Philip de Thaun facts for kids
Philip de Thaun was the first poet to write in Anglo-Norman French, an early form of French spoken in England. This was special because most writers at that time used Latin. We know for sure that Philip wrote two poems because he signed his name on them. Another poem was probably written by him too, as it sounds very similar to his other works.
Philip's first known book was about the calendar. It was called Comput or Cumpoz. In this book, he explained how to figure out dates. He also wrote about where the names of the days of the week came from and shared interesting facts about the zodiac signs. His second book, called Bestiaire or Bestiary, was a bestiary. This type of book described animals, both real and imaginary. It was a translation of an older Latin book. Philip's last known poem is Le Livre de Sibile, which translated an old Latin poem about predictions from a sibyl, a kind of prophetess.
Philip's Life
Philip probably came from a noble family that lived in a place called Than or Thaon in Normandy, near Caen. He might have moved to England around the late 1000s. Perhaps he followed his uncle, Humphrey de Thaon, who was a chaplain. Humphrey worked for Eudo Dapifer, an important official for Prince Henry, who later became King Henry I of England. Some people, like the scholar Paul Meyer, think Philip was not from a noble family but from a more ordinary background.
Philip's Writings
Three of Philip's works are still around today. Two of them are definitely his because he signed them. These are the books about the calendar and the bestiary. A third work, even though it doesn't have Philip's name on it, is very likely written by him because of its style.
The Comput
Philip's first major work was the Comput. Scholars believe he wrote it between 1113 and 1119. This book is very important because it's the first known example of a scientific or technical text written in French. It's also the first book about calendars to appear in French. Philip wanted his Comput to help church leaders better care for their communities. He seemed to follow the lead of older English books on calendars.
The Comput explains how the calendar works. It's written in a poetic style, using short rhyming lines. Philip used information from famous writers like Bede and Pliny the Elder for his book. One scholar, Geoff Rector, said the Comput was "not so much an aid to computistical calculations as a grammarian's poetic compilation of biblical and classical knowledge". This means it was more a collection of knowledge about the Bible and old stories, presented in a poetic way. It also explained the names of the days of the week and the different zodiac signs. Philip dedicated this book to his uncle, Humphrey. This dedication might have been a way for Philip to get noticed by King Henry.
Six copies of the Comput from the 1100s still exist today. Three are in the British Library, one at Cambridge University, one at Lincoln Cathedral, and one in the Vatican Library. The beginning of the book mentions that there were tables to help calculate dates, but these tables have not survived in any of the copies.
The Bestiary
Philip's second important work is the Bestiaire. He dedicated this book to Queen Adeliza of Louvain, who was King Henry I's second wife. A bestiary is a medieval book that describes animals. It often mixes facts about real animals with stories about imaginary creatures. Philip's Bestiaire was written in French between 1121 and 1139. He might have written it because Queen Adeliza's husband, King Henry, was very interested in wildlife and hunting. There are some clues that after 1154, Philip might have changed the dedication of this book to Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was the new queen and wife of King Henry II of England, who was King Henry I's grandson.
The Bestiaire is a translation of an older book called the Physiologus. This book, according to scholar Meradith McMunn, gave "information about real and imaginary animals." Philip's work is mostly a poem with rhyming lines. It has a beginning, the main part, and an ending. The main part has 38 chapters. Thirty-five of these chapters are about animals, and three are about precious stones. Even though it's not considered a literary masterpiece, Philip's Bestiaire is the earliest surviving French translation of the Physiologus. It's also a very important source for understanding early Anglo-Norman French.
Philip's Bestiaire is one of only two books from medieval England that tells the story of a crocodile crying when it eats a human. This story is where the phrase "crocodile tears" comes from! Philip's book is also one of only two by French writers that describes the legendary creature, the phoenix. He also wrote that a lion could draw a circle on the ground with its tail. This circle would supposedly keep any prey from escaping.
Only three copies of the Bestiaire still exist today.
Other Works by Philip
Philip's last surviving work is Le Livre de Sibile. This book is a French translation of a Latin poem called the Prophecy of the Tibertine Sibyl. Philip dedicated this translation to Empress Matilda, who was King Henry I's daughter. It's also written in a poetic style with short lines. It includes some information from another work by Adso of Montier-en-Der called Libellus de Antichristo. The only copy of Le Livre that we have doesn't say that Philip wrote it. However, most scholars believe it's his because its writing style is very similar to his two known works.
Three other works have sometimes been thought to be by Philip, but it's not certain. These include the Debat de l'ame et du corps and two books about precious stones (called lapidaries). The Debat, which means Debate between Body and Soul, is a short poem. It's about a discussion between the body and the soul.
