I did a lot of research on different animals and their symbolism as part of my AS Level Art project last year entitled 'People and Animals' and I thought it would be fun to share some of the stuff I learned. Here is Part 1: Bears. Scroll to the end to get the links to the other parts!
Bears
- Possible bear worshipping by Neanderthals in Western Eurasia - strange formations of bones have been found in caves
- The Ainu people believe the bear is a manifestation of God. Omante is the name of a ceremony in which an adult bear is sacrificed and eaten, Iomante when it is a cub. Iomante involves raising the cub for a while - if it is too young to chew, a human nursing mother would suckle it
- Deities in Celtic Gaul and Britain associated with the bear
- Dacians, Thracians and Getians worshipped bears and have an annual bear dance festival
- Nivkh people celebrated a bear festival, in which a bear would be caught and raised by women - believed to be a manifestation of ancestors
- The contstellations, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are bears. Ursa Major is often a symbol of the north, it being on Alaska's flag. Ursa Minor contains Polaris, the North Star, and therefore is important in navigation
Bear Gallery
