Here is an earlier version of my post for CultureLab at New
Scientist: Bestiaries – compendia of stories about real and
imaginary animals – are among the great artistic achievements of
the European High Middle Ages, as notable for their gorgeously
illuminated images as they are for their strange conjoining of
fantastical supposition with religious and moral instruction.
The panther, for example, is a brightly-coloured beast from
whose mouth comes a sweet odour, as if it were a mixture of
every perfume. “Other animals, hearing its voice, follow
wherever it goes because of the sweetness of its scent. Only the
dragon is seized by fear and flees into the caves beneath the
earth.” In the accompanying illustration, gold leaf depicting
the air around the panther's mouth is ribbed and waved in such a
way that it appears to move as you turn the page. “Thus,”
continues the text, “our Lord Jesus Christ, the true panther,
descended from heaven and saved us from the power of the devil.”
Other depictions are less elevated.