The Rochester Bestiary’s Cunning FoxDuring the Middle Ages, animal stories were immensely
The Rochester Bestiary’s Cunning FoxDuring the Middle Ages, animal stories were immensely popular throughout Europe. It was believed that animals were given particular characteristics by God to teach humans good conduct and proper faith. Descriptions of animals were sometimes bound together in gorgeous compendiums, of which the thirteenth-century Rochester Bestiary (British Library, Royal MS 12 F. XIII) is a very fine example. The physical characteristics of each animal were usually described in just a few lines, followed by an often lengthy tale to reveal its behaviour. While they were presumably passed off as facts, bestiaries were almost always wildly wrong: the animals’ behaviour was exaggerated and their characteristics were frequently allegorised to reflect Christian morals. Some of the characteristics bestiaries assigned to particular animals are still widely known. The fox, for example, is still frequently described as a deceitful and untrustworthy animal, which is also illustrated in the Rochester Bestiary (folio 26v). Here, a fox has rolled itself in red mud to appear blood-stained. The scavenging birds are deceived by the appearance of blood, and are immediately killed by the fox on approach. Due to the vivid image, an illiterate peasant could understand the link between the fox and the Devil, who tricks and ensnares his victims as well. - Floortje van Gameren -- source link
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