Bestiary
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A Bestiary is a book or collection of animals.

Our Bestiaries

This site's bestiaries are divided into several subcategories:

See also:

Bestiaries of the Middle Ages

Bestiaries were a common publishing theme in the Middle Ages. They were typically illustrated, and each animal included a moral lesson. Often, the moral lessons and religious analogies would completely trump and supplant the factual data of the books. Mythical creatures that illustrated particular points would show up in books that were ostensibly about real animals, and frequently the "facts" presented had little or no bearing in reality. They also did not restrict themselves to purely animal topics, either. The old bestiaries would start with creation of the Earth, then cover animals, plants and even rocks, as well as discussing the nature of humanity.

Sources

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