Kashrut in Narina

A friend of mine just sent me this fantastic link.

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com.nyud.net:8080/2008/04/17/evil-monkey%e2%80%99s-guide-to-kosher-imaginary-animals/

It provides opinions (non-rabbinic) on the kashrut status of the various animals (creatures) found in fantasy stories such as Chronicles of Narinia, Lord of the Rings, etc.

It's a pretty good assessment although the bad news is that it would be tough for a Jew to find something to eat (so what else is new).

I generally agreed with her except for one:

Aigi Kampoi (fish-tailed goat) - A: “Yes, that would be kosher because it has cloven hoofs, chews its cud, and has fins and scales. Although, it would still be considered a meat meal, even though it’s partially fish. So you can’t eat dairy with it.”

I'm not sure about this one. She seemed to use the specific requirements around hoofs, cud, scale, fins. I think there is a more meta-level requirement that would deem this one not Kosher. From my understanding, many of the laws in the Torah including those of Kashrut are based on separation. Jews like to keep things separate, that's even the basis for the Kashrut laws - to separate the holy from the unholy. Judaism typically comes down on playing it safe when it comes to separation. If it's not clear what category something falls within we don't take our chances. That's why the hare, pig, and camel are all mentioned specifically in the Kashrut laws. Each meets on requirement but not the other.

So, because the Aigi Kampoi is not clearly a fish or a goat, I think the rabbi's would play it safe and make it trief. It's the same reason (in my opinion) that things that don't have scales but live in the water are trief. It's too hard to tell if they are a fish or something else.

So, that's my $.02. Of course, that leaves us with even less to eat if we someday venture through a mystical portal and find ourselves face-to-face with an Amikiri.