#medieval elephant

[medieval-elephants]

Commemorating World Elephant Day with not one, not two, but three major medieval elephant motifs, as found in the Queen Mary Psalter (British Library, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 118v). This manuscript was made between about 1310 and 1320 in England. It was later owned by Mary I (Bloody Mary), hence its nickname.

Elephant and castle: British Library, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 119

The elephants appear in some of the 464 illustrations that were added to the bottom margins of the Psalter's pages (not to mention its 223 Old Testament images, 104 half- or full-page miniatures, and 24 decorated calendar pages). Elephants appear nestled between Biblical texts and depictions of saints and fantastic creatures: perhaps its artist would have been a fan of World Elephant Day, had it existed in the fourteenth century.

British Library, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 100v And at least real elephants do not have to worry about dragons trying to cool their burning innards by drinking their blood or snacking on their calves, nor unicorns causing a nuisance, despite their other challenges. Queen Mary Psalter Date: c. 1310-1320 Origin: England (London? East Anglia?) Materials: parchment, ink, and paint Now London, British Library, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 118v

[cuties-in-codices]

an elephant carrying a house

in konrad von megenberg's "buch der natur", german illustrated manuscript, ca. 1442-1448

source: Heidelberg, Universitätsbibliothek, Cod. Pal. germ. 300, fol. 95 recto.

[evolutionsvoid]

Barrel-Nosed Oliphants (or Barrelnose or Barrel-Nosed Snouter) are found in a wide variety of ecosystems, from scablands to hair fields, always snuffling about in search of food. Unlike other members of their family, the Barrelnose is a short, squat species, lacking long legs and intimidating height. Instead, they rely on bulk and brute force, using their hefty short frames to muscle through the undergrowth and bully other animals that may try to take advantage of them. Their trunk serves as nose and mouth, sniffing out morsels to suck up and digest. They feed on vegetation, small animals and fluids, snorting up anything that looks tasty. With no strong jaws or teeth, oliphants rely on a crude "gizzard" and muscle contractions to pulverize prey and hard foods. It is crushed and mashed into a fine paste that can be sucked into the stomach. In cases where the inhaled object is too hard to mush, the Barrelnose will eject it with a "sneeze," sending the offending item flying.

Though they may be smaller than their brethren and less imposing, the Barrel-Nosed Oliphant makes up for it with their bulk and stubborn nature. Threats or annoyances are met with trunk swats and perhaps a angry charge. They possess large tusks that they use to ram attackers or even skewer larger foes. A favorite tactic of theirs is to inhale rocks and hard objects, then fire them at enemies with a powerful sneeze. With such a wide flaring trunk, their aim isn't great, but a spray of stones and shrapnel is enough to make any predator think twice. Their thick muscle and tough hide also make them resilient, as they seemingly shrug off injuries. With all this, the Barrelnose is seen as an angry grump that should be given a wide berth, lest they charge you and break your shins.

While their size does not make them suitable as mounts, the Barrel-Nosed Oliphant has been found to have its uses. Some folk have used them for sniffing out buried vegetables or other foods, sharing the spoils when a cache is found. Others find them useful guard dogs, as their trunk helps sniff out intruders and their angry attitude means they won't hesitate to attack. There is even a breed of Barrelnose that has been trained for battle, using its powerful trunk to fire off projectiles at advancing foes. And if they aren't being domesticated, they are being hunted, as their meat and tusks are quite useful. Oliphant gizzards are a delicacy, and can fetch a high price if you know how to harvest them right. However, these snouters do not go down easy, and will totally turn the tide of a hunt if you are not smart. Like all oliphants, the Barrelnose has an incredible memory and the ability to hold a grudge for a looooooong time. The lesser dragons can tell you that.

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"Barrel-Nosed Oliphant"

Getting busy over here, so we be submitting some of my shorter entries for the time being. Sorry, but please enjoy this squat angry elephant boar.

[medieval-unicorns]

The "animals of India", from a late 15th-century manuscript of Le secret de l'histoire naturelle contenant les merveilles et choses mémorables du monde Origin: France Date: c. 1480-1485 Now Paris, BnF Fr 22971, f. 31r

[earnestscribblr]

This bestiary book is killing me. Less text analysis and more weird medieval pictures of animals please! Suppose the dullness is what makes it good before bed reading, though.

Anyway, here’s some more of my favorite - medieval elephants - to remind me why I keep slogging through this thing.

[medieval-elephants]

Smile! You are in a bestiary! This particular bestiary-- possibly made in Lincoln-- has been influencing authors and artists for about 800 years. It was the subject of a facsimile by M.R. James (yes, that M.R. James the ghost story writer, who was a librarian in his day job). It was then translated by T. H. White (yes, that T. H. White, the author of The Once and Future King which inspired both Walt Disney and the creators of the musical Camelot).

The text on the elephant covers a lot of elephant myths and legends (and some historical kernels). It starts by announcing that elephants do not like to copulate, then covers their name,

"People say that it is called an Elephant by the Greeks on account of its size: you see, a mountain is called "eliphio" in Greek. In the Indies, however, it is known by the name "barus" because of its voice-- whence both the voice is called baritone and the tusks are called "ivor" [ebur in Latin]." ~T.H. White (trans. and ed.), The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century (Parallel Press: Madison, Wisconsin, 1954; reprinted 2002), p. 25.

The text then goes on to discuss elephants' size, use in Indian and Persian armies, memory, fear of mice, gestation time, and support for each other. The text also notes that they never "quarrel with their wives" not commit adultery, while explaining Christian allegories about snakes as Satan and elephants as representing Christians, Adam and Eve, the Old Testament, 12 Apostles, Jesus, and the Good Samaritan. With such a repository of elephant lore, no wonder this book has inspired authors through the centuries.

Date: start of the 13th century (c. 1220?) Origin: England (Lincoln[shire]?) Now Cambridge University Library, MS Ii.4.26, f. 7r

[medieval-elephants]

Big in (6th-century) Japan

I'm currently working on an article about elephant motifs in the British Isles before 1300 AD. Elephants were rarely seen in northern Europe in the early Middle Ages, yet they routinely featured in northern European art and writing, inspired by early Christian and classical texts. What might these elephant motifs indicate the travel of goods, people and ideas from the east to west and from south to north in the world before globalization?

Recently, I have also been thinking about a comparative example of elephant motifs travelling west to east: from mainland Asia to Japan. In some ways, the spread of elephant motifs to the islands of Japan paralleled the spread of elephant imagery to the British Isles: Martha Chaiklin has suggested that may elephant motifs were brought along with religious traditions from areas where elephants abounded. In particular, elephants feature in some Buddhist imagery. (Similarly, early Christian writers' use of elephants as metaphors may help explain why Old English has a special word for an animal that the vast majority of its speakers never physically saw.) That being said, elephant motifs existed in Japan before the spread of Buddhism. Mirrors from as early as the fourth-century depict creatures with long trunks. These depictions were possibly influenced by textiles or other goods from Korea or China.

Meanwhile, a richly furnished, sixth-century tomb discoverd in Fujinoki contained, among other things, a saddle depicting elephants and other creatures, as shown above. (Image source x.) The identity of tomb's original occupant is highly debated, but they seem to have had links with the Paekche (Baekje) kingdom in Korea. Edward Kidder notes many of the items in the tomb seem to have links to Paekche styles or origins. (And of course, elephants were distant from Korea, too, so their imagery came through China and maritime routes. The Paekche leaders were also Buddhist and promoted Buddhism in Japan...)

So while religion and rituals were powerful forces for spreading iconography and knowledge of far-off regions, so were economic ties and exchange. Which came first? Or can we even separate ritual, wealth, and power for the high elites (which the occupant of the Fujinoki tomb definitely was)?

Works Cited Martha Chaiklin, "Elephants under the rising sun: pachyderms in pre-modern Japan", The SOAS Elephant Reader (February 2021). J. Edward Kidder, “The Fujinoki Tomb and Its Grave-Goods.” Monumenta Nipponica 42, no. 1 (1987): 57–87. https://doi.org/10.2307/2385039

[medieval-elephants]

For anyone who has long services ahead of them this Christmas Eve, here's an elephant for (literal) support! This elephant formed part of the 13th-century seating at Exeter Cathedral. These seats were known as part of the misericord- from the Latin word for "mercy"- because they enabled cathedral staff to sit/lean during long services. Other decorations for the misericord in Exeter Cathedral include lions, disembodied hands, mermaids, centaurs, plants, and a monkey reading a book (x).

Incidentally, this elephant may look more plausible than earlier English depictions of elephants because an elephant finally visited the island of Britain in the thirteenth century. But that's a story for another day...

Material: wood Date: 1260s? Origin and location: St. Peter's Cathedral, Exeter (image source)