List of medieval bestiaries

This is a list of medieval bestiaries. The bestiary form is commonly divided into "families," as proposed in 1928 by M. R. James and revised by Florence McCulloch in 1959–1962.

Latin bestiaries

First family

The subfamily designated the "B-Is" version, dated to the 10th–13th centuries, are based upon the "B" version of the Physiologus and the writings of Isidore of Seville:

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 22
London, British Library Royal MS 2.C.xii
London, British Library Stowe MS 1067
Los Angeles, Getty Museum Ludwig XV 3
Los Angeles, Getty Museum Ludwig XV 4
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Bodley 602
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Douce 167
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Laud Misc. 247
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale Nouv. acq. lat. 873
Vatican, Cod. Palat. lat. 1074

The "H" versions,^[1] late 13th-century, which in addition to a base Physiologus text, adds and arranges the content according to the "H" text or Book II of De bestiis et aliis rebus of Hugues de Fouilloy (olim of Pseudo-Hugo de St. Victor).^[2]^[3]

Cambridge, Sidney Sussex College 100
Chalon-sur-Saône, Bibliothèque Municipale MS 14
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 2495A
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 2495B
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 3638A
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 14429
Valenciennes, Bibliothèque Municipale MS 101

The "Transitional" group, appearing from the 12th to 14th century, incorporate material from other sources used by second family bestiaries:^[4]^[3]

Northumberland Bestiary (Alnwick Castle, MS 447)
Cambridge, Trinity College R.14.9
Leningrad, Rossiiskaia natsional'naia biblioteka Q.v.V,1
London, British Library Royal MS 2.B.vii
London, British Library Royal MS 12.C.xix
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek gall. 16
New York, Morgan Library M. 81

Second family

Detail of folio 8 recto from the Aberdeen Bestiary, the tiger.

The works in this group are based principally on Isidore's Etymologiæ with significant additional material from Solinus, Saint Ambrose's Hexameron,^[5]^[6] Rabanus Maurus and others:^[7]

Aberdeen Bestiary (Aberdeen University Library MS 24)
Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale 8340
Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale Hs 8827-42
Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 53
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum MS 379 (C, W(B))
Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College MS 109/178
Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College MS 372/621
Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College MS 384/604
Cambridge, University Library Ii.4.26McCulloch|1960
Canterbury, Cathedral Library Lit.D.10
Chartres, Bibliothèque Municipale 63 (125)
Copenhagen, Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. Kgl. 1633 4°
Douai, Bibliothèque Municipale MS 711
Le Mans, Bibliothèque Municipale 84
London, British Library Add MS 11283
London, British Library Harley MS 3244
London, British Library Harley MS 4751
Rochester Bestiary (London, British Library Royal MS 12.F.xiii)
London, British Library Sloane MS 3544
Los Angeles, Getty Museum, Salvatorberg Bestiary
Nîmes, Bibliothèque Municipale 82
New York, Morgan Library MS M. 890
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Bodley 533
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Bodley 764
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 88 A
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 151
Oxford, St. John's College MS. 61
Oxford, St. John's College MS. 178
Oxford, University College MS. 120
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 3630
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 11207
Paris, Mazarine Library 742 (1115)
Vatican, Apostolic Library Reg. 258
Zirc, Országos Széchényi Könyvtár Cod. Lat. 506

Third family

These, from the 13th century, expand on the above with various races of humans, mythological creatures, and sometimes wonders of the world from Bernard Silvestris and others:

Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum 254
Cambridge, University Library MS Kk.4.25
Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. e Musaeo 136
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 88 E
Westminster Abbey Library MS 22

Fourth family

The sole work in this family, from the 15th century, is distinguished by its incorporation of writings by Bartholomaeus Anglicus:

Cambridge, University Library MS. Gg.6.5

Dicta Chrysostomi

These works were attributed in their time to John Chrysostom and appeared, mostly in Germany, from the 12th to 15th century:

Bad Windsheim, Ratsbibl. Cod. 28
Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale 18421-29
Chicago, Newberry Library MS 31.1
Epinal, Bibliothèque Municipale 58 (209)
Göttweg, Stiftsbibl. Cod. Ms. 154
Göttweg, Stiftsbibl. Cod. ms. 200
Harvard University, Houghton Library MS Typ 101
Leningrad, Gos. Publ. Biblioteka Saltykova-Shchedrina lat. Q.v.III,1
Leipzig, Universitätsbibl. Paul. fol. 351
Leipzig, Universitätsbibl. Paul. 4° 1305
Linz, Studienbibl. Cod. ms. Cc.II.15
London, British Library Sloane MS 278
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 536
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 2655
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 3221
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 5613
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 5921
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 6908
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 9600
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 14216
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 14348
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 14693
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 16189
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 19648
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek clm 23787
New York, Morgan Library MS M. 832
Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal lat. 394
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale lat. 10448
Uppsala, Universitetsbibliotek C 145
Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek 303
Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek 1010
Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek 2511
Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek 4609
Vienna, Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek 13378
Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek 35a Helmst. (Manuscript digitized)

Single Author manuscripts

Many manuscripts contain portions of bestiaries that can be attributed to a single author. These include works by Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae, Thomas de Cantimpré's Liber de Natura Rerum, and Hugues de Fouilloy's De avibus

Hugues de Fouilloy

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 9649 (Hugues de Fouilloy, De avibus in a miscellany)

Isidore of Seville

Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, LJS 184 (Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae)

Thomas de Cantimpré

Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, LJS 23 (Thomas de Cantimpré, Liber de Natura Rerum)
Brugge, Openbare Bibliotheek, Ms. 410 (XIII)
Brugge, Openbare Bibliotheek, Ms. 411 (XV)
Brugge, Openbare Bibliotheek, Ms. 412 (XIV)
Brugge, Openbare Bibliotheek, Ms. 413 (XIV)
Wrocław, Biblioteka Uniwersytecka, Ms. R 174 (XV)

French bestiaries

The French bestiaries are all derived from works with commonly attributed authorship, and are divided as such:

Bestiaire in Verse by Philippe de Thaon

Copenhagen, Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. kgl. S. 3466 8º
London, British Library Cotton MS Nero A.v
Oxford, Merton College MS. 249

Bestiaire of Gervaise

London, British Library Add MS 28260^[8]

Bestiaire of Guillaume le Clerc

Cambridge, Fitzwilliam McLean 123
Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Mus. J.20
Cambridge, Trinity College O.2.14
London, British Library Cotton Vespasian A.vii
London, British Library Egerton MS 613
London, British Library Royal MS 16.E.viii
Lyon, Palais des Arts 78
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Bodley 912
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS. Douce 132
Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal 2691
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 902
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 1444
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 2168
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 14964
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 14969
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 14970
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 20046
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 24428
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 25406
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 25408
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale Rothschild IV.2.24
New Haven, Beinecke Library MS 395 (formerly Phillipps 4156)
Vatican, Apostolic Library Regina 1682
In a Psalter, the Queen Mary Psalter, British Library Royal MS 2B, vii
In a psalter, the Isabelle Psalter, State Library, Munich

Bestiaire of Pierre de Beauvais

Malines, Bibliothèque du Séminaire 32
Montpellier, Bibliothèque de la Faculté de Médecine H.437
Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal fr. 3516
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 834
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale fr. 944
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale nouv. acq. 13251
ex-Phillipps 6739 [C, M]
Vatican, Apostolic Library Reg. 1323

Middle English bestiary

London, British Library Arundel MS 292

Italian bestiaries

Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana Cod. plut. LXXXX Inf. Cod. 47 (Bibl. Gadd.)
Florence, Bibl. Laurenziana Cod. Ashb. 649
Florence, Bibl. Naz. Cod. Magliabecchiano II.8.33
Florence, Bibl. Naz. cl. XII Cod. Strozz. Magliabecchiano 135
Florence, Biblioteca Ricardiana Cod. 1357 P.III.4
Florence, Biblioteca Ricardiana Cod. 2183 R.IV 4 Nr. 2260
Florence, Biblioteca Ricardiana Cod. 2281
Naples, Bibl. Naz. XII.E.11
Padova, Museo Civico di Padova (Bibl. Comun.) Cod. C.R.M.248
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale ital. 450
Rome, Bibl. Corsini 44.G.27

Catalan bestiaries

Barcelona, Bibl. Universitària 75
Barcelona, Bibl. de Catalunya 87
Barcelona, Bibl. de Catalunya 310
Vic, Bibl. Capitular 229
Vic, Bibl. Capitular 1354

Icelandic bestiary

Copenhagen, Arnamagnæanske Institut, Arnamagnæanske Institut, AM 673a 4º

German bestiary

Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cgm 38 (Konrad von Megenberg, Das Buch der Natur)
Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cgm 8414 (Konrad von Megenberg, Das Buch der Natur)

References

^ Clark (2006), pp. 128, 227.
^ McCulloch (1962), pp. 31–32.
^ ^a ^b Yapp (1985), p. 1.
^ McCulloch (1962), p. 33.
^ Crane, Susan (2012). Animal Encounters: Contacts and Concepts in Medieval Britain. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780812206302.
^ Clark (2006), passim. (notes to translated chapters)
^ McCulloch (1962), pp. 34–35.
^ "British Library, Add MS 28260 (Bestiaire of Gervaise)". The Medieval Bestiary. Retrieved 2012-03-07.

Bibliography

Badke, David. "Bestiary Families." at The Medieval Bestiary

Clark, Willene B. (2006). A Medieval Book of Beasts: The Second-family Bestiary : Commentary, Art, Text and Translation. Boydell Press. ISBN 9780851156828.

McCulloch, Florence (1962) [1960]. Mediaeval Latin and French Bestiaries (revised ed.). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807890332.; [ Reprint], C. N. Potter, 1976

Yapp, W. B. (1985). "A New Look at English Bestiaries". Medium Ævum. 54 (1): 1–19. doi:10.2307/43628861. JSTOR 43628861.

[FOOTNOTEClark2006128,_227-1] Clark (2006), pp. 128, 227.

[FOOTNOTEMcCulloch196231–32-2] McCulloch (1962), pp. 31–32.

[FOOTNOTEYapp19851-3] Yapp (1985), p. 1.

[FOOTNOTEMcCulloch196233-4] McCulloch (1962), p. 33.

[crane-5] Crane, Susan (2012). Animal Encounters: Contacts and Concepts in Medieval Britain. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780812206302.

[6] Clark (2006), passim. (notes to translated chapters)

[7] McCulloch (1962), pp. 34–35.

[8] "British Library, Add MS 28260 (Bestiaire of Gervaise)". The Medieval Bestiary. Retrieved 2012-03-07.

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