Peacock, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The peacock is a symbol of splendour and mystery. Its feathers, shimmering like stars, are a tapestry of vibrant colours, making it a prized possession in the homes of the wealthy. The bird's long, radiant tail, reminiscent of sunbeams, has adorned the crowns of kings. With a small head topped by a crest and a grand, imposing body, the peacock moves with a mix of elegance and stealth.

Legends speak of its haunting cry, likened to that of a devil, while its dazzling feathers are said to resemble those of an angel. Despite its beauty, the peacock's flesh is notoriously tough, resistant to decay and difficult to cook—a challenge even for the harshest of cooks.

The female peacock, less vibrant than the male, carefully hides her eggs, visiting them often to protect them from their father, who might destroy them. In symbolism, the peacock represents a dual nature: the potential for true virtue or the mere appearance of it, akin to saints or hypocrites. One of the most common allegories associated with peacocks in medieval bestiaries was the idea of immortality and resurrection. This belief was based on an ancient notion that the peacock's flesh did not decay after death. In Christian thought, this symbolised the resurrection of the body and the eternal life promised by Christ. The peacock, with its undying beauty, became a symbol of the faithful's future glorified state in heaven.

The peacock was also symbolic of pride and vanity because of its ostentatious display of feathers. This was a cautionary symbol, reminding Christians of the dangers of excessive concern for outward appearances, which could lead to sin. The tension between the peacock's beauty and its unsettling cry was seen as an analogy for the contrast between superficial appearance and inner moral reality.

The Bible recounts that King Solomon's ships, in their grand voyages to Tarshish, returned every three years laden with treasures, including gold, silver, ivory, apes, and these magnificent birds, the peacocks.

Pavo de sono vocis nomen habet. In domibus di-
vitum habitans. pennas in stellarum modum
lucentes. et pulcra varietate diversorum colorum
distinctas habens. Gaudam longissimam et pul-
cherrime lucentem; trahens. que capita regum
et divitum ornat. et a servore solis descendit. Capi-
te parvo. et desuper plumis superexcrescentibus crista-
to; et corpore magno incedit. Vox eius quasi dia-
boli. penna quasi angeli. passus; quasi latronis.
capud quasi serpentis; vulgo dicitur. Cuius caro
tam dura est; ut putredinem vix senciat. nec facile

The peacock is named after the sound of its call. Living in the houses of the wealthy, it has feathers shining like stars and distinguished by the beautiful variety of different colours. Its very long and beautifully shining tail adorns the heads of kings and the wealthy and descends from the heat of the sun. With a small head and crested with feathers growing thereover, it advances with a large body. As it is commonly said, its cry is like that of the devil, its feathers like those of an angel, its walk like that of a thief, its head like that of a serpent. Its flesh is so tough that it hardly rots and is not so easily cooked.

coquatur. De quo quidam sic ait. Miraris quoci-
ens gemmantes explicat alas. si potes hunc sevo;
tradere dura coco. Mater ova sua abscondit. et
nidum in occulto loco frequentat. ne inveniens
pater ova; ea commedat. Femina non est adeo lucen-
tibus pennis nec adeo longis; ut masculus decora-
ta. Nomine igitur pavonis; significantur sancti. decore
virtutum perfecti. Vel ypocrite speciem virtutum
tenentes. Unde in regum et in paralipomenon[1] le-
gitur. quod naves regis salomonis ibant in tarsis;
cum servis yram semel in tribus annis. et deferebant
inde aurum et argentum. et ebur et simias et pavos.

Someone has said thereof: 'You marvel whenever it unfolds its jewel-like wings, but if you can, give it to the harsh cook.' The mother hides her eggs and constantly visits the nest in the hidden place where she hid them, so that the father does not find the eggs and eat them. The feathers of the female are not as bright as the feathers of the male. Therefore, the name of the peacock symbolises the saints, who can be perfect in the beauty of virtues or hypocrites with the appearance of virtues. Thus, it is read in the books of Kings and in the Chronicles that the ships of King Solomon went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram once every three years and brought from there gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[2]

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Peacock, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast257.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] Paralipomenon is another name for the books of 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles in the Bible coming from the Greek word Παραλειπομένων/Paraleipomenon which means “omitted." This title suggests that these books contain additional details not covered in the books of Samuel and Kings. Today, most modern Bible translations refer to them as 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles. These books primarily focus on the history of Israel.

[2] 1 King KJV 10:22: "For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks."