Fish, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230
Fish are known as nătantes, natant, for their swimming nature, closely related to reptiles due to their resemblance to creatures that crawl. Though they dive deep, fish seem to crawl even as they swim, echoing David’s words: "This great and wide sea is filled with creeping things innumerable, both small and great beasts." Amphibians, like certain fish, are named for their dual ability to walk on land and swim in water—rooted in the Greek word ἄμφω/ámfo meaning both. Generally, cold and wet by nature, most fish inhabit only water, whereas some, like seals, crocodiles and hippopotami—called "floating horses"—thrive in both water and land. These fascinating creatures, grazing on crops by night, have front halves resembling horses and back halves resembling fish.
tandi habent speciem et naturam. Quamvis se
in profundum mergant; tamen in natando repunt. Unde
et david ait. Hoc mare magnum et spatiosum val-
de illic reptilia quorum non est numerus. Amphia sunt
quedam genera piscium sic dicta quod ambulandi in
terris et natandi in aquis officium habeant. Am-
phi enim grece; utrumque dicitur. id est quia in aquis et
in terris vivunt. Omnes pisces generaliter frigide sunt
nature; et humide. Quidam habitant tantum in aquis.
Quidam in terris et in aquis. ut phoce. cocodrilli. yppo-
tami. hoc est. equi fluctuales. qui in indie in aquis commoran-
tur. et nocte segetes depascunt. qui prima parte equi
sunt; postrema soluuntur in piscem;
Fish are called natant, nătans[1]; therefore, reptiles are called so, for they have the appearance and nature of a crawling creature, reptans[2]. Although they dive into the depths of the sea, they still crawl whilst swimming. Thus, David says: "So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts."[3] Amphĭbĭa, amphibians, are certain kinds of fish so called, for they have the ability to walk on land and swim in water. In Greek, ἄμφω/ámfo means both and that is, for they live both in water and on land. All fish are generally of a cold and wet nature. Some live only in water. Some live both on land and in water, like seals, crocodiles and hippopotami—that is, floating horses dwelling in the waters of India and grazing on crops at night. The front of their body is horse-shaped whereas the back of the body is fish-shaped.
Further Reading
David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Fish, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast411.htm
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
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Wikipedia: The Elephant, 28 November 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant
Matthews, J. and Matthews C., (2010), The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, HarperCollins UK, London
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)
Barney, S. A., Lewis, W. J., Beach A., Berghof O., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006)
Endnotes
[1] Nătans comes from the verb nătāre, to swim.
[2] Reptans comes from the verb reptāre, to crawl.
[3] Psalm KJV 104:25: "So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts." This psalm is attributed to David and celebrates God's creation, including the sea and all its creatures.