Caladrius
Sign in to saveright|thumb|343px|An illustration of the Caladrius' prophecies from the 1588 edition of the Physiologus. Copperplate by Pieter van der Borcht (I). The caladrius (or charadrius), according to Christian mythology in the Physiologus, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person. The caladrius legend formed part of medieval bestiary materials, which typically provided a Christian moralization for the animals they discussed.
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6 sectionsContents
- Origin
- In medieval bestiaries
- In popular culture
- References
- Further reading
- External links
right|thumb|343px|An illustration of the Caladrius' prophecies from the 1588 edition of the Physiologus. Copperplate by Pieter van der Borcht (I). The caladrius (or charadrius), according to Christian mythology in the Physiologus, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person. The caladrius legend formed part of medieval bestiary materials, which typically provided a Christian moralization for the animals they discussed.
==Origin== It has been theorized that the caladrius is based on a real bird. Due to descriptions of it being completely white with no black on it, it is possible that it was based on the dove, or possibly some sort of water bird such as the heron. The art historian Louis Réau believed it was most likely a white plover.