Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764

by Richard Barber

A delightful translation of one of the finest, and most beautiful, examples of a medieval Bestiary.

Bestiaries are a particularly characteristic product of medieval England, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. Richly illuminated and lavishly produced, they were luxury objects for noble families. Their three-fold purpose was to provide a natural history of birds, beasts and fishes, to draw moral examples from animal behaviour (the industrious bee, the stubborn ass), and to reveal a mystical meaning - the phoenix, for instance, as a symbol ofChrist's resurrection.
This Bestiary, MS Bodley 764, was produced around the middle of the thirteenth century and is of singular beauty and interest. The lively illustrations have the freedom and naturalistic quality ofthe later Gothic style, and make dazzling use of colour. This book reproduces the 136 illuminations to the same size and in the same place as the original manuscript, fitting the text around them. Richard Barber's translation from the original Latin is a delight to read, capturing both the serious intent of the manuscript and its charm.

RICHARD BARBER has written many books on the history of and life in the middle ages, from his Somerset MaughamAward-winning The Knight and Chivalry, by way of biographies of Henry II and the Black Prince, to an anthology of Arthurian literature from England, France and Germany, Arthurian Legends, and an account of the historical Arthur, King Hero and Legend.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Art, Mythology, Reference, Classics

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1237

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Richard William Barber is a prominent British historian who has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. He has specialised in the Arthurian legend, beginning with a general survey, Arthur of Albion, in 1961, which is still in print in a revised edition. His other major interest is historical biography; he has published on Henry Plantagenet (1964) and among his other books is the standard biography of Edward the Black Prince, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine. The interplay between history and literature was the theme of The Knight and Chivalry, for which he won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1971 and he returned to this in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief (2004); this was widely praised in the UK press, and had major reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

His other career has been as a publisher. In 1969 he helped to found The Boydell Press, which later became Boydell & Brewer Ltd, one of the leading publishers in medieval studies, and he is currently group managing director. In 1989, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, in association with the University of Rochester, started the University of Rochester Press in upstate New York. The group currently publishes over 200 titles a year.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always had a soft spot for Folio Edition books even when they are so fabulously expensive so when I can pick up a copy of a book I am interested in that format without handing over a kings ransom (or major body parts) I am always interested.

And so to this title which I have been curious about for some time - yes it is a reprint of a famous historical book held in the Bodleian Library and so is not the most cohesive of reads but rather for what it represents.

You see through history there have been a number of books which have helped directly or indirectly shape our imagination and the way we see world around us. Yes in todays world where it feels everything is examined, reviewed and categorised there is little space for mystery and the unknown. However at the time of these books - over the next hill could contain terrors and mysteries beyond our wildest imaginations. And the creators of these books tried to capture some of that and consign it to growing body of knowledge - there was little concern that pages on dogs and elephants where sharing space with dragons and gryphons.

This is a beautifully curious book which I will enjoy referring back to time and time again as I stumble across another obscure reference in my reading adventures.

[Richard Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

medieval nonsense!

The parrot: Its head is so strong that if you have to teach it with blows while it is learning how to speak to men, you have to strike it with an iron rod.

[Phil Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in the style of an illuminated manuscript, this volume is a great insight into the medieval perception of the natural world, religion, and mankind's place between the two.

[Dawn Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant edition of a fabulous piece of history. A must for all those interested in our folklore and how it weaves itself into religion.

[Pariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Do you want the absolute absurdity of medieval christianity with some awesome looking illustrations?
•Do you want to tell someone that they're a kid without them knowing you're actually calling them the Antichrist?
•Do you want to share a fun fact on your first date that pelicans ressurect like Jesus (after they kill their mom)?
This is the book for you!


Now onto my confusion review of this book.

I personally found the logic behind the original authors infuriating. It felt like they were tossing a coin for every being to see if they should write it as good or evil, then tried to find an adequate quote from the Bible for each one (And sometimes the coin probably landed on its side because some are both good and evil)... Or they most likely just looked into the older symbolism of animals and stuck with those, but I like my coin throwing theory better.

For example, pelican's younglings strike their parents in the face, who in return strike them back and kill them. This sounds kinda evil doesn't it, murder=bad?

Well, pelican is considered one with Jesus because (I'm paraphrasing this next quote.)

" ...after three days (..of probably lying shocked next to the corpses of her kids), mom pelican opens her own breast and side, and lies on her young, pouring all her blood over the dead bodies, and thus her love brings them back to life."

..Aww, how nice!

The book continues, let me put an exact quote,

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 Isaiah said: "I have begotten sons and raised them 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.

So uh, God made pelicans, and killed baby pelicans, then revived baby pelicans by killing mom pelicans..All to show us sinning is bad...
Or well maybe it is good cuz evil parent-killing-babies still got revived?

But then those baby pelicans will grow up and have their own baby pelicans who will kill them and the Jesus ressurection cycle continues.
(Just for female pelicans tho, male pelicans don't have to sacrafice themselves, bless their souls.)

And goats and their offspring?

Christ is like a kid because of the sins of the flesh, as in Deuteronomy: 'Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk [14:21]. The kid can also be Antichrist: 'Yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends'[Luke 15:29].

Ah, medieval allegories and pick-your-own-meanings.

[David Svedberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fucking rocked.

It's a book of animals written by Irish Monks in the 7th century, translated from Latin to English.

You'd expect that they'd have a good grasp of local animals while more far away stuff gets a bit dodgy and apocryphal.

Nope. Balls to the wall insanity all the way through. Goats have acid blood. Weasels have sex through their ear and give birth through their mouth. An elephants natural enemy is the dragon. Beavers have medicine in their balls but they know they have medicine in their balls so if they get cornered by a hunter they'll just say fuckit and bite their own balls off and hand them over.

A wonderful bit of nonsense.

[Ailsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun and fascinating read. The introduction sets you up for exactly what to expect, the translation is accessible, and the reproductions of the manuscript images beautiful. I loved exploring different weird and wonderful animals - real and not real - and what the writers thought about them. The moral lessons attached gave an interesting insight. The raven is black as sin, but the crow is the example of an excellent mother? Fascinating. It's so fun to dip in and out of, just to explore how other people thought and engaged with the world around them one thousand years ago...

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel odd rating this text, as it is so darn old and absolutely does not fit within the 1 - 5 star literature review system. I thought this book was really fun and interesting to read. The introduction was informative and well-written. It absolutely needs to be read contextually.

[Lulu]

13th century, second quarter. M. R. James considered the manuscript to have been produced in the late 12th century, though Hassall says it could be as late as 1230-40; Clark agrees with the later date

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such and interesting and fun read to see what people in history truly believed compared to what we know today. Also it’s easy to read and incredibly funny so can be enjoyed by all

[Tom Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

True rating: 4.5/5

[John B Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro and repro -duction.

[reqbat · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Spoiler] Spiders are worms of the air.

[Ash Catt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a translation from the original Latin text of the MS Bodley 764, which was produced in the first half of the 13th-century. It is supposed to replicate the original form of the book, embellished with the illuminated illustrations in their original positions, just in the form of a modern book that is accessible to readers of this age.

It is useful as a sourcebook. Obviously it would not be used for any present day observations regarding animals, however it works well if we are looking for a medieval context on the symbolic nature of animals within illuminated manuscripts, and constantly relates everything back to Biblical ideas.

It's interesting also to read just for leisure, as it tells us something about how much medieval Europe really knew about animals. Even though they were frequently wrong, there were things that were known, such as the fact that a parrot can imitate human vocabulary if taught.

Interesting as a read. Valuable as a source book. As a plus, the illustrations are fascinating.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it and had a hard time putting it down. originally written in medieval times, it describes animals birds and reptiles, I am assuming based on what they have heard about them because much of it sounds more like myth/legend and includes dragons, unicorns and other mythical creatures. I have often heard it said that the unicorn was actually a rhino, but no rhino i have ever seen could leap into a virgin's lap. most of the creature's natures were then compared to stories from the bible and the attributes of God, Jesus and others.Fascinating book!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful and interesting look into the medieval worldview. This book is entertaining in its own right for the insight it gives into the medieval mind as well as the fantastically far-fetched descriptions of creatures that can now be seen in most zoos. I particularly like the idea that Tigers will stop top suckle a crystal ball if it is dropped in their path because they'll think the reflection is their offspring.
Oh, you crazy monks . . .

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This English translation saved my (academic) life.
With an engaging style, brilliantly reproduced miniatures, and a clear introduction that treads the line between scholarly and introductory, the text is a highest order demonstration of Medieval material revived.

[Thom Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute stunner. Coffee-table contents in a carry-around form.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as a present for one of my daughters. I have not read it myself, but she showed me some of the wonderful illustrations.