Ostrich, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

The ostrich was called assida, was known to the Greeks as strouthokámilos and to the Latins as struthio. It is a fascinating creature with a unique behaviour. Despite having wings, it cannot fly and has feet similar to the feet of a camel. When the time comes to lay its eggs, the ostrich gazes at the sky, waiting for the appearance of the star Virgilia. It only lays its eggs when this star rises, typically around June. The ostrich buries its eggs in the ground and covers them with sand, then leaves, never returns to them. The summer heat incubates the eggs and the warmth of the dust helps them hatch.

This behaviour serves as a metaphor for humans. If the ostrich can recognize its time and forsake its offspring, focusing instead on celestial matters, how much should humans strive for their heavenly calling? God became men to save humanity from darkness and elevate them to His glorious kingdom.

Ostriches are also seen as symbolic of hypocrisy. Souls that claim to serve God but are involved in worldly affairs are considered hypocrites. Isaiah criticizes such hypocrites, saying they will dwell in a land inhabited by dragons and ostriches, symbolising deceit and rage. Job mentions the ostrich's wings, comparing them to those of storks and hawks and states that he is a companion to both dragons and ostriches, indicating that saints must coexist with both overtly wicked and deceitful individuals. According to Leviticus, the ostrich is deemed unclean and should not be eaten, symbolising that those serving God should avoid secular entanglement. Such individuals, though appearing religious, are corrupted by their earthly desires.

This allegory emphasises the importance of prioritizing spirituality over worldly pursuits, staying true to one's faith and avoiding the pitfalls of hypocrisy.

Est animal quo dicitur assida quod greci stra-
tecamelon vocant. latini vero strucion. ha-
bet quidem pennas sed non volat. Pedes autem
cameli similes. Cum vero venerit tempus ut ova
sua pariat; elevat oculos suos ad celum. et in-
tendit si stella que dicitur virgilia appareat.
Non enim ponit ova sua nisi quando oritur stella illa.
Quando autem viderit circa mensem iunium ipsam
stellam; fodit in terram ova sua. et cooperit
sabulo. Cum ascenderit de loco illo; statim ob-
liviscitur eorum. et numquam redit ad ova sua.
Tranquillitas ad quidem aeris et temperies hoc pres-
tare videtur. ut estate calefacta arena; ex-
coquat ova sua. et fotu pulveris animentur.
et producat pullos. Si ergo assida cognoscit
tempus suum et obliviscitur posteritatis sue.
ac terrena postponens sequitur celestia; quanto
magis o homo tibi ad bravium superne vocatio-
nis tendendum est; Propter quem deus homo
factus est. ut eriperet de potestate tenebrarum
et collocaret cum principibus populi sui in
regno glorie sue. Strutiones etiam dicuntur ypocrite.

This animal is called assida, which the Greeks call στρουθοκάμηλος/strouthokámilos and the Latins call struthio. It has wings but does not fly. Its feet are similar to those of a camel. When the time comes for it to lay its eggs, it raises its eyes to the sky and waits to see if the star called Virgilia[2] appears. It does not lay its eggs unless that star rises. When it sees that star around the month of June, it buries its eggs in the ground and covers them with sand. As soon as it leaves that place, it immediately forgets about them and never returns to its eggs. The stillness and warmth of the air seem to make it so that, during summer, the heated sand incubates the eggs and the warmth of the dust gives them life and hatches them. If the ostrich knows its time, forgets about its offspring and strives for earthly things instead of heavenly ones, then how much more, O man, should you strive for the prize of the heavenly calling?[3] For your sake, God became man to rescue you from the power of darkness and place you with the leaders of His people in His kingdom of glory. Ostriches are also believed to be hypocrites.

sice anime deo militantes. et seculi negotiis se in-
plicantes. Unde de ypocritis qui alas et speciem sci -
tatis habent set non rem; dicit ysaias contra perversam
mentem; sub spetie iudee. Erit cubile draconum. et
pascua strutionum. Et iterum per prophetam. Glo-
rificabit me bestia agri. dracones et strutiones
hinc dominus ad iob. Penna strutionis; similis est. penne
horodii et accipitris. Item iob. Frater sui draconum.
et sotius strutionum. Sancti enim quandiii sunt in hoc
seculo; habitare noverunt et pacem habere cum
draconibus id est aperte sevientibus. et cum strutionibus
id est fictis et ypocritis et occulte malis. Hec avis;
in levitico inter inmundas reputatur. nec comme-
di debet; quia nemo militans deo inplicans se
negotiis secularibus; imitandus est. Inmundus enim
est; qui religionis habitum habet et lectionibus
in celestibus fertur. et tamen per vite cupiditatem; cira
terram sempter habitat.

Thus, the souls who serve God and are involved in worldly matters are hypocrites. Hence, concerning hypocrites who have the appearance and semblance of knowledge but not the reality, Isaiah speaks against the perverse mind, under the guise of Judea: "It will be a dwelling place for dragons and a pasture for ostriches."[4] Isaiah again: "The wild beasts of the field will honour me, the dragons and the ostriches."[5] Hence, the Lord says to Job: "The wing of the ostrich is similar to the wing of the stork and the hawk." Also in Job: "He is a brother to dragons and a companion to ostriches."[7] In fact, saints, as long as they are in this world, know how to live and be at peace with dragons, that is, with openly raging ones, and with ostriches, that is, with false, hypocritical and secretly evil ones. This bird is enumerated among the unclean animals in Leviticus and should not be eaten, for no one who serves God should involve themselves in secular matters: they are unclean, wear the garment of religion and are engaged in celestial matters; due to the desire for life, they always dwell on earthly matters.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Ostrich, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast238.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] The ostrich had various names in Latin: struthiocamēleus, assida or aspida or struthio.

[2] There is no star known as Virgilia in current astronomical catalogues or literature. The term Virgilia seems to appear in other contexts, such as a genus of plants or within specific cultural references, but not as an astronomical body. It is possible that Virgilia could be a historical or mythological reference rather than a recognized celestial body. The description in your text might refer to a star associated with a particular myth or ancient tradition, rather than an actual star known by astronomers today.

[3] The phrase "prize of the heavenly calling" alludes to the idea of striving for spiritual goals, reminiscent of Biblical exhortations to pursue faith and righteousness (e.g., Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus").

[4] Isaiah NKJV 34:13: And thorns shall come up in its palaces, Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A courtyard for ostriches.

[5] Isaiah NKJV 43:20: The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.

[6] Job NKJV 39:13: “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?