medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Nancy Spies <[log in to unmask]>
> Since the beasties appear to have two feet, that would make them wyverns.
Dragons have four legs.
never having seen the word before, i went to the OED, which has some
interesting Iinstances of Use:
WYVEN:
[f. WYVER [see below]., with excrescent -n (see note on BITTERN1).]
1. Her. A representation of a chimerical animal imagined as a winged dragon
with two feet like those of an eagle, and a serpent-like, barbed tail.
1610 J. GUILLIM Heraldry III. xxvi. 182 So doth the Wiuerne partake of a Fowle
in the Wings and Legs,..and doth resemble a Serpent in the Taile. 1682 J.
GIBBON Introd. ad Lat. Blazoniam 123 This Dragon hath but two Legs, and so is
the same with our Wiverne.
1716 S. KENT Gramm. Her. s.v. Drake, He beareth Argent, a Wivern, his Wings
displaid and Tail nowed Gules.
1780 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) V. 3605/2 A Wivern volant Bendways Sable. Ibid., A
Wyvern with a human Face.
1822 GAGE Hengrave 38 A squirrel..impaling a coat argent, on a chevron,
between three wyvern's heads.
1864 BOUTELL Her. Hist. & Pop. x. 68 Two Wyverns also support the shield of
the Duke of Rutland.
1882 CUSSANS Her. (1893) 100 The wings of the Dragon..and Wyvern are always
represented as addorsed.
attrib. 1688 HOLME Armoury II. 214/1 He beareth Vert,..a Wivern-Wolf. Ibid.,
He beareth Azure, a Wivern-Serpent, Or.
b. An image or figure of this monster.
1863 Chr. Remembrancer Oct. 436 The name of S. Romanus..is still dear to the
boys and girls of Norman villages by sundry processions of dragons,
wyverns,..made of combustibles.
1864 TENNYSON Aylmer's F. 17 Sir Aylmer Aylmer, that almighty man..Whose
blazing wyvern weathercock'd the spire.
Ibid. 516 The manorial lord..Burst his own wyvern on the seal, and read..a
letter from his child.
2. Such a monster conceived as having a real existence.
1700 in Surtees Hist. Durham (1823) III. 243 Sir John Conyers, Knt., slew yt
monstrous, and poysonous vermine or wyverne, an aske or werme, wh[ich]
overthrew and devoured many people in fight.
1820 SURTEES Ibid. II. 172 [He] goes forth to slay wolf, bear, or wivern.
1835 BROWNING Paracelsus II. 454 Lakes which..Blaze like a wyvern flying round
the sun. 1869 Tales fr. Blackwood XV. 74 As if she had been a Wyvern or a
Gorgon.
WYVER:
Obs.
[a. OF. wyvre, wivre, guivre (F. guivre, givre), etc., varr. vivre serpent:
see VIVER2.]
1. A viper. Also fig. and in fig. context.
13.. K. Alis. 5609 (Laud MS.), Addres, guiures, & dragouns, Wolden is
folk..Envenymen & abite.
c1374 CHAUCER Troylus III. 1010 Ialousye..at wikkede wyuere.
1387-8 T. USK Test. Love III. v. (Skeat) l. 34 Wherfore..ye ne ought..accompte
thilke thing [sc. jealousy] among these other welked wivers and venomous
serpentes, as envy, mistrust, and yvel speche.
c1400 Partonope 7079 Now is he allone in e wildernesse Amonge wyuerse and
serpentes.
Ibid. 7254 Maruk shewed hir grete lyons,..Dragons, Wyuers, and eke serpentes.
2. Her. = WYVERN 1.
1599 THYNNE Animadv. (1875) 41 A Wyuer is a kynde of serpent of good Bulke,
not vnlyke vnto a dragon, of whose kinde he is, a thinge well knowen vnto the
Heroldes, vsinge the same for armes, and crestes, & supporters.
Ibid. 42 The erle of Kent bearethe a wiuer for his Creste and supporters; the
erle of Penbroke, a wiuer vert for his Creste.
1631 WEEVER Anc. Funeral Mon. 293 A wiuer volant.
Ibid. 294 A Wyuer being the Armes of Hugh Brent Esquire. 1678 PHILLIPS (ed.
4), Wyver, the name of an Animal, little known otherwise than as it is
depicted in Blazonry.
3. wyver-fish, some chimerical fish. nonce-use.
1857 MEREDITH Farina ix. 153 Upon that he [sc. the Demon] shot out his wings,
that were like the fins of the wyver-fish, sharpened in venomous points.
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