Includes bibliographical references. "First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Profile Books Ltd."--Title page verso.
Contents:
The ordinary. Eagle (earn) -- Spider (gange-wæfre) -- Field creature (feoh) -- Dove (culfre) -- The extraordinary. Animals unheard of (un-gefrægelican deor) -- Ant (æmette) -- Elephant (ylp or elpend) -- The good. Lion (leo) -- Deer (heorot and hind) -- Phoenix (fenix) -- Panther (panþer) -- The bad. Whale (hwæl) -- Snake (nædre) -- Dragon (draca) -- Wolf (wulf) -- The baffling. Water-monster (nicor) -- Moon-head (heafod swelce mona) -- Teeth tyrant (dentes tyrannum) -- Street-maker (stræt-wyrhta) -- Moving spirit (ferende gæst) -- Epilogue: human or beast?
Summary:
"Many of the animals we encounter in everyday life, from the creatures in our fields to those in our fantasies, have remained the same since medieval times - but the words we use, and the ways we describe them, have often changed beyond recognition... Old English was spoken over a thousand years ago, when every animal was a deor. In this glittering Old English bestiary we find deors big and small, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the good, the bad and the downright baffling. From walker-weavers (spiders) and grey-cloaked ones (eagles) to moon-heads and teeth-tyrants (historians still don't know!), we discover a world both familiar and strange: where ants could be monsters and panthers could be your friend, where dog-headed men were as real as elephants and where whales were as sneaky as wolves. From the author of The Wordhord comes another delightful dive into the realm of Old English - words and creatures that will change the way you see the world"--Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.