Coot, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The coot is a highly intelligent and prudent bird that avoids carrion and remains in one place until the end, where it finds its food and rest. Its name comes from its flesh, which tastes like hare. Dwelling in ponds or by the sea, coots build their nests in the middle of the water or on surrounding rocks, delighting in the maritime depths. When a storm approaches, they flee to the shallows to play.

This behaviour serves as a metaphor for believers, who should remain steadfast in their faith and not wander like heretics. Instead of seeking worldly pleasures, they should rest in the Catholic Church, where the Lord provides spiritual nourishment through the bread of immortality and the precious blood of Christ, along with His sweet words, "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb" (Psalms 19:10).

Mystically, the coot symbolises believers who take pride in the sacrament of baptism, with their faith firmly rooted in Christ, the rock that withstands the waves of the world. David references this in saying, "Where we have the heron's house as their leader and the coot's house as their leader, that is, of the sparrows, meaning the saints of whom he had spoken before." The coot's house, representing Christ, is the foundation for the nest, indicating that Christ is the leader of all the saints.

Est volatile fulica satis intelligibile et prudentissi-
mum animal. Cadavere non vescitur. Nec aliun-
de pervolat sive oberrat. sed in uno loco commoratur.
et permanet usque in finem. et ibi escam suam habet
et requiescit. Et dicitur fulica eo quod caro eius car-
nem leporinam sapiat. Lagos enim lepus. Unde et apud
grecos lagos vocatur. Est autem stagnensis avis. vel
marina. habens nidos in medio aque. vel in petris
quas circundant aque. Maritimoque semper delectatur
profundo. Que dum tempestatem persenserit; fugi-
ens; in vado ludit. Sic ergo omnis fide-
lis se conservet. non huc atque illuc per diversa
oberrans circumvolet sicut faciunt heretici.
non desiderus secularibus et voluptatibus de-
lectetur. sed semper in uno loco se contineat. et
quiescat; in ecclesia catholica. ubi dominus habitare
facit unanimes in domo. Ibique habeat cotidianum
victum suum id est panem inmortalitatis. potum
vero; pretiosum sanguinem christi. reficiens se super mel et
favum; suavissimis eloquiis dei. Item hec avis

The coot is a quite intelligent and very prudent animal and does not feed on carrion. It does not fly elsewhere nor wander around but stays in one place and remains there until the end, where it has its food and rests. It is called coot, for its flesh tastes like hare. In Greek, λαγως/lagos means hare. It is a bird of the ponds or the sea and has nests in the middle of the water or on the rock surrounded by water. It always takes delight in the maritime depths. When it perceives a storm, it flees and plays in the shallows. Thus, believers should safeguard themselves, not wandering hither and thither about different places as heretics do. They should not desire secular and worldly pleasures but should always remain in one place and rest in the Catholic Church, where the Lord makes his dwelling harmonious for the believers. There, they can have their daily nourishment, which is the bread of immortality and their drink, which is the precious blood of Christ, refreshing themselves on the sweetest words of the Lord, 'sweeter than honey and the honeycomb' (Psalms, 19:10)[1]. This bird also mystically symbolises the believers who pride themselves in the sacrament of baptism, who have the dwelling of their faith in baptism upon the rock, which is Christ and which breaks the waves of the world that beat against it.

mistice significat fidelem queque sacramento bap-
tismi gloriantem. qui habet nidum fidei sue in bap-
tismo supra petram que est christus. que fluctus seculi
quibus tunditur; frangit. Unde david ubi nos
habemus. herodii domus dux est. eorum; fulice
domus dux est eorum. idest passerum id est sanctorum
de quibus prius locutus fuerat. Fulice enim domus;
est petra christus. super quem fundatus est nidus fulice. qui
xpistus; est dux omnium sanctorum;

David says thereof: 'Where we have the heron's house as their leader and the coot's house as their leader, that is, of the sparrows, meaning the saints of whom he had spoken before.' In fact, the coot's house is the rock, Christ, upon which the nest of the coot is built. Therefore, Christ is the leader of all the saints.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Coot, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast239.htm

Mynott, J, Birds in the Ancient World (New York: Oxford University Press 2018)

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

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)

Matthews, J. and Matthews C., The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of fantastic beings from myth and magic (London: HarperElement, 2005)

Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

Endnotes

[1] Psalm NKJV 19:10: More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.