Crane, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

Cranes are named after their distinct calls, which they use to communicate and navigate during their journeys, much like soldiers following a leader or a banner. To ensure their flight is not hampered by strong winds, they swallow sand and drop small stones to maintain the right weight. Flying in a V-formation, they can see their destination from great heights and follow a leader who changes as needed to prevent exhaustion.

At night, cranes take turns keeping watch while others rest, holding small stones in their toes to stay awake. This vigilant rotation ensures the safety and coordination of the flock.

Cranes exemplify communal labour and shared leadership, a model from which human society could learn. In ancient times, labour and honour were shared among all, preventing arrogance and oppression. Continuous effort and lasting power led to harmony and humility, much like the cranes' orderly and selfless behaviour.

In their old age, cranes turn black and look skyward when calling, with a red, featherless crest on their heads. Their natural traits symbolise the order of preachers who humbly serve Christ, spreading their message far and wide. Despite facing challenges, they remain diligent and unified, reflecting the noble qualities of these remarkable birds. In Christian art and literature, the crane often symbolises the vigilant soul that remains alert to avoid sin and temptation. The stone-holding crane became an iconographic representation of this virtue. Due to their migratory nature, cranes were also seen as symbolic of resurrection and hope, embodying the soul’s journey and return, analogous to Christ's resurrection and the believer's hope for eternal life.

While cranes are not extensively mentioned in the Bible, there are a few references that contributed to their allegorical interpretation:

Isaiah 38:14: "I chirp like a swallow, I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!" Here, the behaviour of birds, including cranes, is used metaphorically to express vigilance and prayerfulness.

Jeremiah 8:7: "Even the stork in the heavens knows her times; and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming; but my people know not the rules of the Lord." This verse emphasises the crane’s natural wisdom and understanding of the seasons, suggesting an innate awareness and vigilance that humans should emulate in their spiritual lives.

Grues de propria voce nomen sumpserunt.
Tali enim sono susurrant. Que ut expeditio-
nes suas dirigant; sub militie eunt signo. et ne
pergentes ad destinatam terram vi flatuum impedi-
antur; harenas devorant. sublatisque lapillulis ad
moderatam gravitatem; saburrantur id est saburra.
id est arena ponderantur. Tunc contendunt in altis-
sima. ut de facilius intueantur quas petant terras.
Hee autem; dum properant. unam omnes sequntur.

Cranes are named after their own call, for they utter their call with such a sound. They direct their own journey by following a leader or a signal just like soldiers following a leader or a banner. When going towards their destined land, they swallow sand lest their flight be hindered by strong winds. They lighten themselves by removing little stones to a moderate weight and then are weighed down by sand. Thereafter, they soar as high as possible to behold the lands they go towards. Moreover, whilst they hasten, all follow one leader and their flight takes the form of a letter

ordine litterato. De quibus dicit lucanus. Et tur-
bata perit dispersis littera penius. Fidens volatu;
preit cateruas. Volatus desidiam castigat voce; que
cogit agmen. Hunc enim volantes ordine in servant.
et hac moderatione omnem laborem allevant.
ut per vices fungantur ducatur munere. Precedit enim
una ceteras. et quasi antesignaria precurrit. Ea
postquam obraucata est ve. lassa. dat alii ducatus
principatum. Concors omnium cura; pro fatigatis.
Adeo; ut si qua defecerit; congruant universe. las-
satasque sustollunt; usque dum vires otio recuperent.
Grues quoque in nocte sollicitam exercent custodiam.
Dispositos vigiles cernas. et ceteris quiescentibus alie
circueunt. et explorant. ne qua ex parte insidie temp-
tentur. Vigiles cum stant aliquo loco custodientes
per ordines vices suas; vigilias noctis. tenent lapil-
los suspensis pedum digitis quibus sompnos suos
arguant. Quod cavendum erit; clamor vigilum
indicat. Post quam tempus vigiliarum expletum
fuerit. grus que vigilis offitio functa fuerat in
sompnum se premisso clamore componit. et exci-

of the alphabet[2]. Lucan[3] speaks thereof: et turbata perit dispersis littera pennis, and the letter-like shape of the flight changes as soon as they straggle off. Confident in their flight, they lead flocks. They chide idleness with their call, which gathers the flock together. They maintain the flock in order whilst flying. Following this way of leading, they relieve one another so that they take it in turns to lead the flock, for one precedes the others and like a standard-bearer, it runs ahead. After becoming exhausted or tired, it gives the leadership role to another. The care of all is harmonious, especially for the tired ones, so much so that if one falls, the whole group lifts it up until it regains strength through rest. Cranes also keep a careful watch at night. One can see the arranged sentinels, and whilst some rest, others circle around and watch out for any part wherefrom danger may arise. The sentinels take turns for their night watches and hold small stones with the tips of their toes to keep themselves awake. The sound of the stones dropping signals when vigilance and being alert are needed. After the time of the watch is completed, the crane that was performing the watch duty prepares for sleep and with its call,

tet dormientem hoc clamore. cui vicem muneris
traditura est. At illa volenti animmo statim sus-
cipit vigilis offitum. ne usu humano invita et
pigrior sompno; laborem refutat. sed inpigre suis
excutitur stratis. vicem reddit. et alias custodit. donec
et illa alio tempore vigiliarum decurso; munus hoc
alii iniungat. Ecce et inprincipatu ducatus et in custo-
die labore sibi parent. Quod hoc pulcrius et laborem
omnibus. et homorem esse communem; Talis deberet esse. rei
publice status. ut communus esset labor. communisque digni-
tas. et ut obsequia et imperia dividere discerent;
homines. Olim sic erat. Nullus enim expers fuit aut
laboris aut honoris. Nemo enim insolescebat per-
petua potestate. Nec diuturio servitio;
frangebantur. quia sine invidia erat tempo-
ris moderatione; delata promotio. et tole-
rabilior videbatur. que communi cadebat sorte sub-
iectio. Nemo audebat servitio premere. quia eum
sciebat sibi successorem fore. et sibi posse vicem reddere.
Nemini erat labor gravis; quem secutura dignitas

it awakens the sleeping one and hands over the duty of watch. The latter immediately takes on the duty of the watch willingly and does not refuse labour just as reluctant and lazy humans do, but actively leaves its bedding, takes over and keeps watch until it hands its duty over to another at a later time.

Cranes comply with both the leadership of command and the labour of watch. What is more beautiful than this is that labour is common to all and honour is shared. Such should be the State, where labour is common to all and dignity is shared. Men should learn to share duties and commands. Once it was so and no one was exempt from labour or honour. No one became arrogant owing to lasting power and no one was subdued by lasting servitude: promotion was granted without envy, for those were times of unselfishness and subjugation as well as servitude seemed more tolerable when it happened by chance for the common good. No one dared to oppress others with servitude and subjugation, knowing that the very successors could be subjugated themselves and could be the ones who had to take over. Nobody considered labour hard, the burden whereof will be lightened

relevaret. Sed postquam dominandi libido irrep-
sit; cepit servitus esse. non libera; sed invita et coac-
ta. Nichil enim tam facile; quin hanc cum invito;
difficultatem. Ergo et iugis labor avertit affectum.
et diuturna potentia gignit insolentiam. Quem
hominem modo invenias. qui ducatum principatumque
libenter alii concedat. fiatque volens de primo no-
vissimus; Ecce nos etiam primos in cena discubitus
desideramus. et si adepti fuerimus; non siiie invi-
dia alii concedimus. Olim inter bonos sicut nunc inter
qrues equanimitas fuit in laboribus; et humilitas
in potestatibus. Preterea natura gruis est; ut in senec-
tute nigrescat. et cum clamat; celum consideret. et
ut verticem capitis rubeum habeat. videlicet plumis
nudatum. Tibias et collum longa habe-
at. Avis inimica pueris. Quid igitur melius
per gruem significatur quam ordo predicatorum. qui
comam pro christo deposuerunt. celi domino gloriam in vo-
ce predicationis sue dantes. quorum sonora predicatio
in omnem terram cito delata est. qui stultus inimicantur.

by the dignity and merit that will follow. After the desire for domination crept in, servitude and subjugation began to exit and were not accepted freely but reluctantly: they were enforced. Nothing is so easy as to become difficult when imposed unwillingly. Thus, continuous labour turns away affection and lasting power breeds haughtiness. Now, whom can you find who willingly gives leadership to another and willingly becomes last from first? Lo, we even desire the first seats at the table and if we obtain them, we do not willingly concede them to someone else without feeling envy. Among good people once as now among the cranes, there was equanimity in labour and humility in authority. Moreover, the nature of the crane is that it turns black in old age and when it utters its call, it looks to the sky and has a red crest on its head, namely, devoid of feathers. It has long legs and neck. It is a bird hostile to boys. Therefore, the crane symbolises the order of preachers, who become crestfallen before Christ, giving glory to the Lord of Heaven by voicing their preaching that quickly spreads to the whole earth and who oppose the foolish.

In fine quoque senescentis predicationis sue; se nigros confitentur; et inutiles servos.

In the end, when their preaching also grows weak, just the blacks and useless servants acknowledge it.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Crane, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast234.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)

Footnotes

[1] Respūblĭca or res pūblĭca (literal meaning: the public thing/affairs) means the Government or The State in English.

[2] Cranes are known for flying in a V formation, which provides practical benefits for energy conservation, coordination, and navigation. This behaviour also reinforced the symbolic interpretations in medieval bestiaries, where cranes were seen as models of vigilance, unity, and cooperative effort.

[3] Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus) was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period, known in particular for his epic Pharsalia. His youth and speed of composition set him apart from other poets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucan