The Calopus is a creature, was said to bear the features of a wolf, a boar, a feral cat and a reptile, but it was most feared for its large, serrated, ram-like horns.
The first known depiction of the Calopus (also known as the Chatloup or the Aptaleon) was found carved in a block of wood in Norfolk England’s Raveningham church, which was erected sometime around 1383. Although this is the first known physical representation of this beast, tales of the Calopus actually harkens back to ancient Babylon.
Often used for symbolic purposes in medieval heraldry – the practice of devising, blazoning, and granting armorial insignia – this creature was described as having a large, wolf-like body, a feline face, a boar-like snout, and a goat’s beard (a description which bears more than a little resemblance to the northern European Gulon).
Said to support itself on cloven fore-hooves, and a reptilian hindquarters, perhaps this beast’s the most notable characteristics were its two serrated horns, which eyewitnesses claimed were strong enough to fell trees. A skill which came in handy when wily prey would use their climbing skill as a means for escaping this voracious predator.