Onager, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The onager is symbolic of the devil: the bestiary of Cambridge states that the onager has demoniac characteristics because it is able to predict the vernal equinox and brays at each hour, by night and by day, claiming its prey. Similarly, the devil brays at each hour claiming its prey as soon as he finds out that the Wandering People had turned to God and to faith.

According to the Physiologus, the onager makes, just as the equinox does, night, that is Paganism, equal to day, that is, Christianity.

The onager was also associated with chastity due to its reputation for being untameable and uncontrollable, particularly in its sexual desires. This trait was seen as virtuous and reflective of the need for humans to control their own desires.

It was also known for its solitary nature, often roaming alone in desolate areas. This characteristic made it symbolic of asceticism and the solitary pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.

This animal’s stubbornness and resistance to being tamed could also be interpreted negatively, representing the stubbornness of sinners who resist the teachings of Christianity or the temptations of the devil.

Onager(changed from Anager, so has two gold capitals) interpretatur asinus ferus. Onos quippe
grece; asinus latine. Agrios; ferum. Hos affrica habet
magnos et indomitos. et in deserto vagantes. Singuli autem;
feminarum gregibus presunt. Nascentibus parvulis zelant.
et testiculos eorum morsu detruncant. Quod caventes ma-

The onager is regarded as a wild donkey. In Greek, it was called ὄνος/ónos¹, ăsĭnus in Latin. Αγριος/agrios means wild. Africa has these large and untamed beasts wandering in the desert. They roam individually, leading the herds of females. They zealously protect their newborn cubs and bite off their testicles.

tres; eos in secretis locis abscondunt. Philosogus dicit de ona-
gro quia vicessimo quinto die mansis martii duodecies
in nocte rugit. et similiter in die. Et ex hoc cognoscitur;
quia equinoctium est. et numerum horarum diei vel noctis;
ainde norunt. Figuram huius; diabolus habet. qui cum
scierit noctem et diem coequare; idest populum qui am-
bulabat in tenebris converti ad deum; et coequari fidei
iustorum. sicut coequatur nox cum die; iccirco rugit noc-
te. per singulas horas querens escam suam. Nam non rugit
onager; nisi pabulum desiderans; sicut dicit iob. Numquid
clamabit onager nisi pabulum desiderans; Unde etiam
apostolus. Adversarius noster tamquam leo rugiens cir-
cuit querens quem devorat;

Besides, they hide three of them in secret places. The Physiologus² says of the onager that on the twenty-fifth day of March, it brays twelve times by night, and does the same by day. Therefore, when there is the equinox, they also know the number of hours of day or night therefrom. The devil is in the image of this beast, for it knows night and day to be equal, that is, the people who walked in darkness were turned to God and the faith of the righteous were made equal, just as night is made equal to day; therefore, it brays by night, claiming its prey at each hour. The onager does not bray unless it craves food, as Job says, 'Will the wild donkey bray when it has grass?'³ The Apostle⁴ says: “Our adversary, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”⁵.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Onager, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast211.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)

1 The Greek word for wild ass was ὄναγρος/ ónagros.

2 The Physiologus is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author in Alexandria and consists of descriptions of animals, birds, and fantastic creatures, sometimes stones and plants, provided with moral content. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiologus

3 Job NKJV 6:5: Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass, Or does the ox low over its fodder?

4 The Apostle Peter in this case.

5 1 Peter NKJV 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”