Detail from the 1539 "Carta Marina" by Olaus Magnus (1490-1557) showing a striped fish with a beak-like head being attacked by a green crocodilian beast. The striped fish is a pale orange with darker orange ruffled stripes. It has a single large fin rising from its back and two webbed feet. Its round head appears to have a fringe and a prominent beak. It seems to have a brown fish in its maw. The word "ZIPHIVS" is above it. Image from "Carta Marina" (1539) from Wikimedia Commons.

The medieval zifius appears to have morphed into the later ziphius. This ziphius is from the 1539 "Carta marina" created by Olaus Magnus (1490-1557). The creature attacking it is unnamed. #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #zifius

A very large black fish-like whale appearing to be vomiting up the green wave it is swimming on. The image is on a gilt-studded red background surrounded by a gilt frame on a manuscript page. Image from Bibliothèque Municipale de Valenciennes, MS 320 [Liber de natura rerum], folio 120v.

This version of the zifius from a 13th century "Libera de natura rerum" has been drawn as a whale in response to the description of a sea monster unlike any other. #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #zifius

Surrounded by text, an open-mouthed four-legged monster with a long tail ending in a sharp trefoil is looking sideways with an incredibly worried expression. It has a grey wash over the scales covering its upper body and patches of pinkish-brown wash over its underside and face. It has three pinkish-brown fins rising from its back. It seems to have front paws but webbed back feet. Its head seems very human with curly hair and beard. Its open maw has two rows of triangular teeth, many of which seem to be missing. Image from British Library, Additional MS 11390 [Der Naturen Bloeme], folio 55v.

This worried-looking zifius is from a later version (c1300-1325) of "Der Naturen Bloeme". It is still described as a sea monster despite looking more like a dragon. #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #zifius

A sea monster with a large round grey head with huge orange round eyes and a grinning mouth filled with orange fan-like teeth. The head seems upside down but it is unclear if that is because the monster is upside down or if it is the right way up but with its features the reverse of most of other animals. It has a small brown body to the side which gives no indication as to whether the beast is upside down or not. The image is in a tarnished gilt frame on a manuscript page. Image from Lippische Landesbibliothek, Ms. 70 [Der Naturen Bloeme], folio 87r.

This week's medieval beast is the little-known zifius simply described as a sea monster unlike any other animal. This particular zifius is from the earliest known version (c1287) of "Der Naturen Bloeme". #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #zifius