The Beaver's Sacrifice

Pursued by a hunter who wants it for the medicine drawn from its body, the beaver — so the bestiary insists — knows exactly what is being hunted. Cornered, it bites off its own testicles and throws them at its pursuer, then flees; if a second hunter takes up the chase, the beaver rears up to show it has nothing left worth taking, and is let go. This folio, sharing its page with the ibex, renders the moment with startling directness. Medieval preachers turned the legend into a lesson for the devout: whoever wishes to live chastely, the bestiary says, must cut away every vice and cast it in the devil's face, so that he too finds nothing left worth pursuing. It is one of the bestiary's most literal-minded allegories — self-mutilation read straight through as the price of virtue.

Maker

Unknown English illuminator

Date

c. 1200

Medium of the original

Illuminated manuscript

Original held by

University of Aberdeen

Credit

University of Aberdeen

Rights

Public domain, verified

Catalogue number

PA-00932