Gli animali inesistenti : Opportunità filologiche di alcuni monstra lessicali nella Lettera latina del Prete Gianni

A list of about thirty exotic or fantastic animals finds a place in the Letter of Prester John, the famous Latin text of the xii century devoted to the wonders of India. For three of these animals, however, the identification is problematic, and their names could be mere inventions of the author. The article provides an analysis of the behaviour of the copyists in front of words they are supposed to perceive as voces nullius.