The Heraldry Society - coat of arms

No. 185 Spring 1999

Fabulous Legless Reptiles [ continued from here ]

Jaculus
This serpent "fleeth as a dart and leapeth into trees". From this vantage point it propelled itself onto any creature that passed beneath. Its bite, often in its victim's neck, was fatal.

Sacer
A little serpent which instilled so much fear into all other slithering reptiles that they avoided it to the extent that they were known to flee if it came close to them. The sacer was said to be but a cubit in length, that is some eighteen or so inches, or about forty five centimetres. Why all other snake-like species went in fear on it is not known.

Serpent
There were several limbless reptiles referred to as the serpent in medieval beastiaries, each seeming to have different characteristics. In one tale it is said to slough off its withered skin in defiance of age, and rejuvenate itself. It was also said to curl up in winter, but in summer to become active; its bite in that season being deadly, the poison causing more pain in the daytime than at night. Ancient texts say that in India there were serpents so huge that they were able to swallow and devour whole bulls, and in the time of the Emperor Claudius a serpent was slain and in "his wombe was found a whole childe". Alexander the Great is recorded as writing to his master, Aristotle, that in India he had seen crested serpents, some having two heads, some three.

If a serpent with one head was decapitated it could live and grow again if it escaped with a length of just two fingers. No beast moved its tongue so quickly as the serpent, so it seemed to have two or three such, rather than just one.

One of the most interesting tales, occurring in a number of sources is that the serpent dare not touch a naked man. It is possible to speculate that this may be an echo from Genesis 3:9-14 in which God cursed the serpent for causing Adam to realise he was naked, and making the creature always to go upon its belly and eat dust "all the days" of its life.

Scitalis
"This serpent is so called because he shineth with such diversity of speckles upon his back, that all that look hereon have wonder and liking to see him".

Stellion
The Stellion, as befitted its name, had spots like stars upon its back. A most attractive looking creature but, according to Pliny, venomous.

Charles Carteret