Bestiaria

Bestiaria refers to a group of medieval Latin compendia of beasts, with bestiarium as the singular. The term is used by scholars to describe the tradition of bestiary literature that grew from late antique roots and matured in the High Middle Ages, especially in Western Europe. These works collect entries on animals and, often, on mythical creatures, combining natural description with moral, allegorical, or theological interpretation drawn from Christian tradition.

The typical structure of a bestiarium includes a brief description of each creature, sometimes supplemented by anecdotal or pseudo-scientific details, followed by a lesson or meaning related to virtue, vice, or spiritual truth. Real and legendary animals are treated together, and the illustrations that accompany many manuscripts helped convey both natural and moral lessons to viewers. Though they vary in detail, most bestiaria share an emphasis on exempla and symbolism, situating the animal world within a moral framework rather than a strictly empirical natural history.

Notable examples within the tradition include the Aberdeen Bestiary (late 12th to early 13th century), which is an English bestiary noted for its vivid illuminations, and the Bestiary of Philippe de Thaon (Le Bestiaire), an Old French rendering of Latin material that circulated widely in medieval networks. The bestiarium genre also influenced later vernacular bestiaries and encyclopedic compilations, contributing to medieval art, emblem literature, and early attempts at natural history. In scholarly usage, bestiaria denotes the broader collective of these texts rather than a single canonical work.