Fox, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

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The fox is a clever and deceitful animal representing the heretics and the Devil: just as the Devil pretends to be dead and then devours the souls of sinners, the fox pretends to be dead and waits for birds to plane close to its body in order to devour them.

In Christian symbolism, the fox was often associated with the deceitfulness and slyness of Satan but it also symbolised heretics and false prophets who led believers astray with deceptive teachings with regard to their faith.

Those who imitated the fox’s behaviour were the sinners of flesh, liars and the lecherous as well as thieves, murderers and the idolaters. Therefore, this animal was often compared with King Herod called that fox in the Bible, as we see in Luke 12:32-33: And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’”. Just as the fox digs the earths, Herod digs the earths of sin by embodying inebriation and lechery, pride, cruelty, arrogance, greed, betrayal and disloyalty.

Thomas of Cantimpré describes the fox as having healing properties: its liver is able to heal iliac infections whereas its brain frees from epilepsy, especially if it is given to children.

Vulpis dicitur; quasi volipes. Est enim volubilis pedi-
bus. odore fetens. et numquam recto itinere. sed tortuo-
sis anfractibus currit ex mutabilitate animi. Fraudu-
lentum animal et ingeniosum et insidiis decipiens
Namque cum esurit; finit se mortuam involutans se;
rubra terra et extrahens linguam. Sicque descendentes quasi
ad cadaver aves; capit et devorat. Multi homines
putantes illam mortuam; in vehiculo ciborum eam
proiecerunt ut dicitur. et sic saturata; se ad terram
fugiendo deiecit. Aves de nocte et gallinas super arbo-
res sedentes. ad scintinas oculorum suorum quasi lumen

The fox is called vulpēs¹, sounding as the syncopation of volipēs². It is fleet-footed and it smells fetidly. It never runs in a straight line but twists and turns owing to the changeable nature of its mind. A deceitful, clever, and cunning animal that deceives by laying traps. When it craves food, it feigns death by wrapping itself up in red soil and sticking out its tongue. Thus, when birds plane close to its body, the fox seizes and devours them. Many a man, thinking it dead, has thrown it away on the food cart, as they say, and when the fox is satiated, it throws itself down onto the ground whilst fleeing. Fire draws to itself birds by night and hens sitting on trees as they descend towards it.

ignis allicit; ut descendant. Infatuantur enim scintillan-
tibus lumenibus. Vel quia lumen in tenebris aves petunt;
ad id descendunt. Istius(small gold capital) eiusdemque figuram diabolus habet.
Omnibus enim viventibus secundum carnem; fingit se esse mortuum quo-
adusque intra guttur suum habeat et puniat. Spiritua-
libus tamen viris in fide vere mortuus est. et ad nichilum re-
dactus. Qui autem volunt exercere opera eius; moriuntur
dicente apostolo. Scientes quasi secundum carnem vixeritis;
moriemini. Si autem spiritu facta carnis mortificaveri-
tis; vivetis. Et david. Intrabunt in inferiora terre. tra-
dentur in manus gladii partes vulpium erunt. Item signi-
ficat hereticum subdolum. cuius typum tenuit herodes.
qui christum id est humilitatem christiane fidei in credentibus conabatur
extinguere. Un in evvangelio dicit dominus illis qui dixe-
runt ei quod herodes querebat eum occidere. Ite et di-
cite vulpi illi. Ecce eicio demonia et sanitates perfitio.
hodie et cras. et tertia die consumor. Umtn opportet me
et hodie et cras et sequenti ambulare. quia non capt pro-
phetam perire extra ierusalem. Q.d.Non poterit me herodes
occidere hic. q2 non convenit me alibi occidi qui sum summus
propheta; nisi in ierusalem. et alli prophete mei occisi sunt. et hoc
a pilato fiet in ierusalem; ubi herodes non habet potestatem.
H’ ambulatio ad litteram intelligitur. q2 disposuit ire in

Indeed, they have themselves deceived by the sparkling lights. Birds seek light in darkness; therefore, they descend towards it. The devil has a similar image. For all living beings who live by the flesh, he pretends to be dead until he has them in his gullet and devours them. However, for spiritual men who live by faith, he is truly dead and reduced to nothingness. Those who wish to practice the Devil’s deeds die, as the Apostle⁴ says: “or if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans, 8:13). David says: “They shall go into the lower parts of the earth: they shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.” (Psalms, 63:9-10)

ierusalem. Herodes igitur nec heretici poterunt perturbare quod
iiitendo facere. Intendo enim eicere demonia de cordi-
bus hominum. ut relictis vanitatibus in me credant.
et perficere sanitates animarum ut secundum precepta meam vi-
vant. postea consummationem accipiam in corpore meo.
quod est. ecclesia. quando in die resurrectionis eam glo-
rificatem et consumatam ad consortium angelorum
perducam. Hodie igitur et cras; significant duos dies quibus
christus erat in cruce et in sepulcro. quibus redemit eccle-
siam. Tercia dies erat resurrectionis; qn omnia consumma-
vit. Vel prima dies est per dei gratiam abrenuntiare¹ va-
nitatibus. Sccl’a concordare veritati; vita et moribus.
Tercia; est ultima glorificatio. De dolositate quoque here-
ticorum legitur in libro iudicum. qualiter sampson
cepit .ccc. vulpes caudasque earum iunxit ad caudas.
et faces ligavit in medio. quas igne succendens; suc-
cendit per eas segetes philistinorum Vulpes etiam dicun-
tur demones. Unde in evvangelio. Wlpes foveas habent
et volucres celi iudum;

Similarly, this symbolises the sly heretic, the type whereof Herod regarded as role model. Herod attempted to extinguish Christ, that is, the humility of the Christian faith, among the believers. In the Gospel, the Lord says to those who told Him that Herod attempted to kill Him: “And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”(Luke KJV 13:32-33). That is to say, Herod will not be able to kill me here nor is it appropriate for me to be killed elsewhere, since I am the Highest Prophet, except in Jerusalem, where other prophets have also been killed. This will happen in Jerusalem, where Herod has no power. The walking is interpreted literally as His plan to go to Jerusalem. Therefore, neither Herod nor heretics shall be able to disrupt what He intends to do by going there, for I intend to cast out demons from the hearts of men so that they may believe in me once they have left vanity behind and restore the health of their souls and live according to my commandments. Later, I will receive consummation in my body, which is the Church, and on the day of resurrection, I will lead Her⁵ glorified and consummate to the Communion of Angels. Therefore, today and tomorrow symbolise the two days when Christ was on the cross and in the tomb, redeeming the Church. The third day was the day of resurrection when He completed all things. The first day is by God's grace to renounce vanities, the second day is to agree with the truth and to live in life and morals. The third day is the Highest Glorification. We can read of the deceitfulness of heretics in the Book of Judges that tells the story of Samson, who caught 300 foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs and fastened torches in the middle. He lit the torches and then set fire to the Philistines’ crops⁶. Foxes are also called demons. Hence, in the Gospel, foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests.⁷

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Fox, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast179.htm

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

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 Ecclesiastical Latin strengthened form of rĕnuntĭo to mean to renounce.

2 The Latin dictionary shows the word fox as vulpēs or volpēs or vulpis.

3 The adjective volipēs means swift-footed/nimble. It comes from volo (to fly) + pes (foot).

4 The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:13.

5 It is referring to the Church.

6 Judges KJV 15:4: “And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.”

7 Matthew KJV 8:20: “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”