The Beasts of Ibn Wahshiya

[Ibn Wahshiya – his full name was Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Wahshiya al-Nabati – was a scholar, translator and scientist who lived in Mesopotamia in the ninth century AD. He was an Aramaic- or Syriac-speaking Nabataean, and his translations from Syriac to Arabic were celebrated in their day. He studied the sciences extensively in Damascus, Baghdad and Egypt. Given the society in which he lived, his works are rich with discussions of natural magic and the supernatural. The Book on Poisons, according to its author, was compiled largely from the Syriac writings of two Nabataean elders from Kasadan [possibly near Samarkand] named Yarbuqa and Suhab Sat. The work contains recipes for toxic and lethal substances as well as their antidotes. Ibn Wahshiya’s most famous work was called Nabataean Agriculture. A general comment on Ibn Wahshiya’s mixing of science and magic by translator Martin Levey: “This famous Chaldean was a master of all that touched on miracles, charms, astrology, alchemy, and incantations. These were all considered at that time and place to have scientific value and to be no less objective than Ibn Wahshiya’s writing on poisons and agriculture.” These excerpts are the first step in compiling a collection of Ibn Wahshiya's descriptions of animals of the medieval Middle East. There will be more to come.... ]

Beaver:

The beaver is “an animal of a very ugly appearance.... It may come into existence from water. It is famous among people. In rivers and small waters, they are small; in oceans and large waters, they are large. Both large and small beavers are similar in shape but have various colors [including black, which is favored for poison].” Beaver is used in the recipe for the twenty-first poison. (p. 63)

Chameleon:

The chameleon, says Ibn Wahshiya, has “a small body, a hideous eye, a strange color, and always stays in the sun raising its head towards the sun itself.” He adds: “It is well known to the Kasadānians, Persians, Indians, and Arabs. The Arabs call it al-'iwān.” He uses chameleon in the recipe for the twentieth poison. (pp. 62-63)

Mice and Snakes:

Abu Bakr b. Wahshiya said, Some who are of Kasadan invented a bell which, upon ringing, brings out the mice from their holes, out of fear. They manufactured another bell which brings out snakes and vipers when they hear its sound. They made these to be saved from snakes, mice, and others like them which cause harm to man. (p. 36)

MYSTERIOUS ANIMALS

Yārīshtahīwayā

Abu Bakr said that this is the wild faţāya (?), as I think, or is like it. When it bites a man, he develops an intense thirst, the eyes become red, he is confused mentally, the body burns strongly, and the feet become black. [An antidote follows.] (p. 70)

Karqūqathī Būratā

Abu Bakr said of this beast that it is the hedgehog [cf. al-Jahiz 5:283; 6:22]. It seems to me, however, that qunfudh is a word of which we are doubtful. When this beast bites, there is a sharp pain in the place of the bite, intense colic in the belly, difficulty of breathing, suppression of urine and bowel movement. [An antidote follows.] (p. 70)

Shabbāmaghshā

Abu Bakr said that he knew that the Nabateans called it qarād shabbā and this man called it shabbāmaghshā. I cannot identify this animal. It is an animal which bites man. The bite does not give great grief at first but after one-half day goes by, the place of the bite becomes black. A strong anxiety befalls the victim, both cheeks become red, his belly is swollen, and his penis becomes tumescent. [An antidote follows.] (p. 70)

Shammakā nahri

Abu Bakr said that the author of the book said that this beast resembles the weasel but is a little thinner than it. When it sees a man, it pursues him until it bites him. It rushes on all animals to bite them. When vipers, all kinds of snakes, and most animals see it, they try to escape from it. It is unlike the weasel in the rear but resembles it in the face and head.

When one is bitten by it, there occurs a drying of the throat and cartilage of the nose [ i.e., the mucous membranes], a sharp pain at the place of the bite, excessive perspiration having a bad odor, incontinence of urine to such an extent that it is uninterrupted, and poor blood circulation. [An antidote follows.] (p. 70)

Qīmārāsā

This is an animal similar to the frog. It is found in barren wastelands and deserts where there is no water or moisture. He who is bitten has his flesh fall off little by little in less than an hour in the daytime. With this, there occurs a violent itch in his muscles and in all of his body. He feels colic in his belly together with a strong burning and sharp pricking. The blood is languid. When his flesh falls off and the blood flows, then he perishes. [An antidote follows.] (pp. 70-71)

Qīmārāsā, Treatment of Bite of

This is an animal in the shape of a frog but it creeps. It does not leap as the frog leaps. The worst of them are those in the sand in winter since it comes into existence in winter and, perhaps, remains in the sand until the summer. It has properties giving such strange effects that the explanation is lengthy. One of its properties is that when man grasps it with his hand, the flesh wastes away little by little on his arms, forearms and more of these limbs if the grasp is prolonged with his hand. [An antidote follows.] (p. 78-79)

Nabţūqimūhā, Treatment for Consuming

This is a small, red animal. Often its redness verges toward blue. It has numerous legs and two wings by which it flies not too far. It is often to be found on the cucumber (qiththā‘) and on [another species of] cucumber [khiyar – this is smaller than qiththā‘]. People sometimes confine them until they die and dry. Then they make them into a drink or food. Whoever drinks or eats it, has swelling on his tongue, pain in his stomach, blocking at the mouth of his stomach, a little colic in his bowels which is unbearable, an itch on his entire body, and a violent inflammation. [An antidote follows.] (p. 79)

– Martin Levey, “Medieval Arabic Toxicology: The Book on Poisons of Ibn Wahshiya and Its Relation to Early Indian and Greek Texts,” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series, Vol. 56, Part 7, 1966.