Hussovianus' Song of the Bison

In Rome in 1523 the Belarusian-born poet Mikołaj Hussowczyk (Hussovianus) published a Latin poem on the bison of the Lithuanian forests, recording hunting lore and beliefs, such as that a belt of bison hide eased childbirth.

1523 CE · 52.59, 23.88 · status: account

The account

The 'Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis' was written for Pope Leo X, who had asked to see a bison. It describes the great hunts in the forests that include today's Białowieża / Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the customs of the hunters, and is a founding text of Belarusian literature. The wisent survived in the wild only here and in the Caucasus.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Mikołaj Hussowczyk
2. Wikipedia: Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park