A Jewish Bestiary : : Fabulous Creatures from Hebraic Legend and Lore / / Mark Podwal.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2021 English
• VerfasserIn: Podwal, Mark,
• Place / Publishing House: University Park, PA : : Penn State University Press, , [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (88 p.) :; 35 color illustrations

“Ask the beast and it will teach thee, and the birds of heaven and they will tell thee.” —Job 12:7In the Middle Ages, the bestiary achieved a popularity second only to that of the Bible. In addition to being a kind of encyclopedia of the animal kingdom, the bestiary also served as a book of moral and religious instruction, teaching human virtues through a portrayal of an animal’s true or imagined behavior. In A Jewish Bestiary, Mark Podwal revisits animals, both real and mythical, that have captured the Jewish imagination through the centuries.Originally published in 1984 and called “broad in learning and deep in subtle humor” by the New York Times, this updated edition of A Jewish Bestiary features new full-color renderings of thirty-five creatures from Hebraic legend and lore. The illustrations are accompanied by entertaining and instructive tales drawn from biblical, talmudic, midrashic, and kabbalistic sources. Throughout, Podwal combines traditional Jewish themes with his own distinctive style. The resulting juxtaposition of art with history results in a delightful and enlightening bestiary for the twenty-first century.From the ant to the ziz, herein are the creatures that exert a special force on the Jewish fancy.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- A JEWISH Bestiary -- The Ant -- The Ass -- The Azazel-Goat -- The Barnacle Goose -- The Bear -- Behemoth -- The Cock -- The Crab -- The Dove -- The Fox -- The Frog -- The Gazelle -- The Gnat -- The Golden Calf -- The Great Fish -- The Hare -- The Hoopoe -- Leviathan -- The Lion -- Nebuchadnezzar as a Beast -- The Ostrich -- The Phoenix -- The Ram -- The Raven -- The Red Heifer -- The Re’em -- The Salamander -- The Scorpion -- The Serpent -- The Snail -- The Spider -- The Stork -- The Swine -- The Unicorn -- Ziz -- Selected Bibliography