Ringed plover, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

In medieval lore, the Caladrius, also known as Charadrius, emerges as a fascinating figure. According to the Physiologus, this mystical bird, akin to a ringed plover, is as white as a swan and possesses a long, graceful neck. Found in the courts of kings, the Caladrius is believed to have the extraordinary ability to diagnose the fate of the ill. If a person is destined to die, the bird turns its face away, signalling impending death. Conversely, if the person is to survive, the Caladrius gazes directly into their face, absorbing their illness. It then flies toward the sun, burning away the sickness and dispersing it, thus healing the afflicted.

Symbolically, the Caladrius represents our saviour. Its pure white colour symbolises a life free from sin and deceit. Christ, descending from high heaven, turned away from the unbelieving Jews and embraced the non-Jews, taking their illnesses upon Himself. He died on the cross, ascended to heaven, led captivity captive and bestowed gifts upon humanity. Despite being listed among unclean birds in Leviticus as well as forbidden to be eaten or imitated, the Caladrius still symbolizes Christ. This bird, with its long neck and habit of seeking food from the earth's depths, also signifies a contemplative person. Such a person is outwardly religious but overly concerned with earthly matters—a trait not to be emulated.

Ultimately, the Caladrius, by turning from the dying and looking to the living, as well as soaring towards the sun, mirrors the essence of Christ. Like the lion, king of beasts, and the eagle, king of birds, the Caladrius is unclean by law yet deeply emblematic of Christ's attributes: the supreme ruler of all the faithful.

Caladrius sive caradrius sicut dicit phisiologus;
totus est albus sicut cignus. et longum collum
habet. cuius interior fimus; curat caliginem oculorum.
Hic in atriis regum invenitur. Si quis est in egritudi-
ne; ex hoc caladrio cognoscitur; si vivat an moriatur.
Si enim homo mori debet; avertit faciem suam ab eo;
Et quo signo cognoscunt homines; quia moriturus est.
Si vivere debet; intendit in faciem illius. Et qui as-
sumeret omnem egritudinem illius intra se; volat in
aera contra contra solem quasi comburendo infir-
mitatem ipsius et eam dispergendo. et sic sanatur in-
firmus. Caladrius habet personam nostri salvatoris.
Totus enim est candidus. quia non fecit peccatum. nec
inventus est dolus in ore eius. Veniens autem christus de
excelsis; avertit faciem suam a iudeis propter incre-
dulitatem eorum. et convertit se ad nos gentes. tollens
infirmitates nostras exaltatus in ligno crucis. et as-
cendens in altum; captivam duxit captivitatem.
dedit dona hominibus. Caladrius tamen in levitico inter
inmundas aves numeratur; que commedi id est imitari;

As the Physiologus says, Caladrius or charadrius, a kind of ringed plover, is entirely as white as a swan and has a long neck[2]. Its internal dung cures blurring of sight. It is found in the courts of kings. If someone is ill, the plover knows whether the person will live or die. If a person is going to die, the plover turns its face away from them and the person will realise they are going to die. If the person is going to live, the plover will look into their face. This bird is said to take all the illness into itself, fly into the air towards the sun as if it were burning away the illness and dispersing it and thus, the sick person is healed. The plover symbolises our saviour: it is entirely white, for it did not commit sin nor was deceit found in its mouth. However, Christ, coming from high heaven, turned his face away from the Jews because of their unbelief and turned to us, non-Jews, taking our illnesses, breathed his last on the wood of the cross. He ascended to Heaven, led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Nevertheless, the plover is listed among unclean birds in Leviticus, which are prohibited to eat, that is, to imitate

prohibentur. Et tamen christum significat. Inmundus enim
est secundum proprietatem illam qui longum collum ha-
bens cibum querit sibi de profundis visceribus terre.
Et ideo secundum illam proprietatem significat contemplati-
vum. habentem specium religionis. cuius lectio est de celestibus;
et vita de terrenis. qui in hoc imitandus non est. Se-
cundum autem illam proprietatem qua se avertit a morturis
et se convertit victuris volans in altum contra solem;
significat christum. Sicut leo et aquila licet inmunda sunt
secundum legem; tamen christum significant secundum aliquam sui
proprietatem. Quia leo est rex ferarum. et aquila vola-
tilium. et christus omnium fidelium;

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Caladrius, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast143.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] If we try to match this description more closely with a real bird, a species that is entirely white and has a relatively long neck is the Great Egret (Ardea alba). While not a plover, the Great Egret fits the physical description better: it is entirely white and has a long neck.

[2] This description seems more mythical or symbolic than the real description of this bird. In medieval bestiaries, animals often had exaggerated or idealized features that carried symbolic meaning rather than being accurate depictions of real animals. The white colour typically symbolises purity or holiness and the long neck could be a symbolic feature rather than a literal one.

[3] Ephesians NKJV 4:8: Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” This phrase means that Christ triumphed over the powers of sin and death (captivity).