1.02022 Archive of RENATURED, Marina Zurkow's Research Bloghttps://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022https://o-matic.com/blog-archive-2022/blog/author/<p><i>The monstrous whale known as aspidochelone was characterized by two distinctive behaviors. First, the whale possessed the ability to entrap its prey, usually fish, through the emission of a sweet, seductive odor released from its mouth. Unsuspecting fish were attracted by the scent, only to be devoured when the whale’s cavernous mouth snapped shut.</i><br />– <a href="http://www.heroicage.org/issues/8/szabo.html" target="_blank">“Bad to the bone”?  The Unnatural History of Monstrous Medieval Whales</a> </p><p>This poem is so fun to say aloud and it nearly is sensible:</p><p><i>Cethegrande is a fis, / The moste that in water is. / That thu wuldes seien get, / Gef thu it soge wan it f let, / That it were a neilond / That sete one the se sond. / This fis that is unride, / Thanne him hungreth he gapeth wide; / Ut of his throte it smit an onde, / The swetteste thing that is o londe. / Therfore othre fisses to him dragen. / Wan he it felen he aren fagen. / He cumen and hoven in his muth; / Of his swike he am uncuth. / This cete thanne his chaveles luketh, / Thise fisses alle in suketh. /</i><br />- Middle English Bestiary (British Library <a href="http://bestiary.ca/manuscripts/manu982.htm" target="_blank">Arundel MS 292</a>) [13th century]</p>rich