Fountains Abbey bestiary
ca. 1325–1350
England, probably North Yorkshire
227 x 152 mm
MS M.890, fols. 2v–3r
Gift of Alastair Bradley Martin, 1958
Left Page (Fol. 2v)
Elephant: A father elephant protects its offspring from the beast’s age-old enemy seen lurking in the tree: the dragon.
Beaver: Hunted for the curative properties of its testicles, a beaver is shown sacrificing its organs in an attempt to escape capture.
Right Page (Fol. 3r)
Ibex: The shock-resistant ibex breaks its headlong fall with its powerful horns.
Hyena: The hyena is reputed to feed on the flesh of the dead. The passage on the hyena is one of many anti-Jewish barbs in the medieval bestiary.