Pliny the Elder wrote: >Hyenas are like a cross between a dog and a wolf; they break everything with their teeth, swallow it at a gulp, and masticate it in the belly. (Book 8, 44): Hyenas are believed to become male and female in alternate years. It cannot bend its neck, which extends all along its backbone, so it must turn its whole body. It can imitate the human voice; it does this outside a shepherd's outside, calling him by name so he comes outside, where the hyena can tear him to pieces. It can also imitate the sound of a person becoming sick, which it does to attract dogs so it can attack them. Only the hyena digs up graves to eat the corpses. Its eyes have many colors, and dogs are struck dumb if its shadow falls on them. Any animal that a hyena looks at three times will be unable to move.
Does anyone have more stuff like that this? Either fantastic descriptions of real animals, or similar stuff for fantastic creatures?
The lion has three natures: when a lion walking in the mountains sees that it is being hunted, it erases its tracks with its tail; it always sleeps with its eyes open; and its cubs are born dead and are brought to life on the third day when the mother breathes in their faces or the father roars over them. > lioness give birth to five cubs the first time, then four the next, and three the next, until after the birth of a single cub in the fifth year, they become sterile. >They also fear the sound of creaking cart wheels, fire, and the sight of the white cock
>The leucrocota is the size of an ass, and has the neck, tail and breast of a lion, the haunches of a stag, cloven hooves, a badger's head, and a mouth that opens from ear to ear, with ridges of bone instead of teeth. It is the swiftest of wild animals, and is said to be able to imitate the human voice.
>Scorpions are a plague and a curse from Africa. Their tails have a sting that is always in motion, ready to strike. Their sting is always fatal to girls and usually fatal to women, but only fatal to men if they are stung in the morning when the poison is strongest. Victims take three days to die. A drink made of the ashes of the scorpion mixed with wine is said to be a cure for their sting. The south wind gives scorpions the power of flight; it supports them when they stretch out their arms like oars.
>Dolphins are the swiftest creature in the sea. They can fly over ships that attack them. They follow the sound of human voices, and gather together in crowds to sing at the sound of music. When dolphins play and leap in strong waves they seem to forecast storms. There is a kind of dolphin in the Nile that has a serrated back, which kills crocodiles by cutting into the soft parts of the belly.
>The crocodile is a four-footed beast, about twenty cubits long, that is born in the Nile River. Its skin is very hard, so that it is not hurt when struck by stones. It spends the day on land and the night in the water. It is armed with cruel teeth and claws; it is the only animal that can move the upper part of its jaw while keeping the lower part still. Its dung can be used to enhance a person's beauty: the excrement (or the contents of the intestines) is smeared on the face and left there until sweat washes it off. Crocodiles always weep after eating a man. Despite the hardness of the crocodile's skin, there are two animals that can kill it. The sawfish (serra) can cut the crocodile's stomach, and the hydrus can crawl into the crocodile's mouth and kill it from the inside.
>The dragon's strength is found in its tail, not in its teeth. Its lashing tail does great harm, and the dragon kills anything it catches in its coils. The dragon is the enemy of the elephant, and hides near paths where elephants walk so that it can catch them with its tail and kill them by suffocation. It is because of the threat of the dragon that elephants give birth in the water. The dragon's venom is harmless. The dragon has a crest and a small mouth. When the dragon is drawn from its hole into the air, it stirs up the air and makes it shine. Dragons are found in India and Ethiopia. Dragons are afraid of the peridexion tree and stay out of its shadow, which will harm them. Doves roost in the tree to be safe from the dragon. Dragons cannot stand the sweet smell breathed out by the panther and hide in a hole when the panther roars.
Where the hell did ancient writers get their info.what could they have mistaken for a flying scorpion?
Jackson Russell
Do you have the writings describing the octopus? Ancient greeks thought they were the dumbest animals of them all due to how easy they were to catch.
Liam Green
>The elephant is the closest of all animals to humans in intelligence. It understands the language of its own country, and can therefore understand and obey orders. Elephants are wise and just, remember their duties, enjoy affection, and respect religion. They know that their tusks are valuable, so when a tusk falls off they bury it. Elephants are gentle, and do no harm unless provoked. Females are more timid than males. Male elephants are used in battle, carrying castles full of armed soldiers on their backs. The slightest squeal of a pig will frighten them, and African elephants fear to look at Indian elephants. They hate mice and will refuse to eat fodder that has been touched by one. Their period of gestation is 2 years and [quoting Aristotle] they never bear more than one child at a time. They become adults at the age of 60 years, and live between 200 and 300 years. They love rivers but cannot swim. Elephants constantly feud with the large serpents of India, which can encircle an elephant in their coils. When this happens, the elephant is strangled and dies, but in falling crushes the serpent and kills it. Another way these large serpents kill elephants is by submerging themselves in a river and waiting for an elephant to come and drink; coiling around the elephant, the serpent bites its ear and drains all its blood. The elephant in dying falls on the serpent and kills it. The largest elephants are from India, though Ethiopian elephants rival them in size, being 30 feet high.
Couldn't find anything. Have a wolf. I'm a bit surprised by how much if this stuff is actually true/useful. >If a wolf sees a man before the man sees the wolf, the man will lose his voice. If the man sees the wolf first, the wolf can no longer be fierce. If a man loses his voice because the wolf saw him first, he should take off all his clothes and bang two rocks together, which will keep the wolf from attacking.
The wolf lives from prey, from the earth, and sometimes from the wind. When the wolf sneaks into a sheep fold, it approaches like a tame dog and is careful to approach from upwind so that the farm dogs do not smell its evil breath. If it steps on a branch and makes a noise, the wolf punishes itself by biting the offending foot.The wolf is cunning: it does not hunt for food for its cubs near its lair, but goes far away to find prey. If a wolf is caught in a trap, it will mutilate itself to escape rather than allow itself to be captured.
Wolves have strength in their feet, and anything they trample dies. They are also strong in their mouths and shoulders, but weak in their loins. They are unable to turn their necks backwards, but must turn their whole body to look behind them. Their eyes shine in the dark like lamps. At the tip of a wolf's tail is a tuft of hair that can be used for love potions; if the wolf is about to be captured, it bites off the tuft so that no man can get it. The wolves of Ethiopia are said to have manes in such a range of colors that no hue is left out, and to be able to leap so high that one might think they had wings.
>The female ape always gives birth to twins, one of which she loves and the other she hates. When she carries her young, she holds the one she loves in her arms, but the one she hates must cling to her back. When the ape is pursued by a hunter, she tires from running while carrying her two children; when she is in danger of being caught, she drops the child she loves in order to escape, but the one she hates continues to cling to her back and is saved.
>The unicorn is described variously as resembling a small goat, an ass, or a horse. It has a single horn in the middle of its head; the horn is usually depicted as straight and long, and often with a spiral groove running up it. The unicorn is fierce, strong and swift, and no hunter can catch it. To tame the beast so it can be captured, a virgin girl is placed in its path. The unicorn, seeing the maiden, comes to her and puts its head in her lap and falls asleep. The hunters can then easily capture or kill it. Some accounts say the girl must bare her breast and allow the unicorn to suckle. If the unicorn is captured, it is taken to the king's palace.
>he unicorn is the enemy of the elephant, which it attacks with its horn, piercing the elephant's belly. Some sources say that it is the sharp nail on the unicorn's foot that pierces the elephant.
>A unicorn's horn is highly valued. It can be used to detect poison, and if dipped in a poisoned drink, the horn causes the poison to be rendered harmless. Powdered unicorn horn is used as an aphrodisiac.
>They also fear the sound of creaking cart wheels, fire, and the sight of the white cock
Ay you mad lionboi?
Julian Brooks
>The wolves of Ethiopia are said to have manes in such a range of colors that no hue is left out, and to be able to leap so high that one might think they had wings.
so...gay flying nigger wolves?
Ethan Morris
Scorpionflies
Wyatt Williams
Heading to the gym now. If the thread is still up, I'll post it. Yeah. I'm going to put them in my next game.
I gotchu >The griffin is a winged, four-footed animal. It has the body of a lion, but the wings and head of an eagle. It is born in the Hyperborean mountains, or perhaps in Ethiopia; some say it lives in the Indian desert, which it leaves only to find food. Griffins are the enemy of the horse. A griffin will tear a man to pieces or carry him to its nest to feed its young. Griffins are strong enough to carry away an entire live ox. They are also known for digging gold from mines.
>The basilisk is usually described as a crested snake, and sometimes as a cock with a snake's tail. It is called the king (regulus) of the serpents because its Greek name basiliscus means "little king"; its odor is said to kill snakes. Fire coming from the basilisk's mouth kills birds, and its glance will kill a man. It can kill by hissing, which is why it is also called the sibilus. Like the scorpion it likes dry places; its bite causes the victim to become hydrophobic. A basilisk is hatched from a cock's egg, a rare occurence. Only the weasel can kill a basilisk.
Some manuscripts have separate entries and/or illustrations for the basilisk and the regulus, possibly because the basilisk account in Isidore has three sections, one each for the basilisk, the "kinglet" (reguli), and the sibilus. Where the regulus is treated separately, the bite of the basilisk causing hydrophobia is generally ascribed to the regulus.
Not op, but these can be found at bestiary.ca/ There some sweet ideas in these.
Samuel White
>They are also known for digging gold from mines. >Only the weasel can kill a basilisk. I love how they just throw in these retarded tidbits at the end.
Tyler James
Is there anything written about snails? There is so much artwork of people fighting snails, there has to be something right?
>The parrot is a bird found in India that can be taught to speak like a man. It learns better when it is young, but if it will not learn one must hit it over the head with an iron bar. It can say ave (a greeting) by nature, but must be taught all other words. Its beak is so hard that if the parrot falls from a height it can break its fall with its beak. Parrots are colored green with a purple-red collar; they hate the rain because the water makes their colors appear ugly. There are two kinds of parrot: the kind with three toes have a mean disposition, but the ones with six toes are gentle. >but if it will not learn one must hit it over the head with an iron bar. wow who's the asshole who came up with this shit?
>damn you dragon, you were my most trusted advisor, and now you do this?!
Ethan Morales
Its an ancient meme(i think) the monks who wrote books saw that other monks drew snail fights and they decided to do the same on the books they were transcribing when they were bored
Sebastian Cooper
Only a dragon would be brave enough to cuck Big Boss.
It's the conception of Alexander the Great. The king watching was Phillip II, as seen to the left in Historie
Snail is symbol of laziness (and boredom as well), especially spiritual. Monks were painting them to remind himself the importance of work and dangers of laziness and that we ought to fight it. Or this is what I think. Speaking of Monks.
It all goes back to when it was a hatchling. It was forced by its owner to wash the car, and make it look nice. So the parrot had to clean the entire car with a cloth, water, and then wax it.
On rainy days, the job was much harder to do, as it then had to rewash it, to prove it wasn't lazy.
And then their owner would beat it with an iron bar.
Parker Davis
Funny, that's how you Educate parrots, as my grandad Armando Mata-Loros teached me .
Eli Thompson
>The people of India breed dogs with tigers, but discard the first two litters as being too fierce, keeping only the third litter. A dog with rabies is only dangerous to humans during the period when the dog-star is shining; the disease can be prevented by mixing dung with the dog's food.
>A dog cures its own wounds by licking, and a young dog bound to a patient cures internal wounds.
