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First penned in Egypt between the 2nd and 4th centuries, the Physiologus brought together poetic descriptions of animals and their Christian allegories. Translated into a wide range of languages from across North Africa and much of Europe, each version of the Physiologus adapted the text in culturally specific ways that yield fascinating insights for those who delve into this truly global tradition of representing and interpreting animals. This edition provides the texts and translations of the only two surviving English versions: the Old English Physiologus from the late 10th-century Exeter Book and the Middle English Physiologus from the mid-13th-century MS Arundel 292, as well as translations of a range of Latin, French and Old English sources and analogues. Underpinned by a commitment to both the fields of medieval studies and animal studies, this book provides an accessible introduction to the literary history of the Physiologus and the politics of animal representation, asking the vital question: how can we understand humanity's relationships with non-human animals and the environment today without understanding their past?
- The Old English Physiologus: Text and Translation
- The Middle English Physiologus: Text and Translation
Appendix A: The Latin Source of the Old English Poems: Excerpts from Physiologus, Version B
Appendix B: Excerpts from Isidore of Seville's Etymologies
Appendix C: The Old English Phoenix
Appendix D: The Latin Physiologus from Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 448
Appendix E: The Latin Source of the Middle English Poem: Theobald's Physiologus
Appendix F: The Latin Source of the Middle English Dove: An Excerpt from Alexander Neckam's On the Natures of Things
Appendix G: Spider Analogues in the French Bestiaire Attributed to Pierre de Beauvais (Long Version) and Odo of Cheriton's Latin Fables and Sermons
Appendix H: Images of Relevant Animals from a Range of Bestiaries
Megan Cavell is Senior Lecturer in the Department of English Literature, University of Birmingham.
