Changes
/* Beaver */
|Literature =
*Code of Welsh Laws by King Howel Dha. AD c.940. A beaver pelt is priced at 120 pence, considerably more than for a martin pelt, 24 pence, and for wolf, fox or otter, 8 pence. [SPRIGGS 1998:p.95] [HARTING 1880:p.34]
*Al-Mukaddasi, Shams Al-Deen Abu Abdallah. 985AD "fur of steppe foxes, martens, foxes, beavers, spotted hares and goats" [HOWARD-JOHNSTON 1998]:p.69]*Nizami "Loaded on donkeys came the shiney beaver, and the black sable as well.." [AGREN 1995:p.57]*Ibn Khordaabeh "Regarding the route followed by the tradesmen to the ar-Rus, who are of the same kind as the as-Saqaliba, they carry hides of Al-Hazz (beaver) and black fox and, in addition, swords from th emost distant parts of the Saqaliba country to the Rum-see..." [AGREN 1995:p.57]
|Archaeology =
*Birka, Sweden: 9 graves - Beaver (graves 539, 619, 956, 968) [HAGG 1984]. Found on penannulars (graves 60b, 477, 478, 736, 918, 954, 956) [AGREN 1995:p.55]
*York, England: 4 bones (possibly from the same animal). C8th-C9th. [SPRIGGS 1998:p.95]
|Discussion =
*Fur: Beaver was probably used to trim women's clothing in Sweden [HAGG 1984] and to trim the King's garments in Wales [SPRIGGS 1998]. The beaver fur found on penannulars in Birka may have been from fur trimmed cloaks worn by rich warriors [AGREN 1995:p.57].
*Food: Geraldus in around c.1200 describes the tails of beavers being classed as a fish and being suitable food during lent. [SPRIGGS 1998:p.97]
*Properties:Beavers testicles were believed to have medicinal properties since classical times, a belief that had been repeated by Aesop, Aristotle, Solinus, Juvenal and Pliny the Elder [SPRIGGS 1998:p.96]
