Animal symbolism

(Source – Miniature from Zubdat al-Tawarikh (ca. 1580), an Ottoman survey of world history by Seyyid Loqman Ashuri. It shows, from the centre: the ancient planets (the Moon with a mirror; Mercury as a scribe; Venus with a dulcimer; a haloed Sun; Mars as a warrior; Jupiter as a worthy; Saturn as an ascetic), the signs of the Zodiac in a clockwise order, the Moon’s phases in an anti-clockwise order aligned with the Mansions of the Moon.)

In memory of Jake Stratton-Kent

As previously seen, the decans began as gods, which is to say the earliest conception of them was as deities of stars and constellations, and the earliest magical images of the decans took the form of Egyptian gods.

The lunar mansions on the other hand, began as animals. The Egyptian decan images are more rather than less bestial than other Egyptian deities. In contrast, the lunar mansions represent a major source of animal symbolism; subsequently transferred to the decans and elsewhere. Without making a complex study more detailed still, the sources of these symbols may be briefly discussed. The source of the lunar mansions themselves is controversial, with advocates of Babylonian and Chinese origins among others. An oral tradition among nomadic peoples might precede either one. That the mansions are part of the Hellenistic synthesis regardless of origins is certain, as are some other aspects of their development. It is clear enough that symbolism formerly proper to the lunar phases and the days of the lunar month was transferred to the mansions; one set of 28 being considered apt to another. Thus earlier Greek ‘lunaria’, lunar almanacs, are one source of such symbolism. Supposedly ‘rustic’ Boeotia was home to some of these traditions.

Although Gundel deals primarily with the decans, aspects of mansion lore, including the animal symbolism, were essential to his study. The ‘animal alphabet’ he and Weinstock discuss is compared to the zodiac and to the dodekauros. It is with the latter that the lunar animal alphabet has most in common. This alphabet was deeply influential, forming part of a major undercurrent in western occultism embodied by the long neglected lunar mansions. For example in the account of things considered ‘lunary’ in Agrippa (TBOP 1.xxiv) a major list of animal symbols occurs, in which  appear beasts, fish and fowl associated with the mansions, and indeed the decans as their derivative:

‘Lunary Animals’: all kinds of Dogs; the Chameleon; Swine, Hinds, Goats; Baboon; Panther; Cats; the Civet-Cat; Otters, and such as prey upon fish; Mice; Geese, Ducks, Didoppers, all kinds of water fowl as prey upon fish, as the Heron; Wasps & Bees; small Flies and Beetles; but most Lunary of all is the two-horned Beetle  horned after the manner of a Bull: which digs under Cow-dung, and there remains for the space of twenty eight days, in which time the Moon measures the whole Zodiac, and in the twenty ninth day, when it thinks there will be a conjunction of their brightness, it opens the dung and casts it into Water, from whence then come Beetles. Amongst fish these are Lunary, catfish [Bagre marinus]; the Tortoise, the Echeneis, Crabs, Oysters, Cockles, and Frogs.

Having thus briefly introduced a complex subject, rather than develop historical tangents it is better to approach things more useful to the general reader. There are essentially two aspects to be discussed from this perspective: parallel systems, and practical applications.

In the PGM an important invocation of Hecate lists various correspondences, including 21 animals and seven other symbols: Ox, vulture, bull, beetle, falcon, crab, dog, wolf, serpent, horse, she-goat, asp, kid, he-goat, baboon, cat, lion, leopard, field mouse, deer, polymorph, virgin, torch, lightning, garland, heralds wand, child, key (PGM VII 756-94). It is a reasonable assumption that seven animal symbols have been omitted in order to include the seven cult symbols of Hecate at the end. Needless to say, Hecate in this context is a lunar goddess, and the animal symbols also relate to her cult, divine forms &c. Such a proliferation of animal symbols suggests a Mistress of Beasts, and the assimilation of Hecate to Artemis and Astaroth is implicit.

Another Hecate invocation from the papyri in which 7 further animal symbols occur enables a reconstructed alphabet of 28 animal symbols. These additional symbols are: dragoness, mare, bitch, she-wolf, cow, camel, dove & sphinx (PGM IV 2302-2310). There are other sources for animal symbols of the mansions that could further increase our total of animal symbols, but this is not necessary. Restricting ourselves to the 21 symbols of the primary example instead makes a stronger case in the following comparative analysis.

21 Lunar animals from PGM

** indicates Dodekauros; * Agrippa’s ‘Lunary Animals’, *** both

The Bull (3) rather than Ox (1) is an ancient symbol of divine power in the Middle East & relevant to Lucifer as the supreme power among the spirits; the crescent horns can mark his importance as the first lunar mansion. In the Grimoire of Honorius Lucifer is offered the humble mouse (19), recalling Lucifer’s links with Apollo (Smintheus). The vulture (2) is an important Egyptian royal symbol, its wings representing the Upper & Lower kingdoms, while Maut (the vulture goddess) is one of the principle Great Goddess figures. &c. &c

As with the plant and stone alphabets, so here; the precise order of the ‘letters’ is of secondary importance. What matters is the retention of the individual symbols in the Great Synthesis; organised according to the astrological principles that defined it. Indeed, there are several ways in which these symbols might be used in ‘Moon magic’. For example, rather than a list of 28 individual symbols, a set of seven repeated four times would be equally ‘traditional’ and workable in practice. These might be differentiated by colour or elemental association, so that in each group of seven there was a cat of a different colour or element. Some ‘Moon magicians’ might even make do with the same animal symbol throughout; a cat is always lunar regardless of mansion or lunar phase. As with the mineral and herbal lists, hermetic animal symbols of the planets and other astrological categories can be referred back to the mansions. On this hypothesis a traditional planetary animal table can illustrate what is said above in regard to the mansions:

Note that six out of seven of these animals appear in the list taken from the invocation of Hecate, illustrating that both derive from the same ‘alphabet’. To further illustrate these principles, bear in mind that both zodiac and dodekauros were anciently associated with the Olympic deities. Thus, employing the animal symbols of the latter, Agrippa’s Orphic Scale of the number 12 can be adapted as in the following table. Again, the majority of these symbols can be found in the Hecate invocation. So too certain features become clear, such as the appearance of male and female animals and birds, and occasionally their young. Further exploration in the sources strongly suggests a further category of aquatic creatures, emphasising eels, ray and so forth rather than fish. Many such associations have a long history in relation to this or that deity and country of origin. It is very clear that some old symbols have been tweaked towards Egyptian equivalents; for instance the crab, the crayfish and the scarab beetle converge in many instances.

The employment of animal symbols in magic has many aspects and precedents. The shamanic links, involving totems and transformations, are among the most important. It is important to encourage effective magic by adaptation within our own environment, rather than simply imitate un-adapted forms in an artificial way. Egyptian lore appears to preserve and adapt tribal magic within a part agricultural part urbanised civilisation. This deserves our attention, whatever other attractions the culture may or may not have for us. For us, the prevalence of animal imagery in Egyptian lore enables combination of archaic and primal features with more conventional and ‘civilised’ ritual methods.

The ‘pure’ theriomorphs in Egyptian lore are often ambivalent, close to the demonic as understood in other cultures. There is no separate term for demons in Egyptian, but the more ambivalent deities and their retinues often possess wholly animalistic forms. Nevertheless there can be little doubt that the semi-anthropomorphic deities evolved from earlier totems. Others however never ‘evolved’ human forms, such as the goddess Taurt; this did not place her among the ‘demons’ but underlined her primal power. So too there are many examples of employing theriomorphic deities in protective roles; these are the ‘fighter demons’, which resemble the hostile spirits but are employed against them. This is strongly reminiscent of shamanic contests, where the shaman and his opponent transforms into or sends animal spirits. Incidentally the boundary between transformation into an animal, and the employment of a spirit in animal form, is often extremely tenuous. The preference for one or the other interpretation is often regional, and rarely watertight.

This brings us fairly naturally to the concept of ‘assumption of beast-forms’; essentially a more primal application of the C19th occultists ‘assumption of god-forms’. Unlike the use of Egyptian gods as models for astral transformation, this approach requires no specific precedent for the employment of this or that animal. That is, the magician may employ any appropriate animal form; semi-anthropomorphic and ‘traditional’ Egyptian or not as the case may be. Some of the creatures named above will naturally suggest an Egyptian deity, others will not. Either way the creature may be employed magically; with spirits appearing in that form, or the magician assuming that shape.

Tolley’s study of shamanism is extremely enlightening as regards animals. His identification of an ‘animal mother’ (Vol.1.p203) is reminiscent of the ‘Mistress of beasts’ (Potnia Theron) in Greek lore. Given that some features of shamanism are – so to speak – generic, other aspects of his study are equally important. A shamanic interpretation suggests lines of descent for our animal alphabets. He identifies animal attendant spirits of three main types (p204), birds, fish and beasts (especially, but for our purposes not exclusively, the reindeer).

In shamanic lore the bird forms are often considered most powerful. As well as permitting movement and other powers – such as fighting – they permit the shaman to visit the sky god or other powerful intercessor. Land animals are intermediate, they are also important for movement and fighting, and connect with hunting magic. Some beasts represent the object of the hunt (reindeer may also be ‘farmed’); others – like the bear – represent powerful gods or ancestral figures. The aquatic creatures, including but not limited to fish, represent the power of visiting the underworld. Thus the shaman’s power is defined by the animal spirits with which they are able or unable to work.

Selected animal symbols

It is impossible to be exhaustive on the subject of magical animals; let alone cover them adequately in relation to spirits, the dead and the Moon. A select few are mentioned here, mainly to highlight interpretative issues.

The Horse is an important magical animal, arising several times in the course of this study without being sought. A magical horse as an ally of a shaman enables travel in the spirit world, and is a mark of rare power. Horse skulls are not uncommon protective devices in old British buildings, and the water horse or kelpie is an important folklore figure with whom we will later become better acquainted. That these two powerful motifs occupy the same geographical area may imply a degree of kinship at a very early date.

The ‘pre-classical’ precedents of mare headed Demeter – and the early ‘chthonic’ Poseidon with whom she was paired – underline the chthonian implications (Geo) rather than ‘explaining’ folklore parallels with no apparent linkage. Through Vodou terminology a ‘horse’ can represent the relationship between spirit and human in states of possession. Transformation into a horse is suggested by various folk motifs, both old and revived. Note well that while aspects of the symbol may originate in different cultures, they are common currency and likely to influence each other, something practitioners should welcome without attaching historical conclusions in the process.

Frog and Toad are related symbols, positive and negative poles of the same conception. For our purposes the root idea is a perceived resemblance to a human being (as in the Cyprian grimoires, see Part 5). The toad then is a diabolical reflex of the same symbolism. Some flexibility is required to manage the potential meaning of one or the other, allowing for the tendency of formerly positive symbols to slip into their negative reflex; for recuperation by adoption of the supposed negative, &c.

The Cat is a classic lunar symbol as well as an emblem of witchcraft. There are a variety of spells in which the cat features, which while not encouraged underlines the importance of the symbol. The Roman goddess Diana, a cognate of Artemis, Hecate and other goddesses of the Moon and of magic, could take on the guise of a cat. All in all the symbolism of the cat is very extensive and does not require much underlining here. In Part 5 the occurrence of the cat in ‘Cyprianic’ iconography is discussed along with the toad and bat.

Bird and Bat, as a polarised pair at a simple level, much of the symbolism is here duplicated in positive and negative modes, like the frog and toad. Considered separately the bat is by no means always a negative symbol and birds are far from uniformly positive. As with the frog and toad it also pays to be alert to the likelihood of inversion of a positive symbol into a negative equivalent, and vice versa.

Serpent, Dragon & Crocodile share many characteristics, and are in large degree interchangeable. The snake, viper or asp, is not a dragon, but a ‘serpent’ or ‘great worm’ most definitely is. Possession of legs or wings is not required, but neither does it exclude a creature from the Draconic genus. Thus in the syncretism of the Great Synthesis, as seen already, Egyptian forms could be substituted for Greek and vice versa; scarab for crab, crocodile for serpent and so forth. How much of the older context of individual symbols is to be assumed when collated into syncretic ‘alphabets’ is a difficult point to summarise. The schemas have an astrological basis, but the astrology is highly mythic and its parts personalised. On the numinous and practical level, modern individual and experiential interpretation will go where it will.

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Jake Stratton-Kent

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• Animal symbolism - February 1, 2024