Hedgehog, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
The hedgehog embodies layers of meaning that delve into the depths of human nature and spirituality. This small creature, equipped with a protective armour of quills, serves as a potent metaphor for sinners ensnared by the thorns of their own transgressions.
When danger looms, the hedgehog instinctively curls into a ball, relying on its defences to ward off threats. This defensive posture mirrors the resilience of sinners who, confronted with the consequences of their actions, seek refuge behind the barriers of their wrongdoing.
Amidst this imagery of sin and vulnerability, a deeper symbolism emerges. The hedgehog, in its act of rolling over grapes to provide for its cubs, takes on the likeness of Christ in the flesh, bearing the burden of human sinfulness and offering redemption through sacrifice.
This duality of symbolism is echoed in the prophetic words of Zephaniah, where the hedgehog is mentioned alongside other creatures in a scene of desolation. Here, the hedgehog represents both the fallen state of humanity, dwelling in the ruins of worldly glory, and the transformative power of Christ's advent, which heralds the dawn of spiritual renewal.
The pelican, with its dual nature as both aquatic and wilderness-dwelling, symbolizes the spread of Christ's message to all corners of the earth, while the raven embodies the struggle between enlightenment and sin, preaching from the thresholds of our senses and the lintels of our reason.
A clear message transpires amidst the allegories: the constant battle of the human soul between vice and virtue, sin and redemption. As the hedgehog bristles with quills of protection, we must also arm ourselves against the temptations of the world, seeking refuge in the grace of divine forgiveness.
Transcription
Translation
contra insidians(changed to insidias) se spinis vallans. et cum primo
aliquid sentre; statim se subrigite. atque in globum con-
versus; in sua se arma recolligit. hoc animal cum u-
nam(changed to vam) de vite abscindit; supinus super eam volutat.
et sic eam spinis infixam; exhibet natis suis. Hericius
spinosum animal significat peccatorem. spinis pecato-
rum circundatum. Vel christum in similitudinem carnis pecca-
ti apparentem vel diabolum. Hinc per sophomam de nini-
ve dicitur. et eius desolatione futura. Omnes bestie gentium
et onocrotalus et heritius in lumbis eius morabuntur.
Vox cantantis in fenestra. Corvus in superliminari. qm atte-
nuabo robur eius. Hec est civitas gloriosa habitans in confi-
dentia. Ninive; significat mundi gloriam. que per adven-
tum christi et predicatorum eius desolata est. Onacrotalorum(changed to Onocrotalorum)
duo sunt genera. Aliud aquatile. aliud solitudinis.
The hedgehog is a small animal, a quadruped and is surrounded all around by quills to protect itself from attacks. As soon as it senses anything, it immediately bristles, rolls itself into a ball and regains courage by relying on its defences. When this animal tears off a bunch of grapes, it rolls about on its back over it, thus giving the grapes full of quills to its cubs. The hedgehog symbolises sinners surrounded by the quills of sin or represents Christ in the likeness of sinful flesh or the devil. Hence, Zephaniah says of Nineveh and its future desolation. All the beasts of the nations, and “both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of her pillars. A cry shall resound in the window: the raven shall be in the porch. For he shall uncover (Zephaniah 2:13-15)”. This is the glorious city dwelling in impudence, Nineveh, representing the glory of the world, which was forsaken upon the advent of Christ and his preachers. There are two kinds of pelicans: an aquatic one and the one of the wilderness:
res christi; verba christi usque ad fines orbis terrarum dissemi-
nantes. tan in iudea; quam in solitudine gentium. Heritius
est ipse christus. tectus similitudine carnis peccati. vel pre-
dicator spinis sententiarum subtilium; peccata nostra;
delens.Corvus est predicator gentilis. qui niger fuit
in pccatis. sed in adventu christi; cantate predicando; in
fenestra sensuum nostrorum. et in superliminari; videlicet
menti nostre sapientie verba infigens. Vel in ma-
lam partem totum legi potest. Per hec enim animalia
que omnia inmunda sunt; significantur vicia vel de-
monia que habitant in anima per ypocrisis similitudi-
nem; spinosa vel speciosam added. et mentis rationem. et sensus nostros se-
ducunt. Limen enim; corpus vel sensualitas est. Super
liminare autem anima vel ratio. que omnia seduc-
tione demonum viciantur.
they are birds with long bills, signifying the preachers of Christ, preaching the words of Christ to the ends of the earth, both in Judea and in the wilderness of the nations. The hedgehog is Christ himself in the likeness of sinful flesh, or the preacher with the quills of their direct opinions, erasing our sins. The raven is the pagan preacher befogged by sin who sings and preaches upon the coming of Christ, in the window of our senses and in the lintels, namely, impressing words of wisdom on our minds. It can also be understood in a bad sense entirely. The fact that these animals are all unclean means that vices or demons, which dwell in the soul in the likeness of hypocrisy, corrupt our minds and our senses. The threshold represents the body or sensuality but the lintel represents the soul or reason, which are corrupted by the temptation of the devil.
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