Pliny the bolder
an imprecise archive of multispecies entanglement
11.29.2025
Man meets dog

In his 1949 book, So Kam de Mensch auf den Hund, ethologist Konrad Lorenz tells the story of the co-domestication of humans and dogs. The German title could be translated as “How man ended up with dog.” The German title is also a play on the phrase “Auf den Hund kommen,” which is a common […]

11.29.2025
In the beginning (genesis 2:23)
וְאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״זֹאת הַפַּעַם עֶצֶם מֵעֲצָמַי וּבָשָׂר מִבְּשָׂרִי״ — מְלַמֵּד שֶׁבָּא אָדָם עַל כׇּל בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה, וְלֹא נִתְקָרְרָה דַּעְתּוֹ עַד שֶׁבָּא עַל חַוָּה. And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23)? This teaches that Adam had intercourse with each animal and beast in his search for his mate, and his mind was not at ease, in accordance with the verse: “And for Adam, there was not found a helpmate for him” (Genesis 2:20), until he had intercourse with Eve.

In chapter 2 of the book of Genesis, God is sorry for Adam’s loneliness and works to provide him with a companion (2:18). In the next scene (2:19), we see God bringing the animals to Adam ‘to see what he would name them’, ‘But for Adam no suitable helper was found’. Only then does God […]