Animal Symbols
Animals have always been used to symbolize different energies, as well as our own animal emotions. Bears usually symbolize grumpiness, for instance. A bull symbolizes stubbornness, while a dog represents loyalty. An elephant symbolizes good memory. A fox makes us think of cunning. A lion symbolizes courage, while a mouse symbolizes timidity. These associations are universal, and came about as a result of observation.
Animals have been used symbolically since cave man days. Rock paintings inside caves frequently depict animals. Painting an animal surrounded by hunters on the wall of a cave may well have been a form of sympathetic magic.
In religion, many gods were represented by animals or animal heads. Ganesh, the Hindu god of wisdom, is a good example. He has the head of an elephant. In Christianity, the dove is used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout history, animals have been used to symbolize human traits. Wise as an owl, cunning as a fox, and faithful as a dog are all examples of this. Mythical animals, such as the dragon, sphinx, and unicorn, are also rich in symbolism. Mythology is full of hybrid animals that are half human and half beast. The centaur of Greek mythology has the head of a man and the body of a horse. The centaur is associated with lust, drunkenness, and violence, and symbolized the animalistic side of humankind. Mermaids appear regularly in sailing folklore. A strange creature, consisting of a human body and an animal’s head, is depicted on The Wheel of Fortune card in the Tarot deck. This animal could be an indication that mankind is still evolving. Although the body is recognizably human, the head has not yet developed into human form.19 When I first learned the Tarot, I was taught that this animal is Anubis, the Egyptian god of tombs and embalming who weighed the hearts of the dead. He had the body of a man and the head of a jackal. The snake on the left side of the wheel is Set, brother of Osiris and the Egyptian god of death. Consequently, Set symbolizes death, and Anubis symbolizes rebirth.
The unicorn symbolizes virginal purity. This is because its single horn, a phallic symbol, is attached to the forehead, home of the mind, which sublimates the sexual potential into potentially more worthwhile areas. Mary, mother of Jesus, is frequently pictured with a unicorn in her lap. This symbolizes the Immaculate Conception. Other animals that symbolize chastity are the bee, dove, elephant, phoenix, and salamander.
Naturally, there are also animals that symbolize lust. These include the ape, ass, bear, cat, cock, goat, horse, leopard, monkey, pig, and rabbit. In Christian art, snakes or toads feeding on the breasts of women are sometimes used to symbolize lust.
Bee
The bee symbolizes industry, prosperity, sweetness, and diligence. The bee also symbolizes virginity, chastity, and purity. This association came about because people used to believe the bee reproduced asexually. In ancient Egypt, the bee was known as the “giver of life” and symbolized birth, death, and reincarnation. It also symbolized a successful, happy, productive, fruitful life. In ancient Greece, Demeter was known as the queen of the bees. Bees were associated with Cupid who used them to sting people who fell in love.
Bull
The bull is a powerful symbol of male potency. In the past, a family’s wealth was determined by the number of cattle they possessed. Bulls, in particular, became associated with wealth, power, and sexual prowess. A bull market indicates a powerful, surging stock market. (See also Cow.)
Butterfly
In Japan, the butterfly symbolizes femininity. Two butterflies symbolize a happy marriage. Around the world, the butterfly symbolizes the soul, which cannot be extinguished as the butterfly develops from the egg, into a caterpillar, chrysalis, and ultimately, butterfly.
Cat
Cats were sacred animals in ancient Egypt. Bastet was a feline-headed, lunar goddess who was associated with pleasure, fertility, and protection. Over the centuries, cats have had a mixed reputation. Buddhists, for instance, believe that cats failed to mourn the death of Buddha. The association of cats with demonic forces was a common belief in Europe in the Middle Ages.
An unexpected appearance of a cat indicates sexual issues that need to be examined and healed.
Cow
The cow is a maternal symbol. Both the cow and the bull are also considered fertility symbols. Early civilizations considered the cow to symbolize Mother Earth. Some people took this further, relating the cow’s curved horns to the moon, and her milk with the Milky Way. Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, was sometimes represented as a cow with stars on her stomach, and her four legs indicated the four quarters of the earth. The cow is a sacred animal in India. In Vedic literature, the cow symbolizes both the earth and sky, and her milk symbolizes live-preserving, fertilizing rain.
Deer
The stag, a male deer, symbolizes passion, ardor, and virility. When deer were introduced into Australia, they quickly became important symbolic animals to the Aborigines. They believe that to dream of a deer is a sign of unconditional love and of living in harmony with all living things.20
Dog
The usual symbolism of a dog is as “man’s best friend.” This means that it serves as a masculine symbol of loyalty, love, steadfastness, and protection.
Dove
The dove symbolizes love, purity, peace, and hope. Today the dove is a peace symbol. This is due largely to the favorable references the dove received in the Bible. A dove returned to Noah with an olive branch as a sign of peace. After he baptized Jesus, John the Baptist “saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove” (John 1:32).
Christians also associated the dove with chastity, in marked contrast to earlier symbolism. Depictions of winged phalluses and doves were found together in the ruins of Pompeii. The moaning sound produced by the dove reminded people of both sex and childbirth.
An old folk custom says that you can ensure your love will continue to love you forever if you conceal the dried tongue of a turtledove in his or her bedroom. A pair of doves symbolizes a long, harmonious marriage.
Duck
In Asia, ducks, especially the Mandarin duck, symbolize a happy marriage, constancy, and fidelity. Pairs of ducks are common emblems of marriage, and can be found as decorations in honeymoon suites in both Japan and China.
Eagle
The eagle has always been considered a powerful, even regal, symbol. The ancient Greeks considered this bird a spiritual symbol, which is why an eagle attends Zeus. In Sumerian and Assyrian mythology, the eagle symbolized fertility.
Elephant
The elephant symbolizes power, royalty, patience, wisdom, and retentive memory. It also symbolizes a strong sex drive and a successful and passionate marriage.
Fish
The fish has always been considered a symbol of fertility and sexual happiness. There are three main reasons for this. Plutarch wrote that the ancient Egyptians considered fish to be phallic symbols.21 Fish produce copious amounts of spawn. Water, itself, is also a fertility symbol. In China, two fish symbolize marriage and fruitfulness. The Celts tell a story about Tuan MacCairill who had several incarnations. In one of them, he was a salmon. In this incarnation, he impregnated an Irish queen who ate him after he was caught.22
Frog
The frog is an amphibious animal. As it comes from the water, it is considered a symbol of transformation, rebirth, and renewal. It is also a symbol of earthly pleasures. As such it is associated with eroticism, lust, and fertility.
Goat
Goats have always symbolized lust and virility. Female goats are also associated with fecundity and nourishment. A female goat nursed the Greek god Zeus. A number of fertility cults, including the Mendesians of Egypt, used goats in a variety of ways. Herodotus wrote that the Mendesians practiced bestiality.
Goose
The Celts and Chinese considered the goose a masculine symbol. The term “goosing” relates to the sexual symbolism of the goose, which dates back to Priapus in ancient Greece. In much of central Asia, “goose” is an affectionate term used by men when referring to their wives.23 In China, the goose is called the “Bird of Heaven” and symbolizes love, faithfulness, truth, and inspiration.
Hippopotamus
In ancient Egypt, the hippopotamus was considered the embodiment of brutality and evil. This came about because of its methods of capturing and eating its prey. It may seem surprising that the hippopotamus was also considered a protector of women, and symbolized pregnancy. Statues of upright, pregnant hippopotami goddesses were commonly found in people’s homes to encourage pregnancy.
Horse
The horse has always been a benevolent symbol of strength, endurance, stamina, intelligence, and devotion. The horse is also a masculine symbol of sexual passion and potency.
Kangaroo
The kangaroo carries its young in a pouch. Consequently, it symbolizes domestic harmony and a stable home and family life.
Kingfisher
In China, the graceful, regal kingfisher is a symbol of domestic harmony and a happy marriage. This probably came about because they often fly in pairs. The kingfisher also symbolizes clear vision, tranquillity, and peace of mind.
Magpie
In China, the magpie symbolizes sexual compatibility and a successful marriage. This probably derives from the ancient Chinese custom of breaking a mirror in half when a husband and wife are forced to be apart for any length of time. Each partner keeps one half. The belief is if either partner is unfaithful, their half of the mirror will turn into a magpie and fly to the other partner to tell them what happened.24
Nightingale
Because it has such a sweet, yet sad-sounding song, the nightingale symbolizes the agony and ecstasy of love. In Greek legend, Philomela had her tongue cut out to prevent her from telling people that her brother-in-law, Tereus, had raped her. Consequently, the nightingale also symbolizes pain and suffering.
Otter
The otter symbolizes sexual activity. In fact, the male otter’s sex drive is so strong, a Chinese folk belief says that a male otter will make love to a tree if it cannot find a female partner. Consequently, a powder made from an otter’s penis is considered an effective aphrodisiac.
Ox
Most of the symbology concerning the ox represents strength, force, and protection. It symbolizes masculine energy, reproduction, and fertility.
Oyster
The oyster symbolizes female sexuality and fertility. This is because it lives in water (fertility) and its shape resembles the vulva.
Partridge
The partridge symbolizes feminine beauty, love, and fruitfulness. It was associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. A folk tradition claimed its flesh was an aphrodisiac.
Pelican
The pelican symbolizes the love parents have for their children. An ancient Greek story told how the pelican killed its ugly children, and then brought them back to life three days later using blood from self-inflicted wounds.
Pig
Pigs are symbolized in a variety of ways. They are an emblem of gluttony, selfishness, and stubbornness. However, they also symbolize fertility, fecundity, motherhood, and happiness. The pig is also considered to symbolize fertility and virility in China.
Rabbit
The rabbit is associated with the moon, procreation, fertility, and lust. Because they are such prolific breeders, rabbits have been used in attempts to cure impotence and sterility using sympathetic magic. The Easter Bunny hands out eggs, another popular fertility symbol.
Ram
The ram symbolizes Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac. As such, it represents fertility, spring, and new growth. The ram symbolizes lust and virility. The ram’s horns serve as phallic symbols.
Rooster
The rooster symbolizes male sexuality and fertility. This symbolism has gradually become distorted, and today the proud, strutting rooster represents overly macho-type behavior.
Snake
The snake is arguably the oldest animal symbol. Prehistoric rock paintings frequently include snakes, possibly as a fertility symbol. Snakes remind people of both the penis and the umbilical cord, which provides a wealth of sexual symbolism. It was a snake that tempted Eve to take the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. As a result of this, the snake has been considered a symbol of sexual passion.
Sparrow
In China, the flesh of the sparrow is believed to possess aphrodisiacal qualities. The sparrow symbolizes the penis. Similar associations have also occurred in the West. The sparrow was associated with the goddess Aphrodite in ancient Greece. In Western art, a woman holding a sparrow signifies someone who is lewd and lascivious.
Squirrel
The squirrel is considered a fertility symbol in Japan. It hasn’t fared so well in the West, where, apart from children’s picture books, it is usually considered a destructive rodent. In the Middle Ages, it was a symbol of the devil because of its bright red color and incredible speed.
Stork
Many children in the West are told that a stork delivers babies. This fable comes from ancient Greece where the stork was sacred to Hera, goddess of marriage, women, and childbirth. As the stork was believed to be a good parent, it gradually became connected with Hera, and the myth began. The stork was also believed to look after its aging parents.
Swallow
The arrival of the swallow marks the start of spring. Because of this association with rebirth and new life, the swallow symbolizes childbirth. It is also associated with domesticity and a happy home and family life.
Swan
The swan symbolizes beauty, love, passion, and the gradual decay of these. Wagner’s opera Lohengrin tells the story of a swan knight. Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake focuses on the beauty and perceived femininity of the swan. In Greek myth, Zeus disguised himself as a swan to seduce Leda.
Tortoise
The tortoise is revered in China because the markings on a tortoise shell inspired the I Ching, feng shui, and Chinese numerology.25 People believed the tortoise could conceive using nothing but the power of thought. It was considered a symbol of longevity, patience, and fecundity. In China, the tortoise is considered a female symbol, but in parts of Africa, it has been associated with the male. This is because the emerging head and neck are considered penile.
Unicorn
The unicorn is a mythological animal that has been an important symbol for at least two thousand years. In the fifth century B.C.E., Ctesias, a Greek historian and physician, mentioned the healing powers of the unicorn’s horn in Persica, his history of Persia and Assyria.26
Early Christians considered the unicorn to be an emblem of female chastity. This was because of an old legend that said unicorns could only be caught by virgins who were pure in body and mind.
There is an obvious phallic association with the unicorn’s horn. This became a symbol of spiritual penetration that explained the appearance of Jesus in the Virgin’s womb.27 However, the horn’s placement on the forehead also shows the power the mind has to sublimate lust.
Cassandra’s Experience
Cassandra, a student of mine, was experiencing marital problems. After ten years of marriage, she and her husband were drifting apart. Neither was involved with anyone else, but the closeness and fun had disappeared. They made love less and less frequently, and Cassandra could not remember when they had last cuddled each other on the couch.
Shortly after we had discussed animal symbolism, Cassandra’s mother died. Cassandra’s mother had had a large collection of cat ornaments, and she and her two brothers split the collection into thirds. She took her cats home and displayed them in the living room.
“I wasn’t thinking about animal symbolism at the time,” she told me. “I thought I was creating a sort of memorial to my mother.”
However, once she had done this, Cassandra began to notice small, almost imperceptible improvements in her marriage. One night her husband put his arm around her as they watched television. This was something he had not done for months. He started making favorable comments on how good she looked, and their lovemaking became more frequent and fulfilling.
Cassandra told us that although her husband had never mentioned her collection of cats, she sometimes saw him looking at them. Occasionally, he’d pick up one of the ornaments, and examine it closely before replacing it. It was this that made her realize what was going on.
“Quite unwittingly, these cats became my symbols of love,” she told us. “I still haven’t discussed that with Brent, as I think he’d laugh at the idea. But he’d have to admit our relationship is better now than it ever has been.”
19. Naomi Ozaniec, Initiation into the Tarot (London, UK: Watkins Publishing, 2002), 34.
20. Scott Alexander King, Animal Dreaming (Warburton, Australia: Circle of Stones, 2003), 60.
21. Elisabeth Goldsmith, Ancient Pagan Symbols (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Inc., 1929), 122.
22. Edain McCoy, Celtic Myth and Magick (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995), 343.
23. Udo Becker (translated by Lance W. Garmer), The Continuum Encyclopedia of Symbols (New York, NY: Continuum Publishing Company, 1994), 130. (Originally published 1992 by Verlag Herder Freiburg im Breisgau.)
24. Wolfram Eberhard (translated by G. L. Campbell), A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols (London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul, Limited, 1986), 174. (Originally published in German as Lexicon chinesischer Symbole by Eugen Diederichs Verlag, 1983.)
25. Richard Webster, Feng Shui for Beginners (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1997), 1.
26. David Crystal (editor), The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 243.
27. Jack Tresidder, Dictionary of Symbols, 214.