Woodword, emigramus, tapeworm, lice, larinus, recinus, usia and cumex, Rochester Bestiary, c.1230

"Leaders of the blind, who refine the gnat and swallow the camel." This phrase emphasises the irony of focusing on minor issues while neglecting major ones. Unlike snakes, worms do not move with a sinuous motion but rather extend and contract their body in a straight line, wriggling and gliding in a more segmented manner.

The Greeks referred to woodworms as τερηδών (teridón), derived from τῆραι (tĕrĕre), meaning to gnaw or to wear out, reflecting their habit of consuming wood. In Latin, these are called tarmĭtes.

Emigramus or hēmĭcrānus are types of head worms, while lumbrīcus denotes the tapeworm, commonly found in the intestines. Pēdĭcŭli refers to lice, named after pĕdĭcŭlus ("little foot"), and those infested are known as pēdĭcŭlōsi. Larinus is a worm associated with lard and racinus is a dog worm found in the ears of dogs, with κύων/kýōn being the Greek word for dog. Usia is a pig worm that causes intense burning and blistering. The cumex is named after a plant with a foul smell and is known for its presence in decaying flesh.

Duces ceti. excolantes culicem. camelum autem glu-// cientes; Teredones greci vocant lignorum vermes // quod terendo edant. hos; tramites dicimus. Ita enim // apud latinos vermes vocantur. Emigramus ver-// mis est capitis. Lumbricus vermis est. intestinorum // dictus quasi lumbicus. quia labitur. vel quia in lum-// bis sit. Pediculi vermes carnis a pedibus dicti. Unde // et pediculosi dicuntur quibus pediculi in corpore ver-// mescunt. Larinus vermis est lardi. Racinus est // vermes canis. sic vocatus quod hereat in auribus canum. // Cenos enim grece canis dicitur. Usia vermis porci quia // urit. Nam ubit momorderit adeo locus ardet ut vesice // ibi fiant. Cumex de similitudine cuiusdam herbe // vocatur cuius fetorem habet. et est proprie vermis que // nascitur in carne putrida. Vermis non ut serpen-// tes apertis passibus. set(dots underneath) vel squamarum visibus repit. // quia non est ei spine rigor. ut colubri. sed in directum // corpusculi sui partes gradatin porrigendo contractas con-// trahendo porrectos motus explicat. Sic agitatur perlabitur; //

"Leaders of the blind, who refine the gnat and swallow the camel."[1] The Greeks called woodworm τερηδών/teridón[2], for they eat by gnawing at wood from tĕrĕre (to gnaw, to wear out). The term for these worms in Latin is tarmĭtes. This is how the Latins called these worms. The emigramus or hēmĭcrānus is a type of head worm. The lumbrīcus, tapeworm, is an intestinal worm and is so named, for it is found in the intestines. The pēdĭcŭli, lice, are worms of the flesh, named after pĕdĭcŭlus, little foot, and those who have lice on their bodies are called pĕdĭcŭlōsi[3]. Larinus is a type of worm found in lard. Racinus is a dog worm named so, for it dwells in the ears of dogs. In Greek, the term for dog is κύων/kýōn. Usia is a pig worm, for it burns. Indeed, that which it has bitten burns so intensely that it starts blistering. Cumex is named after a certain plant[4] that has a foul smell and is specifically a worm that originates in decaying flesh. The worm does not crawl like snakes but its movement is reminiscent of the way scales move. It does not have the rigidity of the spine like a snake. Instead, it extends its body in a straight line, gradually stretching and contracting its parts to move. Thus, it wriggles and glides along.

Further Reading

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Woodworm, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast106313.htm

David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Louse, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast106218.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] Episcopi Herefordensis, A.D. 1391, fol. 102v, available at Melocki.org.uk: "Leaders of the blind, who refine the gnat and swallow the camel," discussing the Pharisees' focus on minor details over significant matters. This phrase is a metaphorical way of saying that they are more concerned with trivialities than with important ethical and spiritual issues. https://www.melocki.org.uk/registers/1389_Trefnant.html#p001

[2] There is also the Latin word tĕrēdo for woodworm.

[3] The terms pĕdĭcŭlōsi or pēdĭcōsi meant literally lousy, lice-ridden, full of lice but figuratively, they meant stingy, niggardly and mean.

[4] In medieval texts, the plant associated with a foul or unpleasant smell similar to that described for cumex is typically the garlic. Garlic, particularly when it decays or is used in a specific context, can emit a strong, pungent odour that might be likened to the foul smell of parasites or decay.

Another plant that might be associated with a similar smell is the skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), known for its strong, unpleasant odour, especially when it is in bloom. This plant has a smell that can be compared to decaying organic matter.