Parrot, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The parrot, a vibrant green bird with a striking red collar, hails exclusively from India. It boasts a broad beak and a large tongue, enabling it to articulate words so clearly that one might mistake its voice for a human's voice. Naturally, it greets with cheerful calls of “Hail!” or “Rejoice!” and can learn new names through training. This talent is celebrated in the saying: "I, a parrot, will learn the names of others from you, but I learned to say 'Hail Caesar' on my own."

The parrot’s beak is extraordinarily hard, capable of saving itself from a fall onto rocks by gripping with its mouth. Its head is equally strong, allowing it to endure training to mimic human speech, even if it requires a firm hand. Young parrots, within their first year, are quick learners, absorbing and retaining what they see with ease. However, as they age, they become forgetful and harder to teach.

The parrot conveyed various allegorical meanings, often linked to its unique characteristics and abilities, such as its vivid coloration, ability to mimic human speech, and exotic origins.

The parrot's ability to mimic human speech made it symbolic of eloquence and wisdom. It represented the idea of learning and the transmission of knowledge. In some bestiaries, the parrot was seen as a model of the ideal Christian who learns and repeats the Word of God, embodying the virtue of obedience and the importance of spreading Christian teachings.

The parrot’s bright green colour was often associated with the lushness of paradise and the renewal of life. Its red collar symbolized martyrdom or the blood of Christ, linking the bird to themes of sacrifice and redemption.

Due to its vibrant plumage and long lifespan, the parrot was sometimes regarded as symbolic of incorruptibility and immortality. This aligned with Christian beliefs about eternal life and the soul's purity.

The parrot's mimicry was likened to the role of teachers and preachers in spreading the Christian doctrine. Just as the parrot repeats what it hears, Christians were encouraged to learn and disseminate the teachings of the Church.

Its exotic origin and beautiful plumage made it symbolic of the divine and the heavenly realm. It was seen as a creature that reminded Christians of the beauty and splendour of God's creation. Its colourful feathers were symbolic of purity and virtue, with different colours representing various aspects of Christian life, such as green for eternal life and red for sacrifice.

Sola india mittit avem psitacum. colore viri-
di. torque punicea. grandi lingua. et ceteris
avibus latiore. Unde et articulata verba exprimit.
ita ut(dots underneath) ut si eam non videris. hominem loqui putes.
Ex natura autem salutat dicens ave. vel kere. ce-
tera nomina institutione discit. Hinc est illud.
Psitacus avebis. aliorum nomina discam. Hoc didi-
ci per me dicere cesar ave. Cuius rostri tanta duri-
cia est; ut cum e sullimi precipitatur in saxum;
nisu oris se excipiat. Capud vero tantum valens ut

Only India[1] is the birthplace of the parrot, with its green colour, red collar, large tongue, and broader than other birds. It can express articulated words, so much so that if you do not see it, you would think a human is speaking. By nature, it greets by saying “Hail!” or “Rejoice!” It learns other names if you train it. Hence the saying: "I a parrot will learn to say the names of others from you, but I learned on my own to say 'Hail Caesar'." Its beak is so hard that when it is thrown from a height onto a rock, it catches itself with the force of its mouth to prevent injury. Its head is so strong that

quando ad discendum plagis sit admonendum. ut
sicut homines loquatur; ferrea sit ferula verberan-
dus. Nam cum pullis est et intra alterum etatis
sue annum; que monstrata sunt et citius discit;
et retinet tenatius. Paulo senior obliviosus est et
indocilis.

when it needs to be trained to learn human speech, it can be inflexibly struck with a rod. When it is young and within its first year, it learns more quickly by looking at what it is shown and retains it more tenaciously. When it gets older, it is forgetful and unteachable.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Parrot, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast235.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)

Footnotes

[1] Parrots are not only natives to India. The medieval text emphasised India due to the exotic nature of parrots and the trade routes of that period, which brought many exotic animals to Europe from the East. India was a known source of many exotic birds and animals during medieval times, making it a focal point in descriptions of exotic wildlife.

[2] The interjection Kere! in the text comes from the Greek interjection χαῖρε/chaíre which means hail/rejoice.