I know some of this mythological depictions are supposed to represent many things like nature forces, and I know Jung's Archetypes theory about symbols founded on the unconscious mind. However I want to know if there is any interpretation or theory on why all these gods had wings and in some cases body parts from animals like horses or lions.
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1HI and welcome to M&F SE, please take some time to take our tour. I already edited to change your tags but I am not sure what you mean. You tagged greek and since you speak about all the gods having wings, I wonder where you saw that all the Greek gods had wings, some uses them on one of their tools like Hermes but definitely most of them don't even show any.– CalaomCommented Jul 17, 2019 at 7:48
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Yes thank you for the observation, in the case of Greeks I was referring to creatures like the Sphinx which I know is not strictly a god but a mythical creature anyway.– Santi Tinjacá RiveraCommented Jul 17, 2019 at 16:48
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Then, you should change your title to something like: Why mythical creature share attributes in different mythologies/cultures.– CalaomCommented Jul 18, 2019 at 7:07
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You're right, I've changed it, thanks– Santi Tinjacá RiveraCommented Jul 18, 2019 at 15:46
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1 Answer
A recent study in psychology found considerable evidence suggesting that applying human-like traits to non-human entities, like animals, shapes, and supernatural beings, may constitute an innate cognitive bias, a bias that is common among all human minds. This behavior is therefore not considered to be primarily dependent on culture (and consequentially the need for similarities in cultures).
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So, from a psychological point of view this means that, this is a natural human inclination that goes beyond culture? Commented Jul 31, 2019 at 22:51
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@SantiTinjacáRivera, yes, that seems to be the case. For example, as to your question specifically about animal antropomorphication, this is even found in pre-settlement nomadic groups. Surviving remnants of this earliest form would be animal skins, feathers, skulls, horns and antlers worn by shamans and animists in all corners of the world to symbolize their connection with the spirit world.– CodosaurCommented Aug 1, 2019 at 5:15
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@Codosaur - Hello. What about the ancient idea about assuming animals as a force of nature and shaping that force in human characteristics etc. ? Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 18:18