Tag Archives | Animal Archetypes

“The Owl” is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm’s Fairy Tales. In the story, a horned owl flies into a barn owned by a local at the nearby town. The owl quickly frightens all of the townspeople who try to enter the barn. The same day, a man known for his courage and bravery in warlike skills announces to the populace that they are “all acting like women”. He then ventures into the barn with a spear. The owl hoots at him, and he flees in terror. The townspeople finally come up with the decision to burn the barn down and be rid of the owl forever. (more…)

Tranquil and detached, owls are quiet observers. They are mysterious creatures, deriving nobility from the same characteristics that give them an air of homeliness.

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This series of six original wolf paintings wraps up my intensive focus on wolf symbols in folklore. Each of these paintings is for sale in my shop (or you can click on the image to go directly to each listing). (more…)

In Egyptian mythology, Wepwawet was a deity with the head of a wolf. His name means “opener of the ways” and he is often depicted as a wolf standing at the prow of a solar-boat. In later texts, he was referred to as Ra, the “opener” of the sky. (more…)

Wolves survive because they embody a fierceness that frightens their enemies and a passion that sustains their loved ones. According to Vuk Karadžić–the father of the study of Serbian folklore–in this Slavic tradition, a woman who had lost several babies in succession would name her newborn son Vuk (translated: wolf), because it was believed that the witches, who “ate” the babies, were afraid to attack the wolves. (more…)

Legends surrounding Saint Francis of Assisi show him befriending a wolf. (more…)

According to the Pawnee creation myth, the wolf was the first creature to experience death. The Wolf Star, enraged at not having been invited to attend a council on how the Earth should be made, sent a wolf to steal the whirlwind bag of The Storm that Comes out of the West, which contained the first humans. Upon being freed from the bag, the humans killed the wolf, thus bringing death into the world. (more…)

Some stories say it is a disease. Others say it is a curse. The affliction of lycanthropy is what we imagine as the horrible fate of those humans unlucky enough to become part wolf, and werewolves are one of our favorite monsters.

This new 5 x 7 inch painting is for sale in my shop.

We use animals in our folklore as symbols of our personalities, spirits and struggles. On November 1st I launched a new, year-long project where I will focus intently on one animal each month, exploring the symbolism of that creature and the role it plays in the stories we tell.

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