Animal worship

Animal worship, also called zoolatry or theriolatry, refers to religious practices that involve animals. This can include worshipping animal gods or performing animal sacrifices. When a whole group of people sees a certain animal as representing a holy figure, it is called an animal cult.

Ancient writers told stories about why people began worshipping animals. One story says that gods once hid as animals to escape giants, and people started worshipping those animals. Other ideas suggest that early humans admired animals with special traits and began to respect them. In some cultures, families even took names from animals and came to see those animals as very important.

Many religions have special rules about eating certain animals because they are considered sacred. Some religions see animals as holy, while others see certain animals as unclean and not to be eaten. For example, in ancient Egypt, many animals were sacred to different gods, such as cats to Bastet, ibises and baboons to Thoth, and crocodiles to Sobek and Ra. These animals were sometimes mummified because of their special meaning. In Wicca, a deity called the Horned God has both human and animal qualities. animal sacrifice dietary laws unclean Abrahamic Waldensians Pentecostal Egyptian pantheon zoomorphism cats Bastet ibises baboons Thoth crocodiles Sobek Ra Set mongoose shrew birds Horus jackals Anubis Atum beetles Khepera Apis mummified Wicca

Hunting cults

Bear

Main article: Bear worship

Some ancient stories connect the Greek goddess Artemis with bears. Young girls would dance dressed as bears in her honor before they could get married. One story says she turned a girl into a bear and then into a star, which we now call Ursa Major.

The Ainu people from islands in Japan call the bear "kamui", meaning god. They believe bears are special messengers from the gods. When they hunt a bear, they thank it for visiting their homes.

Whale

Main article: Whale worship

Whales have been respected by many cultures even when they were hunted. In Japan, there are special memorials for whales that were caught, with stones and Buddhist writings asking for the whale’s spirit to be happy.

In Alaska, some tribes honor whales after a hunt by bringing parts like the hump or fins into their homes and treating them with respect. They believe this helps the whale’s spirit return safely to the sea.

Stories about whales appear in many cultures. In China, a legend tells of a whale with human hands ruling the ocean. In Iceland, a story says a man hit a whale and later paid for it. In Africa, a legend tells of a king learning humility because of a whale’s hunger.

Domesticated mammals

Cattle and buffalo

Main articles: Sacred bull and Cattle in religion

Many religions treat cattle as sacred animals. This includes Hinduism in India and Nepal, as well as ancient Greek and Egyptian religions. Cattle and buffalo are important to many people who depend on them for food and other needs. Killing a cow is often part of special religious ceremonies.

The Toda people in southern India do not eat the meat of their buffalo cows. But once a year, they sacrifice a young bull and eat it in the forest with the men of the family. Buffalo animals are very important in Toda rituals. These buffaloes are now at risk of disappearing.

Ancient Egyptians honoured many gods who looked like cattle or had cattle features. Hesat, a goddess of milk and motherhood, was shown as a full cow. Mehet-weret, a sky goddess, was seen as the Celestial Cow that held up the sky with her four legs. Bat (goddess) and Hathor, both important goddesses, were shown with cow ears and horns.

Egypt also had many gods that looked like bulls. The most famous was Apis, a bull kept at the Temple of Ptah in Memphis. When the Apis bull died, a new one was found and trained for four months. Its birthday was celebrated each year with special sacrifices. After death, the bull was preserved and buried in a tomb.

Today, people in parts of Africa still respect cattle. In India, cows are very important in Hinduism. The humped zebu cow is central to Hindu beliefs. Stories tell of a divine cow and a cow heaven created by the god Brahma and Prithu.

Sheep

Main article: Sheep § In religion and folklore

Ancient Egyptians honoured several gods who had the heads of rams. These included Khnum, Heryshaf, Banebdjedet, and sometimes Ra. Amun, the god of Thebes, Egypt, was sometimes shown with a ram's head. His followers considered rams sacred and sacrificed them once a year.

Goat

Main article: Goat § Religion, mythology, and folklore

In ancient times, goats were important in myths and religions. Silenus, the Satyrs, and the Fauns were shown with goat features. In northern Europe, a wood spirit named Leszi was believed to have goat horns, ears, and legs.

The goat was worshipped in Greece, Italy, and Egypt, sometimes shown with goat features and sometimes with symbols of strength. The Greek god Pan had goat features like hooves, horns, and a beard. Romans honoured Dionysus by tearing apart and eating a live goat.

Dog

Main article: Dogs in religion

Dogs are very important in the beliefs of Hindus in Nepal and some parts of India. During the Tihar festival in November, dogs are honoured as messengers of the god of death and protectors of the home. People show respect to dogs on this day by marking their foreheads with a special dot, using incense, and decorating them with flowers.

Horse

Main article: Horse worship

Horse worship has been practiced by many Indo-European and Turkic peoples. Horses are seen as magical animals that connect people with the spirit world. White horses are especially important and are linked to the sun, fire, and good forces fighting against evil.

Horses and their parts—like the skull, skin, and hair—are believed to protect people from harm. In ancient times, a bronze top showing a horse was found in the Ferghana Valley and was used in special rituals.

Some water gods may have originally been thought of as horses. In ancient Gaul, a horse goddess named Epona was worshipped. Hayagriva, a horse-headed god, appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Horses are also important to the Romani people.

Elephant

Main article: Cultural depictions of elephants

In Thailand, a white elephant is believed to hold the soul of a person who has died, perhaps a Buddha. Capturing a white elephant brings rewards, and the animal is treated like a person. In some parts of Indochina, people believe an elephant's soul can harm others after death and hold special ceremonies.

In India, the god Ganesha has the head of an elephant. In Surat, young women honour the goddess Pārvatī by worshipping a clay elephant during a holiday called Alunām. They dance, sing, and avoid salt for many days before immersing the clay elephant in water.

Wild mammals

Hare

In North America, the Algonquian tribes believed in a very important hare, called Menabosho or Michabo, who lived either in the east or the north.

The Ancient Egyptians also honored a hare goddess named Wenut, linked to the city of Hermopolis.

Deer

Deer are important in many cultures. For the Greeks, deer were sacred to the goddess Artemis. In Hinduism, deer are connected to the goddess Saraswati. For people living on the Eurasian Steppe, deer had deep spiritual meaning. A famous golden stag figurine from the Pazyryk burials shows how much they valued deer.

Wolf

In the story of how Rome began, a wolf cared for the babies Romulus and Remus, making the wolf a symbol of Rome’s beginnings.

The Ancient Egyptians had gods, Anubis and Wepwawet, who looked like wolves, jackals, or wild dogs. Anubis helped protect tombs and guide spirits, while Wepwawet was known for helping people find their way.

Fox

In Chinese and Japanese stories, foxes are powerful spirits. In Japan, they are called kitsune and sometimes help the goddess Inari.

Big cats

In West Africa, leopards are greatly respected. Among the Ashanti people, harming a leopard was very serious.

In Ancient Egypt, many gods and goddesses had the heads of cats or lions. Sekhmet was a lion goddess who protected Egypt, while Bastet was loved as a gentle cat goddess.

Tiger

In China, tigers are important symbols of strength and power. They appear in stories, art, and even in the Chinese zodiac as the Year of the Tiger.

Monkey

In Hinduism, the monkey god Hanuman is very popular and people protect monkeys in his honor.

Hippopotamus

In Ancient Egypt, the hippopotamus was both loved and feared. The goddess Taweret, who looked like a hippopotamus, was honored as a protector of mothers and children.

Rodent

In some parts of India, small temples honor mice. Though usually seen as pests, in these temples mice are welcomed and respected, often linked to the god Ganesh.

Birds

Crow/raven

Main article: Raven in mythology

The Raven is very important to the Tlingit people of Alaska. In many stories, the Raven is a hero who brings light and fire to people. One story from the Puget Sound area says the Raven lived in a place only birds could reach before our world existed. Bored one day, the Raven flew away carrying a stone. When the Raven dropped the stone, it fell into the ocean and grew into the land where humans now live.

Hawk

In North Borneo, people saw the hawk as a special messenger for their most important god. They performed special rituals with hawks when making big decisions, like planning trips or starting important work. In Egypt, the hawk was linked to the god Horus, who stood for sky, power, war, and good rule. People believed that after pharaohs died, their souls followed Horus, shown as a hawk.

Frigatebird

On Easter Island, there was a special group of people called the Bird Man cult. Every year, they raced to find the first egg of a certain bird and bring it to a special place. This race was very important to them and the winner was honored.

Ibis

In Ancient Egypt, the ibis bird was sacred because people believed it was linked to Thoth, the god of the moon and wisdom. Thoth was often shown with the head of an ibis. People kept these birds in temples and sometimes kept their preserved bodies as gifts to the god.

Vulture

The Egyptian vulture was also sacred in Ancient Egypt. There was a temple in Nekheb for the goddess Nekhbet, who was shown as a vulture. She was a protector of the Egyptian kings and was very important. In stories from India’s Ramayana, a vulture named Jatayu bravely fought to protect a princess but was hurt. He told heroes where the princess had been taken before he passed away.

Other non-mammals

Serpents

Main article: Snake worship

People in many places have honored snakes in their traditions. In India, snakes are very important in Hindu stories. Many people there make special carvings of snakes, called nagas, or use stones to represent them. They offer food and flowers and light lamps to honor these snake spirits. In some parts of India, if a cobra is accidentally harmed, it is treated with great respect, similar to how a person would be treated.

In Africa, especially in a place called Dahomey, people also honored snakes. There, a special kind of snake called the danh-gbi was protected, and harming one was considered very wrong. In ancient Egypt, snakes had both good and bad meanings. Some snake gods were thought to protect kings and were very respected, while others were seen as dangerous enemies.

Crocodiles

In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were also important in their religion. One of the main gods, Sobek, was shown as a crocodile. He was a strong god who protected people from harm and was also linked to the fertile floods of the Nile River, where crocodiles lived. Sobek had special temples where people worshipped him, and he was also honored in other temples.

Fish

Main article: Fish in culture

Some ancient cultures, like the Canaanites, had gods linked to fish. In Japan, there was a god named Ebisu who was often shown as a fisherman or sometimes as a whale or shark. People believed that during festivals, special fish might appear, and these were seen as messages from Ebisu. In Egypt, the goddess Hatmehit was shown as a fish or with fish symbols, and she was a protector of life.

Amphibians

Main article: Frogs in culture

The ancient Egyptians worshipped a goddess named Heqet, who was shown as a frog. She was linked to fertility and helping with births, especially at the end of the Nile floods. She was seen as a helper in childbirth and was married to the god Khnum in their stories.

Insects

Main article: Insects in mythology

In ancient Egypt, the dung beetle, or scarab, was very important. People believed the beetle rolling dung across the ground looked like the sun god moving the sun across the sky. Because of this, the beetle god Khepri was worshipped, especially in the city of Heliopolis. Beetles were also symbols of rebirth because new beetles came from eggs in dung, so scarab shapes were often placed in tombs.

The Egyptians also respected scorpions. A goddess named Serqet was shown with a scorpion and was asked to help heal stings and bites. She was one of several goddesses who were believed to protect the body, especially in funerals. Scorpions were also seen as protectors in stories about the goddess Isis and her son Horus.

Oracular animals

Animals are often used to help predict the future. Birds are very common for this because they can fly, which makes them seem like messengers between the sky and people. In ancient times, people watched birds to guess what would happen next.

In some cultures, animals like tortoises were also used for predictions. Today, some people still follow traditions like Groundhog Day, where a groundhog is used to guess if spring will come early. There are also many famous animals around the world that people have used for fun predictions.

Shamanism and animals

Main article: Shamanism

In Shamanism, especially in Central Asia, animals played a very important role. Shamans believed that animal spirits, also called "helper spirits," assisted them in their spiritual work. The more animal spirits a shaman had, the more powerful they were thought to be. When a shaman traveled spiritually to other worlds, animals were very important in helping them.

Shamans would sometimes journey for three main reasons: to find a lost soul, to take an animal spirit to the gods, or to guide a soul to its resting place. Animals helped the shaman in all these tasks. For example, in the Yenisei Ostiaks culture, a shaman would call on animal spirits during healing. These spirits would enter the shaman's body, helping them find and return the soul of a sick person, which brought healing. Without animal spirits, these important tasks could not be done.

In Inner Eurasia, shamans believed that by transforming into an animal spirit, they could achieve great things. Animals helped people reach the sky, travel quickly, and even go below the earth’s surface. The eagle, for example, was believed to help people reach heaven after they passed away. Animals were also thought to bring success in hunting and warfare. In this way, animals were a central and vital part of the shamanic beliefs and practices.

Religious and cultural representation of animals

Buddhism

Main article: Animals in Buddhism

See also: Life release and Buddhist vegetarianism

Buddhism teaches that all living things should be treated kindly. Buddhists believe that humans and animals all feel pain and happiness, so hurting any living thing is wrong. Many Buddhists choose not to eat meat to avoid causing harm to animals. Some Buddhist monks avoid traveling during rainy seasons to protect small creatures from being hurt.

Hinduism

Main articles: Cow protection movement, Cattle slaughter in India, Elephants in Kerala culture, and Lion Capital of Ashoka

See also: Animal sacrifice in Hinduism and Ashvamedha

Hinduism, a major religion in India, teaches that humans and animals are part of one big family. Many Hindus treat their pets like family members and believe that how they treat animals matters. Some Hindu traditions include special ways to honor animals, even though most Hindus do not hurt animals for fun.

Inca Empire

Main article: Inca Empire

See also: Inca art

The Inca people of South America believed animals were gods in disguise. They honored animals like llamas and falcons, thinking these animals brought good luck and helped with things like weather and fishing. The Incas made special art and metal work to show their respect for these animal gods.

Jainism

Main article: Ahimsa in Jainism

See also: Jain vegetarianism

Jainism teaches that hurting any living thing is wrong. Jains take special care to avoid harming tiny creatures, such as sweeping their paths and wearing masks. They only eat during the day to make sure they do not accidentally eat insects. Some Jains try to save animals from places where they might be hurt.