03-08-2025
Our Ainimals Of Yore...
The past holds stories of people — and animals.
The wolf holds a special position in world chronicles
, appearing in the
Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh.
In
Norse mythology,
the wolf is represented as the warrior Fenrir who causes havoc. The depiction of
she-wolves is quite different though
— the Turkish legend of
Arsena
sees one nursing an injured child while
Romulus and Remus
, the founders of Rome, were raised in legend by a
tough but tender wolf-mom
The
eagle
, admired for its powerful, soaring flight, was considered both a form and messenger of Zeus, king of gods, in
Greek lore
.
The Romans placed the 'aquila' on the Roman Legions' standard
, carried to battle by 'aquilifers' —
the Silchester Eagle
, a prized bronze sculpture of this bird, was found near Reading in Calleva Atrebatum, a town in
the Roman road system
. With its imperial ambitions,
America's
adopted it, often remarking,
'The eagle has landed'
In India, the tiger represents incredible courage
— it is the carrier of divinities while in
Korea
, tigers
bring good luck
. Western culture has seen tigers as terrifying — think
Sher Khan in 'The Jungle Book'
— or playthings like
Tigger in 'Winnie the Pooh'
. While First Nations consider the
Amur tiger of Siberia as divine
, these were later seen as vengeful beings, despite the poaching that's made them
endangered
Research: National Geographic, BBC, Smithsonian Magazine