The Old English Physiologus   By: Albert S. (Albert Stanburrough) Cook (1853-1927)

"The Old English Physiologus" by Albert S. Cook is a fascinating study of the Old English version of an ancient Christian text known as the Physiologus. Cook's meticulous research and detailed analysis shed light on the ways in which the text was adapted and transformed in the Old English context. Through a combination of linguistic, literary, and historical analysis, Cook provides valuable insights into the cultural and religious implications of the Old English Physiologus. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of Old English literature, as well as anyone interested in the intersection of Christian theology and the natural world in early medieval England. Cook's thorough and insightful exploration of this important text makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the intellectual and cultural world of the Anglo-Saxons.

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The Old English Physiologus , or Bestiary , is a series of three brief poems, dealing with the mythical traits of a land animal, a sea beast, and a bird respectively, and deducing from them certain moral or religious lessons. These three creatures are selected from a much larger number treated in a work of the same name which was compiled at Alexandria before 140 B.C., originally in Greek, and afterwards translated into a variety of languages into Latin before 431. The standard form of the Physiologus has 49 chapters, each dealing with a separate animal (sometimes imaginary) or other natural object, beginning with the lion, and ending with the ostrich; examples of these are the pelican, the eagle, the phoenix, the ant (cf... Continue reading book >>