This post is the second in a short blog series featuring important figures in the history of natural history.
Albertus Magnus is considered one of the greatest philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was a prolific writer and wrote on a wide variety of topics, including astrology, theology, mineralogy, botany, alchemy, zoology, and logic. He also wrote extensive commentaries on many of Aristotle’s works, including the History of Animals, promoting further scholarly debate and discussion.
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One of his most well-known works is De Animalibus, which is an alphabetical description of animals. It is important to keep in mind that during the Middle Ages, people thought of animals in a completely different way than they do today. The study of the natural world was closely related to the study of the earthly and heavenly condition. It was believed events that occurred the earthly plane were indicative of what was occurring on the heavenly plane.
Animals were not simply thought of as living organisms; they were considered as symbols, and their presence and behaviors were thought to reflect those of heavenly figures. For example, it was believed that pelicans would pierce their chests with their beak so that their offspring could gain sustenance by feeding upon their blood, an act of self-sacrifice that caused the pelican to become a symbol associated with Jesus Christ.
When studying animals, the focus was not on what these animals were actually doing or even whether these animals even existed. This is why De Animalibus includes the unicorn, a symbol of innocence and purity that also came to be associated with Jesus Christ. Though unicorns were certainly not a common sight in the natural world, they would often appear in religious art, especially in works that depicted Christ.
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