11/10/2023 0 Comments Medieval manuscript dragonRowling’s phoenix is fire-colored and it has a fairly similar description to those of most bestiaries and that found in the Old English poem “The Phoenix” (a translation/ adaptation of Lactantius’ Latin poem “De Ave Phoenice”). ![]() From its flesh a worm emerges, which gradually grows up” (Barber 142). When it has been consumed a new bird arises the next day out of the ashes” (Barber 141).īodley 764: “When knows that the end of its life is approaching, it builds a chrysalis of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, and when it is about to expire it goes into the chrysalis and dies. There are two versions of the phoenix myth, both of which appear in Bodley MS 764.īodley 764: The phoenix, “lives for 500 years, and when it feels itself growing old, it collects twigs from aromatic plants and builds itself a pyre, on which it sits and spreads its wings to the rays of sun, setting itself on fire. ![]() ![]() 45 circa 1225-1250 depicting a phoenix burning on a pyre. Phoenix: Image from British Library manuscript Harley 4751 f. The scent of the snake appears in some versions but not others. Most versions differ in their descriptions of the size of the snake, but death by sight is an important part of the myth. She retains the scarlet plume (often depicted as a crown in medieval art) and has made the snake green and longer (50 feet). Rowling’s description incorporates many of the elements common in most medieval descriptions of the basilisk. The basilisk is one of the most fearsome mythical creatures found in medieval bestiaries. And he will kill a man simply by looking at him…The basilisk is half-a-foot long, with white spots” (Barber 184). Those who see him flee, because his scent will kill them. Oxford, Bodley MS 764: “The basilisk’s name in Greek (regulus) means little king, because he is the king of creeping things. ![]() Harley 4751 and Bodley 764 are sister manuscripts with very similar illustrations. While Rowling’s descriptions may not be any more accurate than those of medieval artists, they share some notable similarities, with a few creative innovations.īasilisk: Image from British Library manuscript Harley 4751 f. Perhaps our medieval counterparts were onto something. The dragon, the griffin, the unicorn, the phoenix, the centaur-these and more are represented in Muggle works of that period, though usually with almost comical inexactitude. A glance through Muggle art and literature of the Middle Ages reveals that many of the creatures they now believe to be imaginary were then known to be real. In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Rowling’s contemporary bestiary, the fictional author Newt Scamander writes:Īstounding though it may seem to many wizards, Muggles have not always been ignorant of the magical and monstrous creatures that we have worked so long and hard to hide. These magical animals have not faded from the literary imagination and appear frequently in popular culture, like in the Harry Potter series by J. 80v circa 1275-1325.īasilisks and dragons and phoenixes, oh my! These fantastic beasts are not creatures you’re likely to see on your next holiday, but in the Middle Ages, they commonly appeared in bestiaries alongside real animals like eagles, lions, badgers and elephants. British Library manuscript Royal 10 E IV f.
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