Achieving popularity in England and France during the 12th century, bestiaries or Bestiarum vocabulum were early natural history encyclopedias of animals including mythological creatures believed to have existed at the time, such as Mermaids, Centaurs and Unicorns. The natural history, behavior and illustration of each beast were usually accompanied by a moral lesson. These moral allegories reflected the belief that the world itself was the Word of God, and that every living thing had its own special meaning. The images are hand colored with historical pigments used during the 12th century.