REAL MYTHICAL BEASTS AND WHERE THEY ACTUALLY EXIST

The Westminster Bestiary is, to put it simply, a bestiary, except for the blinding fact that in the olden days they didn’t have the benefit of of zoos, documentaries, and other modern media. This book gives a peek into what people with no experience with exotic animals would expect them to look like when being given only a rough description– not that the descriptions were very reliable either. It is clear that whoever encountered the animals made up a lot of nonsense and speculation about the said creatures. This goes to such an extent that this work even includes mythical and fantastical creatures and describes them as if they are real,  and many are simply misunderstood normal animals. This work is fantastic example of the spread of misinformation during the medieval ages, as well as a glimpse into the general outlook and thought processes of the period.

Bestiario de Westminster
Burgos [Spain] : Siloé, Arte y Bibliofilia, [2013]
Eberly Family Special Collections Library