Conrad of Megenberg, Mythological Creatures, 15th Century
Mythological creatures. Some of these depictions arose from legends and myths, sometimes based on partial remains of living animals. Conrad of Megenberg (1309 - 1374) was a German Catholic scholar, and a writer. His best-known and most widely read work is his Buch der Natur, a survey of all that was known of natural history at that time. The work has eight chapters: 1) the nature of man, 2) sky, 7 planets, astronomy and meteorology, 3) zoology, 4) ordinary and aromatic trees, 5) plants and vegetables, 6) invaluable and semi-precious stones, 7) 10 kinds of metals, and 8) water and rivers. This was the first natural history written in German, and the series of woodcuts in the first edition were the first natural history book illustrations. There were also two woodcuts of plants - the first botanical woodcuts in a printed book. Un-numbered edition published in 1481
