"...'Did he know you were Scots?'
Abernethy spat. 'Would I get a job, would I keep a job anywhere with elephants, if it was known I was Scots? I'm Abernaci of St. Germain, the King's Keeper and Hughie's mahout; and in the whole of France, the only ones who know different are one or two travelling showmen, a moneylender, and a woman who lives in a house called Doubtance and kens not only my name but my soul, if I have one.-And yourself.' His shrewd eyes turned on the other man. 'I know I can trust you, but you've only my tale to believe. You've been gey confiding for a man of your sort, Crawford of Lymond.'..."
Dorothy Dunnett, Queens' Play, Part One, THE VULGAR LYRE, V Rouen: Fast Drivings for the Purpose of Killing
Dec 21, Intermezzo: "...Faire d'une mouche un elephant..."
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Illustrations (Details): Antoine CARON, Harley MS 3244 f. 39r, French MINIATURIST, Charles LE BRUN, MATTHEW PARIS Worksop Bestiary |
Knowledge of how elephants looked like disappeared with the Roman Empire.
In the early Middle Ages, elephants were considered mythical creatures. Scholars knew the stories of Hannibal, who led his army and dozens of elephants across the Alps to attack Rome, and also the stories of Alexander the Great, who encountered war elephants on his conquests for an empire.
And ivory was known and used as a material for sacred and secular works of art.
But what did such an animal look like, how do you depict it? For example, historical illustrations from France show wide ears and curved tusks, whereas German illustrations show elephants without ears and with straight tusks. Not knowing what this animal actually looked like, meant one had to rely on oral and written lore. Imagination did the rest.
Uli Westphal has researched how medieval depictions of elephants relate to one another. Don't miss this funny link!
Charlemagne is said to have received an elephant named Abu Abas from the Caliph Harun ar-Rashid as a gift. Abu Abas was the first named and documented elephant north of the Alps. And he probably didn't live very long. It was not until the 16th century that elephants were documented again at European princely courts in Italy and France.
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