Sunday, October 20, 2013

Mythic Animals: Cat Beasts: The Antlion



modern insect: antlion



The “Ant-lion” could be one of two beasts. According to Medieval Bestiaries, one beast called “ant-lion” was the result of the mating between an ant and a lion. This beast had the head of a lion and the body of an ant. Since the lion head ate only meat, and the ant body could only digest grain, this “ant-lion” would starve to death.

 

The other beast is known as the “lion of ants.” This large ant-beast hid in the sand and ambushed the ants as they came crawling by. These insects feared the “lion of ants,” since the beast was larger than any of them, and hunted them without mercy. However to the birds, this “ant-lion” was only a tasty insect to eat. In addition, various Bestiaries said that the beast would run away if its intended victim stood up to it.

 

Works Used
Armott, Michael, “The Aberdeen Bestiary,” Aberdeen University Library, 1995, http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/bestiary.hti, .
Badke, David, “Medieval Bestiary,” 15 Jan. 2011, http://bestiary.ca/index.html, .
Swanson, Mark, “The Antlion Pit: A Doodlebug Anthology,” 2012, http://www.antlionpit.com/index.html, .

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