The Latin Physiologus comes in three versions (Y, B, and C) and one mixed recension (A, which combines B and Y chapters). The Y version is thought to be close to a Greek text, which would be similar to the text of the ? manuscript (fifth family of the first Greek collection). The C version seems to originate from a Greek text too, probably belonging to the third family of the first Greek collection, as would be the Ethiopian translation. The origin of the B version still remains uncharted. Recent research suggests that the Y and B version would originate from a lost common ancestor close to a Greek witness of the fifth family. The B version was the most successful in the Middle Ages as it forms the core of all the bestiary families that develop from the 10th century on and especially the 12th century, adding numerous extracts from Isidore of Sevilla’s Etymologiae and Ambrose’s Hexaemeron, while reorganising the content: B-Is, H, Second family, “Transitional,” Third family. One important discovery is the existence of the H-B-Is version, or H type of B-Is, which is probably a reworking of the B-Is version. The B-Is version is the first one to add extracts from the Etymologiae at the end of each chapter. Most of the later versions draw from that first development but also reorganise the content so as to comply with the Isidorian model: the described beings are divided into bestiae, birds, reptiles, insects and invertebrates, fish, though the order of the groups may vary. - [Author]

Language: English