Links Below to All Animal Symbol Articles
Summaries of All Animal Symbol Articles
Animal Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Animal symbols are so universal as to be a part of the collective unconscious, belonging to the mythology, legends and religious scriptures of virtually every culture on earth. Some animal symbols contain a secret code and reveal their inner meanings only through written and oral traditions.
Bird Symbolism: Celtic Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The Celts flourished from 500BC to 400AD and were later reduced in numbers and geographic spread by both the Roman expansion and Germanic immigration. Among the most utilized Celtic symbols were those based on animal forms, including the bird symbols delineated below.
Chinese Animal Symbols
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Understanding Chinese animal symbolism not only helps one to understand a particular people and their artistic expression, but also connects individuals from any culture with the powerful forces of nature symbolized by various members of the animal kingdom.
Dragon Meaning
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Learn the meaning of dragons. More than any other image, the dragon is associated with the Orient. A symbol of the emperor himself, the dragon was master of all of the elements of nature. The sinuous dragon can take many forms and can be victorious in any circumstance. Find out more here.
Phoenix Symbolism
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The story of the phoenix begins in ancient Egyptian mythology and was later developed in the Phoenician, Indian and Greek traditions. The phoenix is a sacred firebird with beautiful feathers of gold and red or purple and blue. A phoenix lives for 500-1,000 years and then builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs. Find out more here.
Unicorn Meaning
By Kathleen Karlsen, MA
The unicorn is one of a very few mythological creatures that are considered to be beneficial in almost all traditions. The unicorn is universally beautiful, mysterious and difficult to capture or tame. Although modern unicorns are depicted simply as horses with a single horn, traditional unicorns also possessed a billy goat’s beard, a lion’s tail and cloven hooves. Find out more here.
Feng Shui Animals
By Kartar Diamond
The role of both real and mythological animals is referred to frequently in feng shui theory and folklore. In many books, there is a description of an ideal house, which has a turtle behind it, a phoenix bird in front of it, and a dragon and tiger on either side. Learn more here.
Aesop's Fables
Edited by Kathleen Karlsen, MA
Aesop was a slave in ancient Greece (born approximately 620BC). He was given his freedom by his second master as a reward for his learning and wit. Aesop was a master of telling morality tales based on animal characters, often with a humorous twist. His tales reveal our stereotypical views and the symbolic meaning of animals: proud lions, busy bees, industrious ants and more.
Chinese Astrology
By Caroline Bourke and Henry KH Fong
Chinese astrology symbols are astrological signs of 12 animals that represent a twelve year cycle that is aligned with the sun and the moon. Each one of them was carefully selected and used to represent human life and culture. Learn more here.
Animal Dreams
By Sara Le and Ron Masa, Ph.D.
The appearance of animals in dreams can symbolize a number of different things. Most of the time, the significance of the animal depends on which type of animal pops up in the dream. In all areas of society, a wide variety of meanings and symbols are given to different animals, and when they show up in your dreams their purpose will most likely be a reflection of you and your beliefs about that creature.
Animal Totems
By Claudia McNeely and Laurie Brenner
The knowledge of totems has come to us mainly though the teachings of the Native Americans. They have a strong belief in the power of nature and would dress themselves in the skins or masks of different animals to access that animal's powers or abilities, known as ‘medicine'. In more ancient times, gods and goddesses were often portrayed as animals.
Mythical Animals
By Larry Christopher and Richard Monk
What do faeries, unicorns, dragons and mermaids have in common? Well, naturally they are all mythical creatures found in many folk and fairy tales. More than this, however, they are all creatures that might be considered liminal, or inhabiting a borderland between the gods and humans, or between good and evil.
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