Holy animal

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Sacred animals serve in the course of worship (zoolatry) as living manifestations of theriomorph (animal-shaped) or therianthrop (animal-human) thought and represented gods .

phenomenon

Sacred animals are found in many cultures around the world. They are revered because they are superior to humans in strength, courage and cunning. The underlying motive of the idea was perhaps fear, later the animal was considered to be the embodiment of an inherent soul or deity that it sanctifies (→ animism ) . Especially in the hunter cultures , certain animals - as the essential basis of subsistence - have always been sacred. In addition, there is the belief in a master or mistress of the animals , who is considered the highest being and “owner” of the hunting animals, so that his benevolence is particularly important to the people. It also occurs in animal form in many cultures.

In addition, certain animals are assigned to the same functional areas worldwide; so the canine on the one hand to death and afterlife , on the other hand to creation and culture , so that they are considered the progenitor of man and cultural hero . Felines stand for power and rulership as well as the sun god or the night and the realm of the dead ( see: cats in mythology ). The dragon and the molting snake are associated with fertility , regeneration, death and immortality ( see snake cult ). Nocturnal animals like owls or bats embody the night and the realm of the dead. Birds are assigned to the sky and viewed as messengers. The Taurus has fertility , fertility and power. The horse takes on the role of the companion of souls and the dead, as well as the draft animal of the sun chariot or as the mount of certain deities. ( see horse cult )

Dog, horse and cattle played a special role as sacrificial animals that were ritually slaughtered, eaten or buried.

According to Ulrike Peters, the characteristics of animals (strength, danger, regeneration, accompaniment of humans by dog ​​and horse), whose parallels can be found worldwide, are to be forced, emphasized or averted in animal cult.

Sometimes animal and ancestor worship merges when the animal is viewed as the incarnation of a soul that has become deity , for example in religious totemism .

Local distribution

In ancient Egypt , many animals were worshiped as sacred: cattle ( Mnevis , Apis, etc.), rams , cats , baboons , sacred ibises , falcons , crocodiles , sacred pill-twists ( scarabs ) and others.

In the circumpolar north, the bear is worshiped in numerous - mostly shamanic - bear cults . Important sacred animals of the hunter cultures in North America are the bison and the horse . The latter is also the case with the equestrian cultures of the Old World and South America .

During the entire Eurasian prehistory as far as South Asia and the Inca Empire , the snake was worshiped, in Central America and northern Peru the jaguar .

Holy cow on a street in Delhi

The sacred cow , the sacred monkey Hanuman, still exists in India today . the elephant-headed Ganesha and sacred rats . Animals appear as avatars of deities like Vishnu as fish Matsya , turtle Kurma , boar Varaha , lion man Narasimha . Animals also appear as the Vahana (mount) of numerous gods.

Animal cult in ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt , not only were people buried according to the customs of mummification , the bodies of sacred animals were also supposed to stand the test of time and were mummified. It was of great importance that the lifeless bodies were preserved, because according to ancient Egyptian belief the immortal soul could only continue on its way to the kingdom of Osiris as long as the mind and body existed. Sometimes the animal mummy of a beloved pet was also placed in the burial chamber of a deceased. It was supposed to assist its master on his long journey to the realm of the dead.

There were also animal mummies that were offered as an offering to the gods , such as crocodiles, bulls, cats, mice or fish. With their help one asked for the favor of a god or for his mercy if one had angered him. Many devout Egyptians bought animal mummies to sacrifice. But not infrequently they were caught by a fraudster who sold them a bundle of rags, shards and bones as supposedly real mummies.

The animal cult probably had its peak at the time of the pharaohs . Many Egyptian gods were associated with animals. For example, Thoth had an ibis head, Anubis the head of a jackal and Hathor the horns of a cow. Some animals have had the privilege of living in the temple. After their death, they were mummified and buried in specially created animal cemeteries. The Apis bull was considered particularly sacred . He was given the rank of deity and like a god he was treated by the priests. During his lifetime he got a palace and a harem of cows. After death he was given the honor of an elaborate burial.

See also

literature

  • Martin Fitzenreiter: Animal cults in Pharaonic Egypt and in a cultural comparison (= contributions to Egyptology and Sudan archeology. Vol. 4). GHP, London 2003, ISBN 0-9550256-2-1 .
  • Diane Victoria Flores: The funerary sacrifice of animals during the predynastic period. Dissertation, University of Toronto, Toronto 2000, ISBN 0-612-45758-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Ulrike Peters . In: Religion Past and Present (RGG). 4th edition. Volume 8, Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 2005, Sp. 401-Tier.