Stork, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
The bestiary is full of praise, and a few inaccuracies, about the famously caring storks.
The medieval bestiary records that stork are the enemies of snakes. Their cry is made by their beak not their voice, as they were thought to have no tongue. They fly in flocks and love their young, keeping their nests so warm that their feathers fall out from continuous incubation. The young return the love they get from their parents by caring for them (Barber 2008).
Transcription
Translation
Quem sonum oris potius scimus esse. quam vocis. quia
eum quaciente rostro; faciunt. Hec; veris; nuncie.
societatis comites. serpentium hostes. maria transvo-
lant. In asiam collecto agmine pergunt. Cornices du-
ces; precedunt eas. et ipse quasi exercitus ordinatus ad
bellum; sequntur. Unde creduntur in alieno solo. eas
bella contra inimicas aves. vel desertrices nature vel
consuetudinis proprie; inferre. Simul enim quotquot
fuerint in aliqua regione pergunt ordinate ad bellum.
They are called storks from the sound they make, like a cicada. Which we know to be the sound of the mouth, rather than of the voice, because it is produced by a quivering beak; they do. This one; in truth; messengers, friends of society, enemies of serpents, fly across the seas. They proceed in a train to Asia. Cornice leaders; They go before them, and he himself, like an army, is ordered to war. they follow Whence they are believed to be in foreign soil, those warlike birds against their enemies, or deserters by nature or custom; to bring For at the same time as many as have been in any country proceed in order to the war. It is an indication of the fact; that there was none for a certain interval of time; He is then found to reside in those places, and because they return with wounds, with a clear voice of their own blood; with certain indications that he speaks; that he had undergone serious conflicts. Behold what nature has given, that is to say, that no one dares to retreat by war;
lum aliquod temporis; residere tunc in illis lo-
cis reperitur. et quia cum vulneribus reverten-
tes manifesta quadam sanguinis sui voce; cer-
tis que loquitur inditiis; gravium certaminum
se subisse conflictum. Ecce quid natura dedit. vi-
delicet quod nulla se subtrahere audeat bellis;
pro communi utilitate susceptis. Aves istas ferunt
linguas non habere. Eximia illis circa filios pie-
tas est. Nam adeo nidos inpensius fovent; ut assi-
duo incubitu; plumas exuant. Quantum autem tem-
pus inpenderint fetibus educandis et in curis;
tantum et ipse invicem a pullis suis aluntur. me-
lius servantes federa inter parentes et filios; quam
homines. homines enim qui etiam inperatorum precep-tis et liegibus arcantur ad dilectionem patrum
suorum; patres suos vetulos abiciunt. et ciconiis
inferiores inveniuntur. Nam antiqui patris ar-
tus per longeue senectutis tempus plumarum
tegmine et alarum remigio nudatos; circum-
stans soboles penius propriis fovet. et collato cibo
taken for the common good. These birds are said to have no tongues. They have an extraordinary compassion for children. For they foster nests so much more expensively; as constant recumbency; they take off their feathers. And how much time they spend in bringing up and caring for the fetuses; so much so that they feed each other from their young, better keeping the bond between parents and children; than men, for men who are bound even by the precepts and laws of the unruly to the love of their fathers; they throw away their old fathers, and are found inferior to the storks. For the ancient frame of the father, during the long period of old age, was stripped of the covering of feathers and the rowing of wings; the surrounding fosters the children worse than his own, and feeds them with the food provided;
apud romanos; pia avis dicitur cyconia. ad eius
pietatis exemplum; leges imperatorum homi-
nes informant. ut discant coconias imitari.
Nomine igitur ciconie; significatur predicator sanc-
tus. qui inimicus est serpentibus. et sollicitus circa fi-
liorum educationem. pugnans pro nobis contra
inimicas potestates. Unde ieremias. Milvus in celo
cognovit tempus suum. turtur et hirundo et
ciconia custodierunt tempus adventus sui. Dicunt
quoque quidam quod ciconia uxor si cum altero quam
cum proprio viro adulterata fuerit. statim ne a viro
revertente deprehendatur; lavat se et baptizat
in aqau. et sic res domino latebit. Si autem antequam bap-
tizetur redeat dominus; statim per odorem; adulte-
rium deprehendit. et convocans multitudinem
coconiarum; rem illis insinuat. que omnes contra adulte-
ram quasi sancto iuditio; insurgunt. et occidunt. Sic
si aliquis fidelis cum diabolo vel ydolis vel hereticis.
vel cum muliere adulteratur; statim se baptizat in
aqua lacrimarum et penitencie. alioquin a multitudi-
until it returns to its former state. Whence among the Romans; The pious bird is called the stork, as an example of its piety; The laws of the emperors inform the people, so that they learn to imitate the cocoons. By the name of the stork; is signified the holy preacher, who is an enemy to serpents, and concerned about the education of children. fighting for us against hostile powers. Hence Jeremiah. The kite in the sky knew his time, the turtle and the swallow and the storks kept the time of his coming. Some also say that a stork's wife commits adultery with someone other than her own husband. lest he should be discovered at once by the man returning; he washes himself and baptizes himself in water, and thus the matter will be hidden from the master, but if the master returns before he is baptized; immediately by smell; He discovered the adultery, and calling together a multitude of cocoons; He insinuates to them the fact that all are against adultery as a holy judgment; they rise up and kill. Thus, if a believer commits adultery with the devil or idols or heretics, or with a woman; he immediately baptizes himself in the water of tears and penance, otherwise he is condemned by a multitude of
citur.
preachers and cast out of the church.