Medieval Gift Elephants

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Bodleian Library, MS. Bodley 764, Folio 12r | Source: bestiary.ca

An elephant may seem a strange thing to give as a gift, but these exotic animals--along with giraffes, lions, polar bears, and hyenas--were prized inhabitants of medieval and early modern menageries.  Join us as we look at the history of five pachyderms, including, Abul-Abbas, given as a gift to Charlemagne, and Hanno, the pet elephant of Pope Leo X.


Podcaster: Nathan

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Further Reading

Silvio Bedini, The Pope's Elephant, Carcanet Press (1997). 

George C. Druce, "The Elephant in Medieval Legend and Art," Journal of the Royal Archaeological Institute 76 (1919) 

The Medieval Bestiary (medieval elephant illuminations and drawings)

Gift Unit of the Office of the Chief of Protocol

Music: "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)

Elephant vs dragon. British Library, Harley MS 4751, Folio 58v | Source: bestiary.ca

Matthew Paris' elephant (Chronica majora version) with his handler, Henry of Florence. Corpus Christi College, Parker LIbrary, MS 16, f. 4r | Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Matthew Paris' elephant (Book of Additions version). British Library, Cotton Nero D. i, Folio 169v | Source: bestiary.ca