Animal symbolism
Animal symbolism is the body of meanings that cultures attach to animals: the lion for sovereignty, the owl for wisdom, the snake for transformation. Each civilization composes its own lexicon, at times contradictory from one cultural area to the next: the raven, an omen of doom in Europe, is a messenger and creator in several traditions of North America. This reading runs through myths, coats of arms, dreams, and the arts.
A language older than writing
From painted caves to coats of arms, humans have always said something about themselves through animals. Each culture composes its own lexicon: the dragon, devouring in the West, carries luck and prosperity in China; the snake, unsettling in Genesis, coils around the staff of Asclepius among the Greeks. The Dictionnaire des symboles by Chevalier and Gheerbrant catalogs hundreds of these crossing figures.
Using it without freezing it
Animal symbolism is not a code to memorize: it is a repertoire your own story draws from. If the owl evokes your grandmother rather than Greek wisdom, that layer counts too. Cross the traditions, note what resonates, and keep the reading alive: the same animal can walk with you differently across the seasons of your life.
Sources
- , Dictionnaire des symboles (1969)
- , Physiologus