Panther

 


While most people know panthers as a jungle cat today in medieval bestiaries it was a very strange beast indeed. Just like other ‘mythical’ creatures like the calopus and the crocatta, the panther in medieval bestiaries is an example of a real animal from far off lands gaining a mythical status, to the point where it barely resembled it’s real life counterpart.

The panther was first known to the ancient Greeks. To them it was still very cat like, being almost identical to a normal leopard, but with a multicolored coat. It was considered the mount of Dionysus.

The panther was handed down from Greek records to medieval bestiaries, but by this time Europe was cut off from areas of the world where leopards actually lived, and the details of panther’s nature was largely forgotten.

Instead the panther was made into an allegory about Christ gathering the people of the world. The panther would feast and then sleep for three days in a cave. On the third day the panther emerges and emits a sweet smelling vapor from its breath. Every beast who smells this sweet scent becomes enamoured with the panther and follows it. Only the dragon would not follow the panther. Once all the animals had gathered around the panther it would devour them in a feast and retreat to a cave to rest, restarting the cycle.

The appearance of the panther was very inconsistent in medieval bestiaries, appearing as anything from a strange chimera like the one I drew, to a very generic beast with no distinguishing features. Often it was depicted with horns, talons or hooves. Rarely did it look like a cat. The only thing consistent about the panther’s appearance was that it had a rainbow colored coat with spots. Even then, the panther was sometimes depicted with a white coat and multicolored spots.

Further confusing matters the leopard was listed in medieval bestiaries as a separate beast, one with a completely different allegorical message. The leopard was believed to be a cross breed between a lion and a pard (cheetah), hence the name leo-pard. Because the leopard was believed to be a cross breed it was a symbol for adultery and deviancy.

The panther was a popular symbol in heraldry. Many coats of arms featured them, including Raglan Castle, The Worshipful Company of Dyers, and even Henry VI of England. Most often the panther was depicted incensed (standing) with flames coming from its mouth to represent the sweet vapors.

Sources


https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast79.htm


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_(legendary_creature)



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