In past centuries, persons of nobility would maintain and exhibit awe-inspiring collections of rare and exotic animals, which had been gathered from faraway lands. The ostentatious displays were often regarded as shows of great wealth and influence, but they also served another important purpose. In a world that seemed dark and mysterious, these bestiaries would enthrall and fascinate curious observers, reminding them that remote corners of the planet still harbored fabulous beasts that they could scarcely imagine.
Charlemagne, the mighty emperor of Western Europe, was among the first to possess such a menagerie during the Middle Ages. In 802 CE the caliph of Baghdad presented the ruler with an Asian elephant named Abdul-Abbas. Elephants were a genuine novelty in Europe at that time, and the majestic giant remained in Charlemagne’s care for eight years until it expired, all the while astonishing all who saw it. Other intriguing specimens that Charlemagne kept on display included lions, monkeys, and bears.
During the early part of the thirteenth century, King John of England began to exhibit remarkable animals on the grounds of the Tower of London. The Roman emperor Frederick II gifted John’s heir (Henry III) three leopards in the year 1235, and sixteen years later the king of Norway provided him with a polar bear to add to the impressive collection. The Tower’s menagerie ultimately spanned six centuries and included hundreds of strange and fascinating creatures. One notable beast was Old Martin, a grizzly bear donated by Canada’s Hudson Bay Company to the English Monarchy in 1811. Ultimately, there was a tragic incident in 1830, in which an old lion named George escaped his enclosure and engaged in a bloody battle with two captive tigers in an adjacent pen. The ensuing public fallout effectively heralded the end of the Tower’s royal menagerie.
Not to be outdone, France’s aristocracy had an impressive menagerie too. King Louis XIV began to assemble his collection at Versailles in 1664. A century later, one of its most celebrated inhabitants was an Indian rhinoceros that resided on the palace grounds for twenty-two years, until it was slaughtered by disenchanted rebels amidst the chaos of the French Revolution.
During the nineteenth century, as the general public became aware of startling advancements in science and exploration, traveling menageries consisting of all manner of extrinsic animals would tour Europe and North America, taking in handsome profits for their owners. Crowds of people would line up and pay a respectable fee for the opportunity to gawk at unusual specimens that they had never seen before. Surely, the result of such expositions was that they served to stimulate people’s imaginations in previously unimaginable ways.
It is in keeping with this spirit that I present you, the reader, with this compendium of fabulous beasts—my very own virtual menagerie, if you will. The esoteric creatures described within these pages remain strictly relegated to the world of myth and legend for now, yet there exist compelling accounts by people who’ve claimed to have actually observed these beasts with their very own eyes. And because amazing new species are still being catalogued with alarming regularity, it is my firm hope that in due time some of these “monsters” will earn their rightful place in the annals of zoology. Or perhaps even in an exhibit where they can awe and inspire like the uncommon animals of ages past. It is my ardent hope that you will marvel at this astounding assemblage of mysterious beasts as other menagerie enthusiasts have throughout history.