Camphruch (also called camphurch, camphur, and camphurcii) are hybrid animals similar to unicorns. They have the forelegs of a deer, the hindquarters of a goose, grey fur around their necks, and a horn in the center of their foreheads.
Appearance[]
Camphruch are the size of a doe, and they have the forelegs of a deer and the hind legs of a goose. They have a three foot long horn in the center of their foreheads, which is the width of a person's arm and flexible like a rooster's comb. Their necks are covered in grey fur.[1]
A nameless, but possibly synonymous species was placed on the coast of South Africa. It had the head of a horse, and a horn that was two palms long which it could bend like a finger.[2]
Behavior[]
Camphruch can be found in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. They are semiaquatic, and their diet consists of fish. Their horns are thought to have the power to neutralize poisons.[1] While their temperament was never given in their original description, the possible synonymous species described in South Africa were highly ferocious and used their horns to fight.[2]
Anthropological information[]
Cosmographer André Thevet, who first described the camphruch, claims that some believe the campruch is a species of unicorn.[1]
Ambroise Paré copied André Thevet's description, but mistakenly placed the creature on an isle in Ethiopia.[3] In modern bestiaries, the name is often misattributed as "camphurcii".
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Thevet, André. La Cosmographie Universelle, G. Chaudière (1575). Pg 432.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Orta, Garcia de. Colóquios dos simples e drogas da India, Lisboa, Imprensa Nacional (1891). Pg 75-76.
- ↑ Paré, Ambroise. Discours d'Ambroise Paré: De la licorne, Gabriel Buon (1582).