King's Lynn elephant and castle seal find joins museum collection
An unusual medieval gold seal with a gemstone engraved with an elephant carrying a castle on its back has been added to a museum's collection.Discovered by a metal detectorist near King's Lynn, Norfolk, and declared treasure in 2021, it was only the third of its kind recorded by the British Museum.The find has now been acquired by Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and more information about it has been revealed thanks to a medieval French expert who was able to translate its inscription, initially believed to be in Latin.County finds liaison officer Helen Geake said: "We couldn't make head nor tale of it, but Malcom Jones suggested it was a rhyming couplet in French."
The inscription around its circumference reads PARMAT EST ‧ WEVEI ‧ DRA OBEST.Mr Jones said its most likely reading was 'By my head, you have dragon or beast'."He explained 'by my head' was a relatively common exclamation, meaning something like 'upon my soul'," said Dr Geake. "The inscription could be linked to the engraving because in medieval bestiaries, the dragon is described as the elephant's only foe."
Bestiaries were beautifully illustrated manuscripts, like medieval encyclopedias, and are believed to have inspired JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.However, each creature listed was described in terms of its place within the Christian worldview, rather than as a purely scientific phenomenon.Dr Geake said: "We often forget French is the language of court and chivalry in medieval England and I've always liked rhyming couplets, it remind me of pantos."It's also a reminder of how rich medieval culture is and how much is lost - this is a hint about what we don't know."
Few people in medieval England would have seen a live elephant, although there was one in the royal menagerie at the Tower of London between 1255 and 1257 - a gift from King Louis IX of France to King Henry III.The seal matrix would have been used by its owner to make an impression on wax to authenticate or keep closed letters or documents.The design - showing an elephant with a war-tower or howdah on its back - later became known as the elephant and castle of heraldic iconography.
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