though I freely admit I'm not an expert. Though the phrase "ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggit beasties" does ring a bell - from Scotland I fancy.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

The plot bunny is a small rabbit-like creature commonly inhabiting the walls behind bookcases. Small, fluffy, and deceptively mild in appearance, it feeds on invisible emanations from the volumes, which combined with the fumes of the glue in the bindings cause fevered visions to arise in its brain. Seeking relief from these phantasms, the plot bunny emerges at night to sit on the pillows of its victim, whispering them into her ear, thus relieving itself of the contagion. The victim is then forced to seek similar relief by recounting the visions as a story.

[hannahmarder.livejournal.com]

Some people say that they concieve through their ear and give birth throught their mouth, and others that it is the other way round, that they conceive through their mouth and give birth through their ear.
What would be really interesting with some of these would be to know where these ideas came from. I wonder what some ancient naturalist saw a weasel doing that made them think it gave birth through the ear? Plus all these undead weasels and pelicans running around - scary!

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

What would be really interesting with some of these would be to know where these ideas came from. I wonder what some ancient naturalist saw a weasel doing that made them think it gave birth through the ear?

I blush to admit that, due to the very similar pronunciationg of "oral" and "aural" in language classes at school, I developed some very peculiar notions about the meaning of the term "oral sex" when I was still young and wet behind the ears... *blushes* *hangs head*

Plus all these undead weasels and pelicans running around - scary!

At least it would make There Goes Your Gun happy - she loves a good zombie.

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Brilliant - and it explains a lot. Particularly liked the Invisible Exhalations!