6 <strong>Tiere</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>der</strong> <strong>Literatur</strong> <strong>des</strong> <strong>Mittelalters</strong>. E<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terdiszipl<strong>in</strong>äres Lexikonprojekt – Probeartikel »Delf<strong>in</strong>«3. Diskursive TexteGebrauchsliteratur: Dans son recueil de Contes moralisés composé entre 1320-1350, le frère m<strong>in</strong>eur NicoleBozon rappelle, sous la rubrique De gratitud<strong>in</strong>e, quelques caractéristiques du dauph<strong>in</strong>, pesson, grant de cors egreignour [= ›plus grand‹] de curtesie. Puisant son <strong>in</strong>formation à la tradition encyclopédique, il affirme que ledauph<strong>in</strong> apporte son aide aux victimes de la mer selon un critère simple: si le naufragé n’a jamais mangé de lachair de dauph<strong>in</strong>, il sera secouru, autrement, il sera abandonné à son sort. Sauf erreur, c’est la seule ébauche delecture allégorisante qu’offre du dauph<strong>in</strong> la littérature vernaculaire en langue française.Ausg.: Nicole Bozon: Les Contes moralisés, éd. L. TOULMIN SMITH/P. MEYER, 1889, 67.Richard TrachslerGastronomie: Certa<strong>in</strong>s livres de cuis<strong>in</strong>e évoquent les marsou<strong>in</strong>s et d’autres mammifères mar<strong>in</strong>s. Le porpoise
<strong>Tiere</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>der</strong> <strong>Literatur</strong> <strong>des</strong> <strong>Mittelalters</strong>. E<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terdiszipl<strong>in</strong>äres Lexikonprojekt – Probeartikel »Delf<strong>in</strong>«7There is a problem with the mean<strong>in</strong>g of delfijn/dolphijn and meerswijn. Sometimes the words mean the same, <strong>in</strong>other texts, however, the meerswijn is the porpoise/sea hog, and is dist<strong>in</strong>cted from the dolph<strong>in</strong>.II. Tierallegorese und Tierkunde1. Physiologus, BestiarienThere is no dolph<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the Dutch bestiaries.Paul Wackers2. Tierkunde, EnzyklopädikPaul WackersThe dolph<strong>in</strong> is classified as sea animal (or sea ›monstrum‹) and not as a fish. This also happens <strong>in</strong> texts aboutfish<strong>in</strong>g or sell<strong>in</strong>g food. As all peaceful animals ( deer, elephant, camel and dolph<strong>in</strong>) it lives very long(up to 140 years). A reference to Mt 5, 10 is used to expla<strong>in</strong> this.The longest <strong>des</strong>cription of the dolph<strong>in</strong> is found <strong>in</strong> Der naturen bloeme, Jacob van Maerlants adaptation of Thomasof Cantimpré’s De natura rerum. The dolph<strong>in</strong> is the fastest sea animal. Dolph<strong>in</strong>s are pregnant dur<strong>in</strong>g 10months. After birth the mother protects the young aga<strong>in</strong>st the father but when the young is grown, the motheralso attacks her child. They grow dur<strong>in</strong>g 10 years. After ten months they have reached sexual maturity. Theymate and bear dur<strong>in</strong>g summer, never <strong>in</strong> w<strong>in</strong>ter. When they are angry their f<strong>in</strong>s stand firmly, when they are afraidor tired the f<strong>in</strong>s hang down. Dolph<strong>in</strong>s love music. The story of Arion shows this clearly. They care for eachother: if a dolph<strong>in</strong> dies the other dolph<strong>in</strong>s br<strong>in</strong>g the body to land because they do not want the fishes to eat of thecorpse. If men have eaten a dolph<strong>in</strong> and they swim <strong>in</strong> the sea, other dolph<strong>in</strong>s attack and kill those people. Otherwise,however, they are friendly to people and become easily ›domesticated‹.In the Nile live dolph<strong>in</strong>s with very sharp f<strong>in</strong>s. These they use to kill crocodiles.[I still have to consult the – not edited – Middle Dutch translation of De proprietatibus rerum].[...]III. Tierdichtung1. FabelPaul WackersOnly <strong>in</strong> nr. 37 <strong>in</strong> the Twispraec <strong>der</strong> creaturen (translation of Dialogus creaturarum moralisatus) a dolph<strong>in</strong> playsa role. He tries <strong>in</strong> va<strong>in</strong> to catch an eel. Then the eel lures him to the mud where the dolph<strong>in</strong> gets stuck. Afisher comes and kills it. The moral is that you should not listen to your enemy. [The word used here ismeerswijn. In her fable catalogue SCHIPPERS <strong>in</strong>terprets this as bru<strong>in</strong>vis (= porpoise). The Lat<strong>in</strong>, however, hasdolph<strong>in</strong> so the fable is discussed here.]Lit.: A. SCHIPPERS: Middelne<strong>der</strong>landse fabels, 1995.[...]IV. <strong>Tiere</strong> <strong>in</strong> nicht tierbestimmter <strong>Literatur</strong>1. Narrative TextePaul WackersGeschichtsschreibung: In Jacob van Maerlants Spiegel historiael 1 e partie, 2, 44 the story of Arion is told andplaced <strong>in</strong> the time of the biblical k<strong>in</strong>g, Josias, and of Ancus Martius, fourth k<strong>in</strong>g of Rome.[...]E.4 Deutsche <strong>Literatur</strong>I. Term<strong>in</strong>ologischesahd. meriswîn, mhd. merswîn, delfîn[...]Paul Wackers
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