A bestiary; or Bestiarum vocabulum is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the Ancient world; bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals; birds and even rocks.

The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson. This reflected the belief that the world itself was the Word of God; and that every living thing had its own special meaning. For example; the pelican; which was believed to tear open its breast to bring its young to life with its own blood; was a living representation of Jesus. The bestiary is also a reference to the symbolic language of animals in Western Christian art and literature.