medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I am unable to check my references since I have just moved house and ALL my
discs to say nothing of my books (sob) are in boxes, BUT Matthew Paris (He
of St Albans Abbey) drew an elephant twice (in the Gesta ?) once depicting a
procession at Cremona in which the elephant has NO KNEES as per bestiary
authority and later having seen Henry III's elephant drew it again WITH
KNEES and with keeper and also did some studies of its ears which clearly
fascinated him. St Albans' Abbey sells postcards of both these drawings -
they are unsurprisingly popular with visitors - and there is also a short
article about this in a back issue of "The Alban Link" which I used to edit.
If you can wait, I might be able to put you in the way of obtaining these or
I can give you - or your Norwayan correspondent - the e-mail address of the
author of the article who might be able to supply you.
Brenda M.C.
----- Original Message -----
From: Angus Graham <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 12:35 PM
Subject: [M-R] Attributes of elephants
> I apologise that I find myself some few hundred miles away from standard
> bestiaries. Can anyone, I wonder, tell me of the attributes of
> heffalumps? Cassiodorus tells us that their breath is a cure for
> headaches (X.30?) -- quite understandably so too: were I close enough to
> have one breathe on me, I'd doubtless quickly forget about head pain.
>
> I find myself, of-a-sudden, corresponding with a Norwegian novelist who
> is writing his current novel about a Norwegian chap who owns a barn in
> which a Russian circus has stabled its elephants. The circus goes bust,
> and the only clues the barn-owner has as to elephant-maintenance are
> provided in a copy of the Variae left to him by his father. Needless to
> say, the novel will end sadly.
>
> What else, pray, do we know about heffalumps? I will assure all of you
> that any offers will in no way be claimed as mine. I am cheerfully
> ignorant of such things, and am happy to bow before the
> heffalump-experts this list is doubtless populated by.
>
> Bemusedly
>
> Angus, Oman
>
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