The document discusses how exotic animals like elephants were often inaccurately depicted in bestiaries. Elephants might be given incorrect physical attributes like hooves or strange ears. These visual depictions, as well as descriptions of their behavior, came from literary sources rather than from life. King Henry III of England was given a real elephant by the King of France, which was paraded through the streets of London, allowing people to see an actual elephant.

1. Exotic animals like elephants were often depicted very inaccurately in the bestiaries.
Elephants might be given hooves, peculiar tails or strange multi-lobed ears. The
visual depiction was as faulty as the description of the animal's habits, and was
obtained from the literary tradition rather than life.
Sometimes, as in the illustration, it appears that the artist had actually seen an
elephant. The traditional fighting castle on this elephant has been replaced with a
carrier for a bunch of crazy looking people who are apparently in party mode. King
Henry III of England was actually given an elephant by King Louis IX of France. It
didn't live very long, but it was paraded around the streets of London. This must
have seemed like the bestiary coming to life, and one can imagine its presence
strengthening belief in many of the other peculiar creatures from the literary
tradition.
DEPICTIONOF AN ELEPHANTIN A 13THCENTURY
BESTIARY

3. The image represents the bestiary story of
the apsidochelone, or whale. The helpless sailors are
busily boiling their cooking pot on the creature's
disguised back. It is assumed that the reader will know
what happens next. The creature dives, drowning the
sailors. The image is part of a familiar folklore, albeit
derived from literate sources.
MARGIN OF AN EARLY14TH CENTURYPSALTER, KNOWNAS QUEEN
MARY'S PSALTER

5. This marginal illustration shows birds chasing away an owl. It looks
innocently bucolic, but it also refers to a bestiary description. The owl
was taken to represent the Jews, blind in the light of day or knowledge.
The persecution of the owls by other birds was taken to legitimise
medieval Christian attitudes to the Jews. So a pretty little picture of birds
and trees is transformed via an allegorical reading in a Christian text to
a justification for intolerance and prejudice against fellow humans. It is
illustrating a passage from the Psalms, a Jewish text in origin, of course.
FROM THESAMESOURCE