The Wisdom of Nature: The Healing Powers and Symbolism of Plants and Animals in the Middle Ages

The medieval view of the natural world can best be understood within its religious context. According to medieval thought, nature was a book in which God revealed himself and his message to the world. Plants and animals in particular were frequently given symbolic meanings or valued for their healing properties.Illustrated with works taken from three world-famous medieval manuscripts, The Wisdom of Nature focuses on thirty-five exquisitely executed sheets which depict a wide range of subjects. These include herbs and plants, animals and birds, nature and the seasons, meat and water, activities to stimulate the body or brain such as riding or conversing, and religious topics such as the Creation. In double-page spreads, this volume explains the origin of each manuscript illustration, looks into its symbolic meanings, listing the healing powers ascribed to it in the medieval world as well as medical properties still valued by modern science. An introductory essay delves into the essential characteristics of medieval thought.The illustrations are reproduced from the Viennese Tacuinum in the Austrian National Library in Vienna, a manuscript listing the positive and negative effects of foodstuffs on the human body; the Bern Physiologus from the Burgerbibliothek in Bern, which describes animals as sources of medicinal cures; and the Oxford Bestiary from the Bodleian Library in Oxford, a collection of animal stories of a religious or moralizing nature.