Incendiary "bestiary" or reality

[Marcus den toom]

I found these images on felines (cats) and birds carrying incendiary masses, intended to set cities on fire.

The explaination given in one manuscript is that when planning to set fire to a city, you would abduct a cat from this city and put a container with a burning mass in it on this animal. When released the cat would run back in panic and hide in a barn which in turn would be set on fire. Apart from the obvious cruelty, the idea seems far fetch and impractical.

Below the above mentioned manuscript which i posted in an earlier thread as well: (Ms. Codex 109 - Helm, Franz, approximately 1500-1567 - Feuer Buech) http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/med...urrentpage=277


The cat illustrated below is carrying what looks like somesort of Loshult cannon on its back, and the bird (pigeon) has a smaller version of this, also strapped on its back.
The Loshult cannon would break the feline's spine with its 9Kg, but the text explains it to be somesort of sack like those on fire arrows.
The design has quite a lot of faults though... the cat would be badly burned the instant this contraption was lit, making it doubtfull it would ever enter the city (screaming and smoke all alround, just plain cruel ). The bird wouldn't do any better, if it ever would get of the ground, the payload would be so small and also dangerous to the bird that either way it would burn the mass before it reaches the destination, or the bird would turn into a short living phoenix.

These are my views on this subject, maybe someone else has more information on this strange siege method

Best wishes,
Marcus

[fernando]

You might as well have chosen less macabre topics to post , Marcus

.

[Ken Maddock]

The information in this post is not only off topic but goes far beyond the scope of what
would be acceptable subject matter for discussion here on the forum.

[Matchlock]

I, too, was shocked by those illustrations.

And mankind still inflicts horrible cruelties on its innocent fellow creatures ...
I have always felt that animals have the same rights as man!

m

[Marcus den toom]

My thoughts as well and let me make clear that my intend is not to condone such cruelties, but rather to discuss and hopefully prove that these hellish drawings where never actually put to the test

I read somewhere that the writer of this manuscript is known to make up things to advertise his books on siege strategies. Nowadays he would, deservedly, be put away in a jail.

[Aerinsol]

This may not be a very "civilized" topic, but nevertheless it can be found in more than one Firework-Book from the late medieval period on...

Just yesterday I stumbled across a recipe for an incendiary mass to use on cats or doves:

It's from a book called "Liber illuministarum" written around 1500 by monks in Tegernsee monastery, Germany. This book is a collection of mainly artisans recipes for paints, gilding etc. but it also contains amongst others some medical recipes and a few concerning fireworks.

I will not quote the recipe fully as not to encourage cruelty, but here is the main part:

"Recipe ... vnd bestreich ain tauben oder ain katzen damit / vnd wo die sunn an sye kumbt so wirt sy prinnen / oder von dem Regen/"

transl.: "Recipe ... and smear it on a dove or on a cat / and when the sun shines on it it will burn / or because of rain/"


If this was really used I don't know - most of the recipes in this book were written down for the use of the monastery's scriptorium and are valuable sources of art history. Some recipes though just don't work and some are really strange, kind of magical:

"Item ayn geyers zungen trag pey dir in dem streyt So wirst nit der slagen"

transl.: "Carry the tongue of a vulture with you to war and you will not be slain"

Historians believe the "Liber illuministarum" was a collection of simply EVERY recipe the monks heard of - wether it was really used, appoved of or just strange, they wrote it down...

[Andi]

Attached an early image from Johannes de Fontana: Bellicorum instrumentorum liber cum figuris. Venice 1420-1430. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München, BSB Cod.icon. 242, fol. 37r. He purposes something like rocket propelled animal models? This is one of the earliest examples which may inspired later autors to use life animals as weapons.

In my opinion this topic is worth and relevant to be discussed as animals as an instrument of warfare (historic weapon) has been purposed by several historic authors. And still today animals are used for military purposes: donkeys for carrying in the alps, delphins by US Navy for seachring sea mines, dogs for searching land mines (of corse in a more defensive manner)

What we have to consider: many authors purposed either (phantastic) fantasy or visionary inventions, some of them are obviously unrealistic, the possiblity of some are rather obscure and some may have a realistic background. How could be the offender sure that the animal with a incediary device will not turn in its panic and run into the own troup arrangements. How will you direct a bird to fly into the opponents castle and not anywhere else? It's much more reliable to throw incendiary devices with a catapult or a crossbow onto the enemy.

In my eyes the proposal of using animals is rather (phantastic) fantasy with only a little chance for its historic realisation.


Supplementary amendments marked in red colour

[dana_w]

Originally Posted by Andi

How could be the offender sure that the animal with a incediary device will not turn in its panic and run into the own troup arrangements.

This reminds me of a classic urban legend, The Dog and the Jeep.

A fellow from Michigan buys himself a brand-new $30,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for Christmas. He goes down to his favorite bar and celebrates by tossing down a few too many brews with his buddies. In one of those male-bonding rituals, five of them decide to take his new vehicle for a test drive on a duck hunting expedition. They load up the Jeep with the dog, the guns, the decoys, and the beer, and head out to a nearby lake.

Now, it's the dead of winter, and of course the lake is frozen, so they need to make a hole in the ice to create a natural landing area for the ducks and decoys. It is common practice in Michigan to drive your vehicle out onto the frozen lake, and it is also common (if slightly illegal) to make a hole in the ice using dynamite. Our fellows have nothing to worry about on that score, because one member of the party works for a construction team, and happens to have brought some dynamite along. The stick has a short 20-second fuse.

The group is ready for some action. They're all set up. Their shotguns are loaded with duck pellets, and they have beer, warm clothes and a hunting dog. Still chugging down a seemingly bottomless supply of six-packs, the group considers how to safely dynamite a hole through the ice. One of these rocket scientists points out that the dynamite should explode at a location far from where they are standing. Another notes the risk of slipping on the ice when running away from a burning fuse. So they eventually settle on a plan to light the fuse and throw the dynamite out onto the ice.

There is a bit of contention over who has the best throwing arm, and eventually the owner of the Jeep wins that honor. Once that question is settled, he walks about 20 feet further out onto the ice and holds the stick of dynamite at the ready while one of his companions lights the fuse with a Zippo. As soon as he hears the fuse sizzle, he hurls it across the ice at a great velocity and runs in the other direction.

Unfortunately, a member of another species spots his master's arm motions and comes to an instinctive decision. Remember a couple of paragraphs back when I mentioned the vehicle, the beer, the guns and the dog? Yes, the dog: a trained Black Labrador, born and bred for retrieving, especially things thrown by his owner. As soon as the stick leaves his hand, the dog sprints across the ice, hell-bent on wrapping his jaws around the enticing stick-shaped object.

Five frantic fellows immediately begin hollering at the dog, trying to get him to stop chasing the dynamite. Their cries fall on deaf ears. Before you know it, the retriever is headed back to his owner, proudly carrying the stick of dynamite with the burning 20-second fuse. The group continues to yell and wave their arms while the happy dog trots towards them. In a desperate act, its master grabs his shotgun and fires at his own dog.

The gun is loaded with duck shot, and confuses the dog more than it hurts him. Bewildered, he continues towards his master, who shoots at man's best friend again. Finally comprehending that his owner has become insane, the dog runs for cover with his tail between his legs. And the nearest cover is right under the brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Boom! The dog and the Jeep are blown to bits, and sink to the bottom of the lake, leaving a large ice hole in their wake. The stranded men stand staring at the water with stupid looks on their faces, and the owner of the Jeep is left to explain the misadventure to his insurance company. Needless to say, they determined that sinking a vehicle in a lake by illegal use of explosives is not covered under their policy, and the owner is still making $400 monthly payments on his brand-new Jeep at the bottom of the lake.