Cetus, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The Cetus[1], or ketos, is a legendary sea monster, possibly the same that swallowed Jonah, so immense that it can be imagined as hell itself. Jonah’s words, "The Lord heard me from the belly of hell," reflect this monstrous comparison. In the vast ocean, the Cetus rises above the waves, covers its enormous back with the ocean’s sand, creating a pseudo-island where shrubs and bushes take root. Mistaking it for a real island, sailors land, anchor their ships and make fires to cook their meals. When the beast feels the heat, it dives suddenly, dragging the ships down with it. This creature symbolises the devil, who similarly ensnares those who place their trust in him, pulling them into the abyss.

The Cetus also has a deceptive nature: when hungry, it opens its mouth, releasing a sweet fragrance. Small fish, lured by the scent, swim into its mouth and when it is full, the Cetus snaps its jaws shut, devouring them all. Larger fish, recognising the danger, swim away. This mirrors the devil, who entices those of weak faith with temptations and flattery, swallowing them up, whereas the faithful saints, wise to his tricks, flee. Just as fools are captivated by sweet scents and perfumes, so too are souls ensnared by the devil’s deceptions, leading to their downfall.

Cetus sive cethe est belua in mari. quasi fuit
illa que excepit ionam. tante magnitudinis
ut putari posset infernus dicente ipso iona. Exau-
divit me dominus de ventre inferi. Hec in medio
pelagi elevat dorsum suum super undas maris. et
tante est magnitudines. ut de sabulo maris per
ventum agitato; fiat planicies super dorsum eius
et quasi certa terra. et arbusta et virgulta ibi
crescunt. Unde navigantes hanc inmobiliter
stare videntes; putant insulam magnam esse.
et applicant naves et palos figunt quibus naves
alligant. et focos faciunt ut cibos coquant. Que

The Cetus or ketos is a sea monster, perhaps the one that swallowed Jonah, of such great size that it could be thought of as hell itself, as Jonah says: 'The Lord heard me from the belly of hell.'[2] This creature, in the midst of the sea, raises its back above the waves and covers it with the sand of the sea and then, a kind of plain takes shape on its back where shrubs and bushes grow. Sailors, seeing it motionless, think it is a large island. They land with their ships, cast anchor and make fires to cook their food.

sentiens ardorem ignis; subito se in aquam mergit et
navem secum trahit. Hec belua figuram diaboli gerit.
qui eos qui spem ponunt in eo et se suis operibus illi obli-
gant. secum in baratrum trahit. Secunda autem natura
huius belue est. quod quando esurit; aperit os suum. et odo-
rem quendam bene olentem exalat de ore eius. cuius
dulcedinem ut sentiunt minores pisces; congregant se in
ore eius. Cum vero senserit os suum repletum; subi-
to claudit os suum et transglutit eos. Magni autem
pisces; fugiunt eam. Sic paciuntur omnes qui sunt modi-
ce fidei. voluptatibus ac lenociniis quasi quibusdam
odoribus diabolicis adescati. subito absorbentur ab
eo. sicut pisciculi minuti. Magne vero fidei sancti in-
telligunt astucias diaboli et fugiunt eas. Unguen-
tis enim et variis odoribus delectantur stulti; ut dicit
scriptura. et sic confringitur anima a ruinis.

When the beast feels the heat of the fire, it suddenly dives into the water, dragging the ship along. This beast symbolises the devil, who drags along down into the abyss those who pin their hopes on him and bind themselves to him through their deeds. The second nature of this beast is that when it is hungry, it opens its mouth and exhales a pleasant fragrance. When the smaller fish sense the sweetness of this scent, they flock into its mouth. When the cetus feels that its mouth is full, it suddenly closes it and swallows them all. On the contrary, the larger fish flee from this beast. Similarly, those of little faith are ensnared by the devil’s temptations and flattery, enticed by his devilish odours and suddenly swallowed by him, just like the small fish. On the contrary, those of great faith, the saints, recognise the devil’s tricks and flee. Fools are delighted by perfumes and various scents, as the scripture says, and thus the soul is shattered.

Further Reading

Josh Goldenberg (BA 2012) and Matt Shanahan (BA 2014, Logeion, November 2022, https://logeion.uchicago.edu/

Castiglioni, L. and Mariotti, S. (1996). Vocabolario della Lingua Latina: Latino-Italiano Italiano-Latino. Terza Edizione. Loescher Torino

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia: The Elephant, 28 November 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., (2010), The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, HarperCollins UK, London

Curley, M. J., Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore (University of Chicago edition 2009)

Rackham, H., M.A., Pliny Natural History Volume III, Libri VIII-XI (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1949)

Collins, A. H., M.A., Symbolism of Animals and Birds (New York: McBride, Nast & Company, 1913)

Henderson, C., The Book of Barely Imagined Beings (London: University of Chicago Press, 2013)

White, T. H., The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts (New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1960)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] The word cetus has been Latinized from ketos/kitos. The Greek word for whale is κῆτος/kítos. Cetus could be also translated as whale but the author of the bestiary is referring to the mythological sea monster Cetus because the next folio ff104v describes the whale as being smaller than the cetus monster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetus_(mythology)

[2] Jonah KJV 2:2: "And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice."