Whale, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The whale, bālena, while smaller than the monstrous Cetus, is still a creature of colossal size. Its name comes from its unique ability to draw in and spout out water, unlike any other sea creature, as it throws waves higher from its mouth. The root bāl derives from the Greek word βάλλειν (ballein), meaning to emit or to throw. The male whale is called muscŭlus and it is through their union that the female whale conceives. Despite its smaller stature than the Cetus, the whale remains a symbol of the ocean's immense and mysterious power.

Balena autem satis minor belua est quam cete. sed
inmense magnitudinis. Ab effundendo et imit-
tendo aquas vocata. Ceteris enim bestiis maris altius
iacit undas ab ore suo. Bal enim grece emittere di-
citur. Masculus dicitur balene musculus. Eius enim
coitu; concipit balena.

The whale, bālena, is a much smaller beast than the Cetus but still of immense size. It is named after its ability to draw in and spout out water[1]. Unlike other sea creatures, it throws waves higher from its mouth. In Greek, βάλλειν/ballein means to emit/throw. The male of the whale is called muscŭlus, for it is through mating with the male that the female whale conceives.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Whale, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast282.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

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia: The Elephant, 28 November 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant

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)

Endnotes

[1] In reality, Whales do not take in water and expel it. The passage likely refers to the behaviour of whales using their blowholes. Whales are mammals and they breathe air through their blowholes, which are located on top of their heads. When a whale surfaces, it exhales air forcefully through the blowhole, often creating a visible spray of water vapour, which can look like they are "spouting out water."