The Lynx in Medieval Manuscripts

We'll kick things off with a bit of strange but appropriate medieval trivia on lynxes. According to bestiary.ca, from which I'm taking most of my information here, in the Middle Ages the lynx was believed to be a cross between a wolf and a pard (a kind of large cat). More interesting than that, though, is the reason why a number of bestiaries—sort of medieval animal encyclopedias that explained both the scientific and religio-symbolic significance of various species—have lynx illustrations that look like this:

Kongelige Bibliotek, Gl. kgl. S. 1633 4, Folio 6r

Lynxes are often shown urinating because it was believed that their urine hardened into a semi-precious stone. Isidore of Seville, a seventh-century etymologist, explains: "The urine of a lynx hardens into a precious stone called lynx-water. Due to a natural jealousy they do not want humans to have the stone, so they cover their urine with sand to hide it" (Etymologies, Book 12, 2:20).

I don't know what that means for our mascot—it's so amazing even its waste is valuable? In any case, welcome to English 33800, and I look forward to reading your posts!