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Hugh of Fouilloy (born between 1096 and 1111 in Fouilloy (near
Hugh of Fouilloy
at "The Medieval Bestiary."
12th-century French writers French male writers 12th-century Latin writers People from Somme (department) Priors 1172 deaths French Christian monks Year of birth uncertain {{France-nonfiction-writer-stub
Hugh of Fouilloy (born between 1096 and 1111 in Fouilloy (near Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
); died c. 1172, Saint-Laurent-au-Bois) was a French cleric, prior of St.-Nicholas-de-Regny (1132) and St.-Laurent-au-Bois (1152). He is notable for writing ''De claustro animae'' (''The Cloister of the Soul'') and ''De medicina animae'' (''The Medicine of the Soul''), allegorical texts on monastic spirituality. His ''De avibus'', a moral treatise on birds was incorporated into many versions of the popular medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
bestiary
A bestiary (from ''bestiarum vocabulum'') is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history ...
.
''De Avibus''
''De avibus'' contains around sixty chapters in two sections. The first part is mainly scriptural exegesis, drawn from the Bible and the ''Physiologus
The ''Physiologus'' () is a didactic Christian text written or compiled in Greek by an unknown author, in Alexandria; its composition has been traditionally dated to the 2nd century AD by readers who saw parallels with writings of Clement of Al ...
''. The dove is the subject of the first eleven chapters, the winds and the hawk the following eleven chapters, the turtledove and sparrow and their nesting habits the next fifteen.
The second part consists of twenty-three chapters, each of which describe a different bird. The author draws upon the ''Etymologiae
''Etymologiae'' (Latin for "The Etymologies"), also known as the ''Origines'' ("Origins") and usually abbreviated ''Orig.'', is an etymological encyclopedia compiled by Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636) towards the end of his life. Isidore was ...
'' of Isidore of Seville which assembled extracts of many books from classical antiquity that would have otherwise been lost, '' De natura rerum'' by Rabanus Maurus, Gregory's ''Moralia in Job
''Moralia in Job'', also called ''Moralia, sive Expositio in Job'' or ''Magna Moralia'', is a commentary on the '' Book of Job'' by Gregory the Great, written between 578 and 595. It was begun when Gregory was at the court of Emperor Tiberius II ...
'', and Ambrose's ''Hexaemeron
The term Hexameron ( Greek: Ἡ Ἑξαήμερος Δημιουργία ''Hē Hexaēmeros Dēmiourgia'') refers either to the genre of theological treatise that describes God's work on the six days of creation or to the six days of creation them ...
''.
The text is known by several alternative names such as the ''Aviarium'' (The Aviary), ''De columba deargentata'' (The Silvered Dove), and ''De tribus columbis'' (The three Doves). Another title, ''Libellus quidam ad Rainerum conversum cognomine Corder Benignum'' (The little Book for Rainier the Lay-Brother Called the Kindhearted), reveals to whom the book was dedicated. Hugh's prologue says that ''De Avibus'' was intended as "a teaching text for the lay brothers". It was probably written between 1132 and 1152 while Hugh was prior of St.-Nicholas-de-Regny.
According to Badke's ''Medieval Bestiary'', "at least 125 manuscript copies of the ''De avibus'' still exist, though some include only part of the text. Most are illustrated, and copies of it are known from all across Europe. For the most part the text appears in manuscripts along with other theological works, often with some of Hugh's other books".
References
*External links
* * David Badke.Hugh of Fouilloy
at "The Medieval Bestiary."
12th-century French writers French male writers 12th-century Latin writers People from Somme (department) Priors 1172 deaths French Christian monks Year of birth uncertain {{France-nonfiction-writer-stub