Ibis, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The ibis, a bird of the Nile River, engages in unique cleansing rituals by purging its bowels and purifying itself with its beak. It feeds on snake eggs and carrion, providing rich nourishment for its young. Despite its fear of water, it patrols the shoreline in search of food. With a long neck akin to a stork's, it efficiently cleanses itself and retrieves food from deep places. The ibis is known to be the enemy of snakes, which is why Josephus notes that Moses used these birds when confronting the snake-infested regions of Ethiopia.

Symbolically, the ibis represents mortal humans who consume deadly deeds, nourishing their souls with wretched sustenance. In contrast, Christians, reborn through water and the Holy Spirit, should seek the purest spiritual nourishment, as outlined by the Apostle: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering," and more. Just as the sun and moon must shine and birds must extend their wings to fly, humans need the sign of the cross and twin love to navigate worldly calamities toward heavenly peace. Similarly, Moses’ raised hands brought victory to Israel, whereas his lowered hands favoured Amalek.

The ibis' name symbolises those who love earthly things, the devil, the luxurious, or the inquisitive. It strives for heavenly goals but remains tied to earthly thoughts. In Leviticus, it is listed among unclean birds, meaning that contemplators focused on earthly matters should not be emulated. Isaiah also associates the ibis with reprobation, stating, "The pelican and the hedgehog will possess it; the ibis and the raven will dwell in it."

Ibis est avis nili fluminis rostro suo purgans
alvum suum. et semetipsam purgat rostro
in anum aquam fundens. hec serpentum
ovis vescitur. et morticinis. et ex eis gravissimum
cibum pullis suis reportat. Nam in aquam ingre-
di timet; quia natandi naturam nescit. sed iuxta
litus die nocte obambulat. querens aut mor-
tuos pisciculos aut aliqua cadavera. que ab aqua
foras eiecta fuerint. Habet et longum collum
sicut ciconia. ut et aluum purget et cibum sibi
de profundo eliciat. Hec avis inimica est serpen-

The ibis is a bird of the Nile River that cleanses itself by purging its bowels with its beak and purifies itself by spurting water into its anus with its beak. It feeds on snake eggs and carrion, bringing the richest food that it takes from them to its nestlings. It fears going into the water, for it does not know how to swim but it walks along the shore day and night, seeking either dead fish or some other carrion that have been thrown out of the water. It has a long neck like a stork, enabling it to cleanse its bowels and extract food from deep places. This bird is an enemy

tibus. Unde iosephus dicit quod huiusmodi aves de-
tulit moyses secum cum iret contra ethiopes. quoniam in
illis regionibus serpentes habundant. Ibis sig-
nificat mortales homines. qui mortiferis operibus
quasi escis utuntur quibus misere anime nutri-
untur ad penam. Tu vero christiane qui aqua et
spiritu sancto renatus es. ingredere ad spiritua-
les aquas misteriorum dei; et inde tibi sume mun-
dissimos cibos quos enumerat apostolus dicens.
Fructus autem spiritus est; caritas. gaudium. pax.
pacientia. longanimitas. et cetera. Nisi sol et lu-
na extenderint radios suos; non lucent. Volu-
cres nisi extenderint alas suas; volare non po-
terunt. Sic et tu homo si signo crucis non munieris;
gemineque dilectionis alas non extenderis ad quietis-
simum portum celestis patrie per medias huius
mundi procellas; transmeare non poteris. Denique
cum moyses elevaret manus suas; superabat israhel
Cum vero remitteret manus; superabat Amalech;
Nomine igitur ibicis aliquando significatur contemplativus
terrena diligens. aliquando diabolus vel luxuriosus. vel

of snakes. Hence, Josephus[1] says that Moses brought such birds along when he went against the Ethiopians, for snakes abound in those regions.

The ibis symbolises mortal humans, who use deadly deeds as food that nourishes their wretched souls as punishment. But you, Christian, who are reborn by means of water and the Holy Spirit, enter the spiritual waters of God's mysteries and take from them the purest foods, which the Apostle enumerates, saying, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering,"[2] and so on. Unless the sun and the moon extend their rays, they do not shine. Birds cannot fly unless they extend their wings. Likewise, man cannot cross through the calamities of this world to the most peaceful harbour of the heavenly homeland without the sign of the cross and the wings of twin love extended. Thus, when Moses raised his hands, Israel prevailed but when he lowered his hands, Amalek[3] prevailed.

Thus, the name of the ibis sometimes symbolises contemplators who love earthly things, sometimes the devil or the luxurious or

vel curiositas. Ibis enim dicitur contemplativis;
cuius lectio est de celestibus. et cordis cogitatio de
terrenis. querens sibi cibum de profundis terre-
norum. Unde in levitico. ibis inter inmundas aves
que commedi non debent reputatur. Quia contemplati-
vus ille non est imitandus; qui non in celestibus. set
in terrenis conversationem habet. Ibis item dicitur dia-
bolus vel luxuriosus. vel curiosus. Unde ysaias de re-
probatione iudee vel perverse mentis dicit. Posside-
bunt eam onocrotalus et hericius et ibis. et corvus
habitabunt in ea. et cetera. Item ibices dicuntur pre-
predicatores sancti. Unde dominus ad iob ait. Nunquid
nostis tempus patrus ibicum; Quasi diceret. Ego so-
lus novi; quando predicator in predicatione profi-
ciet. quido auditoribus cum volo compunctionem
veram;

the inquisitive. The ibis is also described as contemplative, for it strives for heavenly things but its heart's thoughts are of earthly things, seeking food from the depths of the earthly things. In Leviticus, the ibis is enumerated among the unclean birds that should not be eaten, for contemplators are not to be imitated owing to their dedication to earthly things instead of heavenly ones. The ibis is also associated with the devil, the luxurious, or the inquisitive. Hence Isaiah, concerning the reprobation of Judea or a perverse mind, says, "The pelican and the hedgehog will possess it; the ibis and the raven will dwell in it,"[4] and so on.

Ibises are also defined as holy preachers. Hence, the Lord says to Job, "Do you know the time when the ibises give birth?"[5] as if to say, only I know when a preacher will be successful in his preaching and when I want true compunction to come upon the listeners.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Ibis, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast342.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

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

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)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

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

Endnotes

[1] Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, writes about Moses and the ibis bird in his work "Antiquities of the Jews." Specifically, he mentions Moses and the ibis in Book 2, Chapter 10, Section 2. In this passage, Josephus describes Moses as a general of the Egyptian army and his campaign against the Ethiopians. The ibis bird is mentioned as part of a strategy that Moses uses to protect the Egyptians from a plague of serpents.

This passage in most translations of "Antiquities of the Jews" but here is a relevant excerpt for reference:

"Moses, therefore, when he was in great straits, called upon God, and God heard him, and gave him that counsel which he followed. So taking the army he came to Pelusium, the place where the Egyptian and Ethiopian bounds touch one another. And there, finding a great many serpents, he made baskets, like unto arks, of sedge, and filled them with ibes, which are the greatest enemies to serpents imaginable, for they fly from them when they come near them; and then, when Moses had them all, he let them go among the serpents. By which means he was able to destroy the serpents and obtain victory."

[2] Galatians NKJV 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

[3] Amalek is a figure in the Bible known as the progenitor of the Amalekites, a group often depicted as enemies of the Israelites. Amalek and the Amalekites symbolize perpetual opposition to Israel and divine judgment for their actions, serving as a significant theme in the narrative of the Israelites' journey and their relationship with God. The battle against the Amalekites at Rephidim occurred shortly after the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Attacked by the Amalekites, the Israelites, under Joshua's command, fought while Moses, on a nearby hill, raised his hands with the staff of God. As long as Moses' hands were raised, the Israelites prevailed; when lowered, the Amalekites gained the upper hand. Supported by Aaron and Hur, Moses kept his hands steady until sunset, leading to Israel's victory. God commanded Moses to memorialize the event, declaring perpetual enmity with Amalek. This battle highlighted the Israelites' dependence on divine support for victory (Exodus 17:8-16).

[4] Isaiah NKJV 34:11: But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.

[5] In truth, this sentence does not appear in the Bible. Actually, the Lord says to Job in Job NKJV 39:1: “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?