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Amooncalf (ormoon-calf) is amonstrous birth, theabortivefetus of acow or otherfarm animal. The term was occasionally applied to an abortivehuman fetus.
The term derives from the once widespreadsuperstition, present in manyEuropeanfolk traditions, that such malformed creatures were the product of the sinister influence of theMoon on fetal development. The earliest recorded use of the term was in 1565, referring to a humanfalse pregnancy.[1]
The term came to also refer to any monstrous or grotesque thing.Shakespeare, for instance, used the term to describeCaliban, the deformed servant ofProspero, inThe Tempest.
InH. G. Wells's 1901 novelThe first Men in the Moon, large creatures domesticated by the Selenites are referred to as "mooncalves".[2]
Mooncalf is used as a derogatory term indicating someone is a dullard, fool, or otherwise not particularly bright or sharp. For example,W. C. Fields inThe Bank Dick (1940) advises his prospective son-in-law to avoid being a "mooncalf" by buying shares he has been conned into believing are worth much more than the proffered price.
A mooncalf is also a magical creature in the world of theHarry Potter series. It is described inFantastic Beasts and where to find them as a shy, nocturnal creature with a smooth, pale-gray body, bulging eyes, and four spindly legs with large flat feet. Mooncalves perform dances in the moonlight and are apparently responsible forcrop circles.[3] In thefilm of the same name and itssequel, Newt Scamander's collection of creatures in his suitcase includes a herd of mooncalves.
In the fourth episode of the seventh season ofThe Big Bang Theory, Sheldon calls Amy a "dewy-eyed mooncalf".
Wilfred Maxwell, narrator and protagonist ofoccultistDion Fortune's 1938 novelThe Sea Priestess, refers several times to a mentally disabled character who falls into the sea and disappears as a "mooncalf".[4]
This concept is also used byChristian Morgenstern in hisGalgenlieder.
InEmbassytown by China Miéville, the protagonist refers to two characters as "mooncalf and quite impossible".
Arnold Bennett used the term in his novelThese Twain.