Animal Symbolism Research Articles

The Ritual Use of Animal Scapulae in Central Asia in the Xiongnu-Xianbei-Rouran Period

ABSTRACT The scapula bone is bestowed with a particular prominence among the various traditional Siberian tribes. Besides its rich symbolic importance, the shoulder blade is connected with shamanistic rituals and in particular, fortunetelling. Scapulimancy (telling fortunes from the scapula) is a tradition with its roots in ancient China. Historical chronicles and ethnographic research on scapulimancy in Central Asia had led archaeologists to assign a ritual meaning to scapulae with regular perforations. This paper is to present the problematic matter of distinction of fortunetelling scapulae in the archaeological material. Another aim is to sum up historical and ethnographic data regarding scapulimancy. A comprehensive approach to this topic was also provided by microscopic observations on the materials from the settlement Chultukov Log-9 (Altai, Russian Federation), dated back to the Xiongnu-Xianbei-Rouran period. Excavations were conducted by the authors of this paper in 2012–2016. Experiments were also conducted in order to distinguish shoulder blades of utilitarian character (tools) from those of ritual use. In general, this issue shows the importance of animal symbolism in crucial matters for pastoral, nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples.

Türk Sanatında Bir İmge olarak 'Horoz Sembolü

Art has come to life with the lines and colors made on cave walls by human hands in prehistoric times and attained symbols. The human, who started the struggle for life by opening his eyes to the world and thus developed his intuition, developed a number of rituals within the framework of his wishes such as reaching animal power with animal symbols and having his hunts fertile. State structure, geography, belief and vital characteristics play a role in taking the shape of the work of art. It is inevitable to have interactions between societies in the field of culture and art. However, originality in art can be achieved primarily by protecting its own essence and carrying it. The Turkish artist has preserved his place in world art by identifying the meaning of the symbols he uses in his works, by determining their mythological and religious origins. Animal symbols are of particular importance in Turkish culture. In this context, there are many symbolized animal figures and they are used. In this study, which explains the areas where the symbol, which is one of these figures, is applied, a different angle is evaluated. Based on General scanning, research methods and techniques were used in terms of quality in the research, and the place and theme of the Rooster motif in painting art were examined.

아시아 열두 띠 설화의 동물 표상을 활용한 상호문화 감수성 신장의 문화교육

이 글은 한국에 사는 이주민이 구술한 <열두 띠 유래>를 활용해 상호문화 감수성을 신장하는 교수전략으로 아시아 나라의 이주민이 구술한 열두 띠 설화를 제시하고, 문화인식의 맥락과 통합적 가치를 생성하는 문화교육의 내용을 구체화한 연구이다. 이주민이 구술한 <열두 띠 유래> 설화들의 상징적 표상은 ‘동물’로 나타나며, 동물 대결의 변이로 문화적 가치를 차이 나게 전승하고 있어, 상호문화 감수성을 신장하는데 좋은 텍스트임을 논했다. 이때 기호화된 동물 표상의 문화적 함의를 맥락화 하고, 해석하는 과정에서 상호문화 감수성이 신장될 수 있게 하는 교수전략을 5단계로 제시했다. 이주민이 구술한 아시아 <열두 띠 유래>를 중심으로 변이가 생기는 동물의 표상이 어떤 대립자질을 형성하며, 각 나라의 문화적 가치를 반영하고 있는가를 해석해 보는 상호문화 감수성의 내용을 단계별로 구체화해 보았다. 이주민이 구술한 베트남 설화에서는 한국의 설화와 비슷하게 ‘쥐와 물소’가 대립하지만, 일본, 중국의 설화에서는 ‘쥐와 고양이’의 대립구도가 보이는 점에 주목하게 된다. 카자흐스탄, 몽골의 이야기는 소가 아닌, ‘쥐와 낙타’의 대립구도가 나타난다. 일본, 중국, 카자흐스탄, 몽골의 설화를 접하게 되면, 열두 동물의 ‘열두 자리와 들어가고자 하는 열세 동물의 대립(12:13)’으로 문화적 의미를 생성하고 있다는 것을 알 수 있다. 이 대립은 다시 ‘문화의 안 : 문화의 밖’의 대립자질을 생성하며, 문화의 내부와 외부의 관계를 보게 하고, 자문화와 타문화의 관계를 통찰하게 한다고 해석했다. 동아시아와 동남아시아에 전승된 ‘쥐와 소’의 대결구도가 가지는 동물표상의 문화적 함의를 중앙아시아의 ‘쥐와 낙타’의 대결구도와 연결했을 때 어떤 의미가 생성되는지도 주목해 보았다. 쥐는 소처럼 농경문화를, 낙타처럼 유목문화를 대변하지 않으며, 특정 문화를 대표하는 뿌리 깊은 속성이 없지만, 오히려 모든 동물과 소통하고 넓은 시야로 흐름을 파악하는 특징이 있다고 해석했다. 쥐는 모든 동물표상으로 상징되는 타문화와 관계를 맺을 수 있는 존재이기에 모든 나라의 이야기에서 열두 띠 문화의 수장이 된 것으로 맥락을 생성하고, 이와 같은 쥐의 특성을 상호문화 감수성에서 말하는 마지막 통합의 단계인 ‘문화적 매개’의 태도와 연결했다. 이 과정을 통해, 이주민이 구술한 설화 중 아시아의 열두 띠 설화가 상호문화 감수성을 어떻게 신장할 수 있는지의 교육내용을 제시할 수 있었다.

Animal Imagery in the Satanism of Anton LaVey

The Church of Satan has used animal tropes recurrently. This article analyzes some of the most important animal representations that Anton LaVey came up with, both for esthetic and ideological purposes. Seizing on the long traditions of Satanism, LaVey embraced goat imagery to a significant degree. He also chose this particular animal for its associations with Pan, and the themes surrounding sexuality. Likewise, he embraced the snake, lion, and panthers. Yet, his choice of animal symbolism went beyond the esthetic. As he established the Church of Satan, LaVey hoped to construct an ideology that would emphasize humans’ animalistic aspect. In this endeavor, he also made use of animal imagery.

Antiquity for Connoisseurs: Animals with Classical Pedigree in the Emblems of The Theatrum Memoriae Nobilis ac Almae Societatis Unitorum

The Theatrum Memoriae Nobilis ac Almae Societatis Unitorum or the Album of the Ljubljana Noble Society of St Dismas (Archive of the Republic of Slovenia, ref. AS 1073, I/1), is a monument of great cultural value which unequivocally reflects the intellectual milieu of Ljubljana at the time of its dynamic renewal in the late 17th and early 18th century. It is the most outstanding illuminated manuscript of the early modern period that survives in Slovenia, as well as a treasury of hand painted emblems created for academy members. The article focuses on animal symbolism with origins in Greek and Roman Antiquity. The abundance of animals in the illuminations of the Album clearly indicates their importance in the iconography of the emblems and demonstrates the patrons’ interest in animal symbolism. The emblems fall into three main categories: (1) the first group consists of animal motifs with an apparent origin in Greco-Roman culture, well-known literary sources and/or an established tradition in the visual art of Classical Antiquity; (2) the second demonstrates more sophistication in handling themes from Greco-Roman animal lore: the classical origin of animal symbolism is less manifest and it may take some effort to identify; (3) the third group is characterized by a highly skilled and sophisticated treatment of the motifs from Classical Antiquity as well as the interesting iconography. Many of them actually appear to have no reference to Greco-Roman culture whatsoever because the allusion is particularly refined. The author shows the characteristics of this group by the emblem made for Siegfrid Bonaventura von Werthenthal, featuring an original image of Bucephalus. The author points out that the ambitious members of St Dismas Society designed their individual emblems as witty demonstrations of erudition for their learned colleagues and for posterity. The complexity of the emblems proves that many patrons were well aware of Paolo Giovio’s idea of buona impresa which (as stated in his Dialogo dell’imprese militari et amorose), must not to be too obscure, in a way that it would take the wisdom of a Sybil to understand it, nor should it be so clear as to be understood by any plebeian. In this context, the patron’s familiarity with Greco-Roman Antiquity and his sophistication in dealing with classical themes was not only consistent with the prevailing intellectual trend, it was also a matter of personal prestige.

Speaking Animals: Fables of Resistance in Get Out, Sorry to Bother You, and Atlanta

This essay examines animal iconography in recent examples from film and television, situating it against the history of the plantation fable. In Jordan Peele's Get Out (2017), Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You (2018), and the "Alligator Man" episode of Donald Glover's Atlanta (dir. Hiro Murai, 2018), animals symbolize Black resistance to white supremacy, as well as signifying their own resistance to human control; these layers of meaning form a category we call the "speaking animal." Reading animals in these texts, the essay makes two critical interventions. First, it joins a new but growing body of scholarship in bringing critical race studies and animal studies, two approaches that have mostly existed at cross-purposes, into conversation with each other. Second, while both approaches have traditionally been suspicious of animal metaphors (and for good reason), this essay theorizes the speaking animal as a way that Black storytellers reclaim animal symbols from dehumanizing rhetoric and redeploy them as icons of defiance.

Animal symbolism in the poetry of Joe Ushie

Although Joe Ushie’s poetry has received critical attention, studies focus mainly on the socio-political and ecological issues prevalent in the poems. Our paper is interested in the way Ushie uses ...

الرموز الحیوانیة فى الفن الإیرانی Animal symbols in Iranian carpet art

حمل هذا البحث عنوان الرموز الحيوانية في فن السجاد الإيراني تناولت الباحثة الخلفية البيئية والثقافية والإجتماعية وسمات وملامح فن السجاد الإيراني وإتجاهتة الفنية وأنواع الرموز وأغراض ظهورها الرموز والمدلول الأجتماعي والتشکيلي والتعبيري للرموز ومعانيها والدلالات الرمزية للألوان في السجاد الإيراني، وقامت ايضا بتصنيف الرموز الحيوانية إلى اربع تصنيفات على شکل جداول وهي ( رموز حيوانية أرضية – رموز حيوانية مجنحة – رموز حيوانات العالم المائي – رموز الغيلان والحيوانات الخرافية ) وقامت ايضا بتحليل جمالي لمختارات من السجاد الإيراني العتيق والحديث الذي يتسم بالأسلوب الرمزي وخاصة منذ ازدهارها فى الدوله الصفوية وحتى عصرنا الحديث . وعلية فقد تمکنت الدراسة من إثبات ان الرموز الحيوانية في فن السجاد الإيراني مرتبط إرتباطا شديدا بالعقيدة ، حيث إنه تمتع بإسلوب رمزى فى تفکيره إستمده من عقيدته التى تميزت بالرمزية . وقد تمکنت الباحثة من حصر أغلب الرموز الحيوانية فى فن السجاد الإيراني وجمعها فى جدول مع توضيح الدلالات التعبيرية لهذه الرموز ، وذلک لکى يتسنى لطالب الفن أو متذوقه قراءة أى رموز حيوانية على السجاد الإيراني بسهولة ومعرفة الدلالات الرمزية والتعبيرية لها

Kathryn L. Smithies, Introducing the Medieval Ass. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2020, xv, 163 pp., 7 b/w ill.

Even if we might not think much about the ass within the spectrum of medieval culture and nature, it was closely associated already with Jesus, being one of the animals in the shed where he was born. And later, when the savior rode into Jerusalem, he used an ass as a symbol of his humility. Agriculture and the transportation system during antiquity and the Middle Ages, and actually far beyond, cannot be imagined without this beast, and in times of need, such as in crusades, the ass was also eaten. Not surprisingly, the ass also appears almost ubiquitously in fable literature and in the visual arts serving as a symbolic animal. We find some references to the ass in the Lexikon des Mittelalters or in dictionaries of symbols (Hans Biedermann, Knaur Lexikon der Symbole, 1989; Christoph Wetzel, Das grosse Lexikon der Symbole, 2008), but it proves difficult to identify any major study on this animal. However, it’s use in Christianity, in fairy tales, symbolism, and elsewhere is quite well covered in the German online article at &lt;uri href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausesel"&gt;https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hausesel&lt;/uri&gt; (last accessed on Feb. 2, 2021). But all this is now, more or less, superseded by Kathryn L. Smithies’s at first sight quite pleasant, unpretentious, but informative study. As she points out right away, the ass appeared as a rather ambiguous animal, being mocked at, despised, praised, idealized, and ridiculed again, all depending on the context and the intention of the artist or narrator.

Moscow Print Yard under Patriarch Nikon: Specific Features of the Repertoire and Artistic Design of Publications

This article studies the activities of the Moscow Print Yard during the period under Patriarch Nikon between 1652 and 1658. The period was not only characterised by a serious economic activity intended to organise work at the Print Yard but also a number of considerable changes in the repertoire of publications of the printing house and book design. All these actions took place under the direct supervision of Patriarch Nikon and his participation. This article makes an attempt to trace the overall activity of the Print Yard in two directions: studying the structure of the repertoire of print products and book design and changes in the external form of Moscow editions. The article examines a new type of editions which appeared under Patriarch Nikon — loose-leaf editions, clarifying the reasons and motives for their appearance, which are not due to their economic benefit but their efficiency and circulation, and the opportunity to standardise church administrative issues through them. Additionally, the author considers issues connected with iconographic “preparation” related to changes in the images of the animal symbols of the Evangelists in the frontispiece engravings of the Gospel. Also, the article clarifies the reasons that prompted Patriarch Nikon to make these corrections, which are based on a general approach to correcting church rites and books. In correcting the order of animal symbols, Patriarch Nikon relied on the ancient Russian manuscript tradition (pre-15th century) and Greek samples associated primarily with the images on the Antimins. The article pays special attention to the publication of Antimins as a new type of Moscow edition considering the question of its samples. Finally, the author examines the features of engraved illustrations in Nikon’s editions and their design demonstrating the significance of Nikon’s reforms for the development of the artistic form and art of the Moscow book.

Vitae as a Subject Source in the West European Pictorial Art of the 14–17th Centuries (On the Example of the Image of Saint Jerome of Stridon)

For many centuries, Western European art drew its subjects from ancient history, mythology and the Bible. The artists paid great attention to the depiction of saints, for each of whom, over time, a pictorial canon with its own attributes and certain subjects was formed. As a result, the viewer not only easily recognized a particular saint, but he could also get acquainted with the facts of his biography and the role he played in the history of the church. Saint Jerome of Stridon was one of the most popular among artists, of all the Fathers of the Church he was portrayed more often than others. The article discusses the formation of this canon on the example of Jerome’s life and work. It is based on a literature review of this topic and it contains the main studies of the biography and literary activity of Jerome, from which the artists drew subjects for their works. The article describes chronologically the vitae of St. Jerome, his hagiography from Jacobus de Voragine’s “The Golden Legend”, biography and posthumous legends, miracles and appearances of the saint from “Hieronymianus” by Giovanni d’Andrea. Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote a historical biography of Saint Jerome. Since the 19th century a large number of scientific studies of Jerome’s life and work has appeared. The article analyzes specific works of Jerome, which were also sources for pictorial images. Special attention is paid to a review of art history literature, as well as medieval bestiaries, since the paintings with St. Jerome are filled with numerous symbolic animals. A review of literature and sources on the stated topic will help stimulate researchers to further study the relationship between the lives of saints and their iconography in art, identify gaps in research on this topic and specify aspects that researchers have not yet paid attention to.

高麗時代 四神圖의 玄武 圖像

高麗時代 四神圖의 玄武 圖像

오행경혈기무의 치료적 유용성

Dance is an art that assumes the form of movement and the most basic characteristics of dance is movement. As a body therapy system that circulates vitality of body and makes energy by circulating energy and blood ceaselessly through the dance movement, principle of dance therapy can be applied. Especially, “Five Elements Meridian Point Qi Dance” which is performed based on the smooth operation of energy and breath with principle of Yin-Yang and Five-Elements that combined Korean dance and Qi dance is considered valuable as a treatment program that reflects the result of Korean medicinal experiment in the domain of current dance therapy program on the basis of principle having something in common with medical principle of traditional curing movement. Oriental medicine sets a high value on the concept of Qi (氣: energy). Qi is an essential element constituting all things in the universe, which is considered a core element in the oriental philosophy that explains essence and origins of matter, existence and activity of things. Regarding human mind and brain as one, Oriental medicine takes an organic and psychosomatic correlative approach. It can be said to be contrast to atomistic and analytic system of Western medicine. Qi enables faithful body activity and maintenance of vital activity, which provides help to performance of functions such as respiratory control, muscle relaxation, body temperature control, digestion absorption control etc. As a movement using Korean dance, energy and breath, Five Elements Meridian Point Qi Dance is composed based on the principle of Yin-Yang and Five-Elements, and is a movement based on the perspective of 14 meridian systems in Korean medicine. In movements of Qi dance, balance of yin and yang is made by controlling deviation of malformation of top and bottom, front and back, inside and outside and left and right by achieving harmony in yin and yang through motion and standstill, pace, folding and unfolding, spreading and gathering of movement. In developing movements of Five Elements Meridian Point Qi Dance, this study adopted a sound (musical instrument) symbolized by movement and five yin that represents symbolic animals of Five Elements, that is to say, Blue Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right, Vermilion Bird on the south and Black Tortoise on the north. Research in this thesis is considered valuable and significant as it prepared systematic movement and foundation that materializes its effect through organization of a practical program for the possibility of cure and treatment effect through the principle and movement composition of actual and practical dance therapy movement based on the Korean medicinal Five Elements meridian point within the category of dance therapy for movement through the principle of Five Elements meridian point on the basis of Yin-Yang and Five-Elements from the perspective of Korean medicine.

Symbol of Mouse in Slavonic and Chinese Linguocultures

The article describes in comparative aspect the main symbolic meanings of the zoononym mouse in Slavic and Chinese linguocultures. The study of animal symbolism in Russian (wider - Slavic) and Chinese cultural traditions is one of the current trends in modern linguistics, which, on the one hand, has a pronounced anthropocentric orientation, and on the other, is characterized by a noticeable increase in interest in the Chinese language and culture of China in different countries of the world. Turning to the study of complex and ambiguous symbolism of the mouse is quite timely and taking into account the confinement of 2020 to the year of the White Rat / Mouse. The purpose of the study is to identify similar and specific for each culture features of perception and characteristics of the mouse as an animal, which has a significant impact on everyday life. The tasks of the work include identifying the sources of the appearance of a negatively connotated mouse image in culture, determining the ambivalent nature of rituals, customs and ritual actions, the object of which are mice, as well as revealing the contents of the “Mouse Wedding” custom in Chinese and South Slavic traditions. The analysis of the actual material (stable phrases, folklore texts, ethnocultural records, traditional drawings) showed, on the one hand, the mostly negative symbolism of the mouse in the Slavic spiritual culture, and on the other, the perception of the mouse as an animal, bringing material wealth and prosperity, in the traditional picture of the world the Chinese. At the same time, it was established that both the Slavs and the Chinese use a number of magic tricks aimed at fighting mice that cause considerable damage to the peasant economy. Significant for the linguoculturological analysis of the mouse image is the appeal to oriental folklore texts, as well as to traditional popular prints of Chinese and Russians, reflecting differently the symbolism of mice and their relation to the main enemy - the cat.

Gender Perspectives on National and Nation-State Animal Symbolism

The aim of this article is to revisit the significance of national and nation-state animal symbolism within the context of modern constitutionalism and its democratic emphasis on equal rights, regardless of gender. I discuss the problematic conveyance of gender inclusiveness through the animal sign, and how both at a linguistic and at a visual level (through sexual monomorphism and dimorphism), gender politics may become inscribed within the anthropomorphized animal and its body. I then turn to examine recent examples in which women’s inclusion within the animal symbol has been debated or once again dismissed through a reinstatement of patriarchal expectations. I close the article with a few questions regarding how (and/or whether) the type of gender equality desired and proclaimed by modern nation-states could potentially become encrypted within the animal body.

A Mythological Anamnesis: from AIDS Spiders to the Bats of Ebola or Covid-19 - Revised Version of the Paper Presented at the Colloquium "Cultural and Social Perspectives on Epidemics", musée du quai Branly-Jacques-Chirac, June 27, 2019

This article focuses on some representations of the origin of AIDS and Ebola in Burkina Faso, against a new background of Covid-19 which began in early 2020 in connection with two animals: the spider and the bat. These are also, if not first and foremost, heroes of oral literature (from tales to myths) from this region of West Africa. It is up to anthropologists to explore the meandering symbolism and imagination of these liminal animals that move back and forth between the worlds inhabited by humans and the "bush" worlds of non-humans. Here arises a mythological anamnesis. These "trickster" animals challenge categories and understanding of both virologists and anthropologists.

Disentangling taphonomic histories at Old Uppsala, a Late Iron Age central place in Sweden, using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA)

Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) has been applied to animal bones from the Late Iron Age (650–1050 CE) at the site of Old Uppsala, Sweden, to explore meat consumption and waste management at the site and to evaluate the inferential value of MCA, as indicated by earlier research using this technique. MCA describes variation within the data, which provides a platform from which to contextualize taphonomic traces at Old Uppsala. The data comprises bones from the many pit houses at Old Uppsala, categorized by taxon, anatomical parts and presence of taphonomic markers from burning, butchery, gnawing, trampling and weathering. The results show a clear variation in the distribution of animal bones between the pit houses. For example, differences in fragmentation degrees and in signs of bone exposure indicate different accumulation rates between the assemblages. The results also suggest that cultural practices affected the distribution of animal bones, especially in terms of spatial and social differences in animal consumption. The frequencies of bones from the axial skeleton, from pig, and possibly also from horse, differed within the settlement. We suggest that the uneven patterns of especially pig and horse bones were shaped by context specific meat consumption, influenced by the animal symbolism of the Old Norse societies, where these animals had strong, albeit different, symbolic connotations.

Народные представления о счастье в странах Дальнего Востока и символика мыши в японском фольклоре

A mouse is one of the most popular animals in the Eastern Asian countries where it symbolizes happiness and welfare. The paper shows how this image is interpreted in the Japanese folklore and identifies its role in the modern Japanese culture. Animal symbols in the Japanese national worldview have not been previously investigated, which determines scientific originality of the study, where a mouse image is analysed comprehensively by the example of fairy tales and folk rituals associated with a mouse as a symbol of luck. The research findings are as follows: the author shows how unambiguously the positive image of a mouse is represented in folklore, modern rituals and everyday practices, which indicates close interrelation of traditions and innovations in the modern Japanese folk culture.

Comparison of Allegory Symbols in O Novel by Eka Kurniawan and Animal Farm by George Orwell

: This study aims to examine the comparison of allegorical symbols in O 's novel by Eka Kurniawan and Animal Farm by George Orwell, which includes comparison of symbolic shapes and their meanings. This study was a qualitative research with a comparative literary approach. This data were in the forms of allegory symbols, meaning symbols in the form of words, sentences and paragraphs in both novels. Data sources used were two novels entitled O and Animal Farm , as well as other supporting books. The results of this study indicate that there are similarities and differences in terms of the shape and meaning of symbols in both novels. The shape of the animal symbol is the form that dominates both novels. Based on the meaning, both novels the same describe the state of a country. These similarities and differences are based on the basis of affinity in comparable literature.

Symbolism of sacred and profane animals in the Quran

The story of animal symbolism is associated with knowledge and wisdom. This is in order to be used as an example by humans as a valuable lesson. Humans can learn ethics from fables. In the modern view, the symbolism of animals in relation to the issue of eco-psychology has become a trending topic. This study aims to explore the symbolism of sacred and profane animals in the Quran through a hermeneutic-anthropological perspective. This study used a qualitative-descriptive method by describing the data narratively. The data analysis techniques used in this study are hybridization techniques. First, there is reciting the verses (hermeneutical-anthropological) in the Quran can be either universal or particular. Second, there is identifying the passages that relate to animals, whether real pets or unreal ones (symbolism). Third, there is the classification of the animals associated with the pattern of binary oppositions, and the Quran in the context of mytheme (unit of myths) and cheritheme (unit of the story). Fourth, there is the search for collective mediation functions for the community supporters who are in the Quran - mytheme and cheritheme animals. The findings of this study are that: 1) animal symbolism in the Quran appears in the form of either dyadic or triadic and 2) the symbolism of animals the Quran shows that animals in the Quran have a collective mediating function for the supporting community,i.e. a) animals as intermediaries towards holy people (through sacrifice); b) animals as medicine/human health; and c) animals as protectors. The conclusion of this study shows that animals in the Quran appear in both real and symbolic form.