Published on November 14, 2022
Caladrius
Regions of expansion
Italy
Description
A creature from Roman mythology described in medieval bestiaries. It is a snow-white bird that can take the disease into itself, and then fly away, dispelling the disease and healing both itself and the patient.
Medieval interpretations focused on the diagnostic potential of a bird: if it looks into the face of a sick person, a person will live; if she looks away, the person will die.