Questions tagged [animals]
For questions relating to animals in mythology and folklore, symbolism and iconography.
37 questions
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Which culture believed in a bird whose flight sustains the universe?
I came across a mythological belief a few weeks ago, I believe in a Sam Kriss piece (1).
It centered around a bird (a swan or goose, I want to say?) that ceaselessly flew (in a primordial void/chaos?) ...
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Looking for god/dess of animals
Does anyone know about a god/dess who is known to have made animals attack other gods or humans? Preferably from non-European/non-Egyptian mythologies, as I already know about the Greek examples.
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What bird species is associated with Pallas Athēnē?
The english Wikipedia article about the bird Athene noctua (called little owl in English) claims, without references, that in Greek mythology, the godess Pallas Athēnē was associated with that bird. ...
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Are there any beings from Norse Mythology that could be mistaken for a Kitsune (fox-person spirit)?
I'm starting a new Roleplaying campaign soon, and my character is norse/icelandic themed.
One of the other character is inspired by Kitsune.
I want to find out what, if anything, might my character ...
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Are owls mentioned in Norse Mythology?
The wikipedia page on Birds in Norse Mythology does not mention
Other websites mention owls:
The owl is associated with Hawthorn and the mystique rune is Huathe. The owl is the guide to the ...
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Is this a real myth? Pembroke Welsh Corgis as mounts for fairies
I've seen this myth floating around the internet for a while now and decided to write about it for a project. The only issue was: I couldn't actually find a reputable source for the claim. Wikipedia's ...
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Besides the Chinese and Western Zodiacs, are there other folk traditions with a different set of creatures? [closed]
I'm a writer working in a book and I need a set of creatures for a fantasy book. To give you an idea of what I intend I already use the animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac in an idea with each one ...
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Sheep that speaks the day of your death
I once heard a myth which went along the lines that somewhere in the North of England there was a sheep (or other animal) which, if approached at the correct time (probably midnight) and date, would ...
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Which (real) birds are most strongly associated with fire?
Birds generally are symbols of high power, e.g. the sun. Excluding mythical birds, which real species are most strongly associated with power, magic, and specifically fire in particular?
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What is the origin of a tale of hummingbird extinguishing a fire in Mesoamerica or South-America?
There's a so-called story about a hummingbird trying to extinguish a forest fire, supposed to originate from South-America, of which I've been trying to find the origin - in vain.
Someone knows ...
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Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices?
Which ancient cults would cut out the hearts of live animals and offer them as sacrifices? The Mishnah (Avodah Zarah 2:3) mentions a concept called עורות לבובין which Maimonides and other commentators ...
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Are there tales where people are turned into rats?
In Cinderella, the fairy godmother turns a rat into a coachman, but while I have read many tales where people are turned into other kinds of animals -- crows, wolves, swans, bears, frogs -- I haven't ...
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Are there any gods or similar beings other than Nemesis that laid eggs?
Castor and Pollux, Helen and Clytemnestra are considered twins, and may or may not have hatched from eggs laid by Nemesis after being impregnated by her father Zeus as swans https://www.theoi.com/...
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What is the fable character of a tiger?
In beast fables, the animals are very fixed in character to convey the meaning -- foxes and ravens are crafty, bears are strong but stupid, wolves are fierce, and lions are commanding frequently to ...
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Trying to find a hunter myth I was told as a child
When we were small children, our grandma would tell my sister and I stories at bedtime. She loved the Greek myths and Aesop's fables, but I have no idea where this particular story comes from.
It's ...
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Is there a folklore belief that the spirit of a wolf comes back to avenge its death?
Isidoros Zourgos in his novel "Στην σκιά της πεταλούδας" mentions that if you kill a wolf, the animal's spirit will come back and kill you after forty days.
The origin of the belief is assumed to be ...
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Where does the idea of counting crows come from?
According to Learn Religions and many astrology websites, the number of crows you see predicts the future:
"Seeing just a single crow is considered an omen of bad luck. Finding
two crows, however,...
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When did chicken become a synonym of cowardice?
Chicken is often used to mean someone is a coward. This is exemplified in the game of chicken.
When did chicken first become a synonym of cowardice?
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Did a pagan cult remove the gallbladder of animals before sacrificing them?
Rabbi Gedaliah ibn Yachya in his work Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah (Jerusalem, 1962), p. 223 alleges that when sacrificing animals, some pagans would remove the gallbladder (מרה, marah) from the animal in ...
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What animal did Demeter transform into?
When Typhon showed up at Olympus, most of the gods fled to Egypt in the form of animals. (Wikipedia is the only place I found what form they took.) Apollo was a hawk, Hermes an ibis, Ares a fish, ...
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Which cultures worship boars?
I'm searching for a list of cultures/regions which worshiped/revered boars.
I only know of Hinduism of the Indian Subcontinent, where an avatar of Lord Vishnu, Varaha is worshiped.
Further, I'm ...
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Origin of "horses that instinctively open a vein with their teeth in order to breathe more freely"
In Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), we find this sentence:
Man erzählt von einer edlen Art Pferde, die, wenn sie schrecklich erhitzt und aufgejagt sind, sich selbst aus Instinkt eine Ader ...
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Is there a myth that dolphins were humans who chose to return to the sea?
In the Fantasy Island (1998) episode "Dreams", Michael Allen is a stockbroker who finds a mysterious woman (played by Jennifer Garner) who says this to him when they first meet.
Sally: You ...
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What animals were represented in gods in ancient Egypt?
I cannot find many animals that were represented as gods and I am writing an essay on ancient Egypt.
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Tales of bats as witches' familiars?
One of the superstitions in the article 13 Halloween Superstitions & Traditions Explained is about bats:
Medieval folklore also described bats as witches' familiars, and seeing a bat on ...
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Are there any deities or mythological beasts inspired by snow leopards?
I don't know a lot about the mythology of central Asian cultures (where the snow leopard comes from). I'm trying to find more information on the cultural impact the animal could have.
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Where does it says that snakes can kill birds by looking at their shadow?
I have seen several early Jewish sources (e.g. Midrash Tanhuma, Beshalah 18) refer to the idea that a snake can kill a bird by just looking at its shadow. Has this ancient belief been documented ...
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How are bears associated with the world of dreams?
I was looking for information on bear cults when I stumbled upon this little gem:
In Native American folklore there are many tales about bears. It is highly respected as the 'keeper of dreams', and '...
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Why are cows sacred in India?
Does it purely have to do with ahimsa or is it also partly based on the status of Nandi?
(If Nandi is a factor, does this also bear on the protected status of monkeys per Hanuman's assistance to Rama?...
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What was the role of the bear in Norse mythology? (Are there bears in Asgard?)
The Norse æsir gods had animal helpers, but did anyone of them have a bear? Have bears been found in graves, like dogs and horses et cetera? Are there Norse illustration of bears?
Some Norse warriors ...
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Why is the Indian Dragon at war with the Elephant?
Aelian records the following tale of an elephant fighting a dragon:
In India, I am told, the Elephant and the Drakon (Dragon-Serpent) are the bitterest enemies. Now Elephants draw down the branches ...
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Is there any reference to this story about Inari?
The Japanese rice Goddess liked to wrap herself in a fox’s body. Sometimes, too, She took the shape of a human woman in order to sleep with men, who had excellent crops as a result. One of these men,...
user1385
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Why do snake (serpent) and bull often come together as symbols of deities?
The Celtic Cernunnos, the Greek Dionysus, the Slavic Veles and Vedic Shiva have snake and bull among their symbols.
Why do these two symbols tend to come together?
It looks to me as though these ...
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What are some examples of snakes as a source of knowledge in Greek mythology?
Wikipedia claims:
A snake as a source of knowledge is a recurring theme in Greek mythology, though sometimes the snake brings understanding of the language of animals rather than an ability to know ...
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Why are goats associated with Satan?
Why is the goat often associated with Satan in various religious folklore and illustrations? What makes the goat satanic?
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Why are cats so important in Ancient Egypt?
Cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt. This can be clearly seen by the large amount of cat statues, mummified cats, ... that have been found. There is even a God specific for cats (Bastet).
But why ...
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