Editing Bestiary (section)

{{Short description|Compendium of beasts}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Not to be confused with|bestiality}}
[[Image:85-Oxford 1511 - Unicorno.jpg|thumb|[[Monocerus|Monoceros]] and [[Bear]]. [[Bodleian Library]], MS. Ashmole 1511, ''[[Ashmole Bestiary|The Ashmole Bestiary]]'', Folio 21r, England ([[Peterborough]]?), Early 13th century.]]
[[Image:RochesterBestiaryFolio007rLeopard.jpg|right|thumb|upright|"The [[Leopard]]" from the 13th-century bestiary known as the "[[Rochester Bestiary]]"]]
[[Image:Perindens.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Peridexion tree|Peridexion Tree]]]]

A '''bestiary''' ({{langx|la|bestiarium vocabulum}}) is a [[compendium]] of beasts. Originating in the [[Ancient history|ancient world]], bestiaries were made popular in the [[Middle Ages]] in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The [[natural history]] and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson. This reflected the belief that the world itself was the [[Bible|Word of God]] and that every living thing had its own special meaning. For example, the [[pelican]], which was believed to tear open its breast to bring its young to life with its own blood, was a living representation of [[Jesus]]. Thus the bestiary is also a reference to the [[symbolic language (art)|symbolic language]] of [[animals in Christian art|animals in Western Christian art]] and literature.