The Ercinee birds, named after the Hercynian Forest in Germany where they are found, possess extraordinary feathers. These feathers shine so brilliantly in the dark that they can illuminate a path even on the blackest of nights. When the feathers are scattered on the ground, their glow serves as a guiding light, revealing the course of the journey. The shining plumage acts as a beacon, ensuring travellers can find their way through the densest shadows.
ubi nascuntur. quarum penne adeo per obscura
emicant; ut quamvis nox densis sit tecta tenebris;
ad presidium dirigendi itineris; iacte in terra luceant.
cursus que vie pateat inditio plumarum fulgentium;
Further Reading
David Badke, The Bestiary Blog: Animals in the Middle Ages, Hercinia, November 6 2023, https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast539.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)