What does the deer symbol mean? White Stag - a Celtic symbol of the presence of Higher Powers

Deer also appear as wonderful messengers and guides, showing the heroes the path to their goal. Deer are credited with healing powers, especially the ability to seek out medicinal herbs. IN fine arts a deer wounded by an arrow and holding a bunch of medicinal herbs in its mouth is a symbol of love longing. The deer also symbolizes caution and keen hearing.

However, as a result of observations of the habits of this animal, the symbolism of loneliness associated with the deer arose - both in European and Japanese traditions.

Among the American Indians and some Asian peoples, an adult male deer is a solar emblem of abundance, its branched antlers symbolize the Tree of Life, Sun rays, Durability and rebirth (horns change periodically). A young deer can be a symbol of defenselessness.

In China, deer is associated with wealth and good fortune, the word “deer” there is a homonym for the word “abundance”.

In Christian art, the male red deer represents hermitage, prosperity, and purity. Mentioned as the enemy of the snake, which can be lured out

Deer is the patron saint of the Siberian peoples

from cover with your breath, and then trample. In Christian iconography, a deer trampling a snake is a symbol of the destruction of evil, and in the Bible there is a comparison of a deer thirsting for water with human soul thirsty for God, which is why the male deer often symbolizes piety. It is in this meaning that the deer is depicted on baptismal fonts, as well as in religious painting- drinking at the foot of the cross. The deer also symbolizes Christ, who seeks out the devil in order to destroy him.

The white deer was my favorite badge English King Richard II; when he ordered that every inn should have some kind of sign, many took his white deer; this emblem is still often found on pub signs.

The female deer is found less frequently as a symbol, usually as a companion to the lunar goddesses of the hunt, including the ancient Greek Artemis (Diana). It can also symbolize feminine in initiation rites.

The deer was a sacred animal in the Greek mysteries of Bacchus, and participants dressed in deer skins. Since the deer was associated with the worship of the Moon goddess, Bacchic orgies took place at night.

The deer was often a ancestral figure (totem) among the peoples of Central Asia, hence the legend that the ancestors of Genghis Khan were a wolf and a deer. U North American Indians, who lived northwest of the Great Lakes, deer was also considered one of the totems. For example, among the Hurons (southeast of the Great Lakes) there was a clan of Deer.

Some tribes of the ancient Germans were also called by the names of animals, among them there was a tribe called “Young Deer”.

The Khanty and Mansi peoples decorate their national clothes various kinds embroidery, among which a canonized ornament called “deer antlers” was established.

Thus, from ancient times, the deer not only provided people with food and clothing, providing the opportunity for survival, but also acted as a strong magical intercessor, who, having struck the ground with its ringing hoof and flashing its golden horns in the distance, was ready at any moment to come to the rescue and protect from trouble, protect from evil. Perhaps it was precisely for these qualities that people endowed the beautiful, proud and strong animal that they began to call it the Noble Deer.

Deer is one of the most common patron spirits and assistants of shamans Siberian peoples. The beginning shaman imagined himself as a deer, imitated its habits, began to snort like a deer, and this process of “entry of the spirit into the shaman” lasted a long time, sometimes two or three years. After this period, the shaman made himself a mallet for the tambourine. Having stuck it into the ground, the initiate sang shamanic songs. In a dream, a deer appeared to him, from whose skin he needed to make a tambourine. The tambourine is perceived as the shaman’s deer, on which he “rides to the upper world to the spirits.” The tambourine depicts the animals and birds that protect the shaman. Some shamans, for example the Evenks, in addition to the tambourine, also have a ritual costume symbolizing a deer, and a staff in their hands.

To the imagination of a northern Slav, every thunder cloud seemed to be a deer driving the chariot of Perun the Thunderer (an ancient Slavic deity, an analogue of Elijah the Prophet in the Christian tradition or Zeus-Jupiter in the Greco-Roman tradition) across the heavenly sea-ocean. From Ilya's day in Rus' they stopped swimming, saying: “from Ilya's day the leaves on the trees turn yellow, and in rivers and lakes the water cools down because on that day the Deer swam across the river and cooled the water.” The same idea is reflected in German legends about “sunny” deer.

The Celts believed that the deer was the chief animal in the magical herds of the gods (this is what may have led to the tradition that Santa Claus travels in a reindeer sleigh); some Celtic gods wore stag antlers.

Many Hittite, Sumerian-Semitic and Shinto deities also rode deer.

In alchemy, both male and female deer often act as symbols of transformation, which is associated with the myth of Artemis, who turned the hunter Actaeon into a deer because he saw her while swimming naked.

In heraldry, a deer is always depicted in profile, running, walking or lying down.

Deer is auspicious symbol, associated with the Sun, sunrise, light, purity, renewal, rebirth, creation and spirituality. Due to the resemblance of deer antlers to branches, the image of a deer is associated with the Tree of Life. In addition, deer antlers symbolize the sun's rays and fertility. An adult male deer is a solar emblem of abundance.

Like the eagle and the lion, the deer is the eternal enemy of the snake; symbolically it is associated with the sky and light, while the snake is associated with the night and life underground. A deer in a fight with a snake symbolizes the conflict between positive and negative, light and darkness.

Like the eagle and the horse, the deer is a mediator between heaven and earth, a messenger of the gods. Hittite, Sumerian-Semitic and Shinto deities rode on deer; deer were harnessed to the carts of Time and Christmas.

Most characteristic features deer - swiftness, grace and beauty; Maybe that's why deer are associated with poetry and music.

IN medieval art in the West, the deer symbolized solitude and purity, and in Japanese poetry- loneliness and love languor.

U Chinese means happiness and longevity, the white male deer symbolizes Shou-Xin, the god of longevity. In addition, deer is associated with wealth and good fortune; the word “deer” in China is consonant with the word “abundance”.

Ancient Mayans called themselves Ah-Maya, “people of the Deer.” This animal was considered the main tribal ancestor and therefore a sacred animal. The Mayan constellation Deer (Capricorn) was associated with the new year, the next stage in life. This month it was recommended to focus only on earthly concerns. It was believed that as soon as one manages to live through the month of active Deer, it will be like this for the whole year. It was believed that those born this month are distinguished, on the one hand, by their connection with traditions, and on the other, by the desire for something new, to improve the existing. During this month, the ancient Mayans turned to priests for predictions or engaged in divination themselves.

U Celts deer is a symbol of the Sun, fertility and vitality, dignity, masculinity, speed, mediator between the world of gods and the world of people. The Celts believed that the deer was the main animal in the magical herds of the gods. Deer antlers were considered a symbolic representation of tree branches. The branches of the horns, like branches and leaves on trees, were considered symbols of rebirth and reproduction. The Celtic god Cernunnos, associated with the cycles of death and rebirth of nature, was depicted with branched stag antlers or with a stag and a bull standing at his feet. The legends feature a white deer, which for the Celts was a mystical animal that came to earth from the Other World and possessed the gift of wisdom and omniscience.

IN German-Scandinavian mythology four deer pluck the leaves of the world tree Yggdrasil. In addition, the deer Eiktürmir (“oak-tipped horns”) and the goat Heidrun eat its leaves while standing on the roof of Valhalla.

IN Greco-Roman tradition deer is an attribute of Artemis (Diana). Enraged by Artemis, the hunter Actaeon was turned into a deer because he saw her bathing.

IN Christian symbolism the deer represents religious enthusiasm and zeal, as the converts thirsted for knowledge "...as a deer longs to reach a cool stream to drink." It is in this sense that the deer is depicted on baptismal fonts, as well as in religious paintings - drinking at the foot of the cross. In Christian iconography, a deer trampling a snake is the emblem of a Christian fighting evil. Some saints are depicted with a deer as their attribute, for example a deer with a crucifix between its antlers is the emblem of St. Hubert.

IN alchemy the deer together with the unicorn signify the dual nature of Mercury, philosophical mercury. Alchemists see in ancient myth about the hunter Actaeon, transformed by the goddess Artemis into a deer, proof of the possibility of transforming metals.

U Slavs the deer was considered the personification of ancestors. According to legends, he could perform various miracles, speak human voice. In ancient carols, deer, like horses, carry the souls of the dead to other world. The deer was considered a royal animal: it rules over all horned animals.

Deer often appears in heraldic images where “means grace and moderation.”

Words are tormenting trumpets,
thundering in the deep forest, -
watching, calling to each other rudely,
Where will I carry the flame?
But what do I care about the greedy barking of Diana,
do you catch stomping and flying?
My soul is a huge deer -
the maddened dogs will be shaken off!
Shakes off - and along the burning path
will rush with its horns wide open,
through the black thickets of the night
to the fiery shores!

Vladimir Nabokov

The White Stag is a character in many Celtic myths and symbolizes the time period of 7 months. This is the beginning, the initiating energy. Therefore, if you want your business, which you are starting to argue, then you can ask for help from White Deer. If you want the energy of prosperity to always be present next to you, then you can always call Deer Spirit to help on every new moon and every full moon.

White Deer Energy gives great hope and enthusiasm, but at the same time you will still have to overcome physical obstacles, although this can be done much easier. If you often call on the White Deer in meditation, then accept his character traits, such as caution in life, restraint and perseverance in achieving goals. The enormous energy of this symbol can lift a person very high.

Also, with the help of this symbol you can eliminate conflicts in the family and even help advance your career.

How to work with the White Deer symbol?

Light a white candle. Imagine yourself in the forest and try to imagine a totem in front of you. The deer is a symbol of hermitage, so try to be alone so that nothing disturbs you. And first, tell him about what may be weighing heavily on your soul. That is, in the beginning, of course, purification. In order to work with this symbol, you will have to completely cleanse yourself. Deer is the enemy of snakes, you will have to pull these snakes out inner world and clear the way for new energy.

In order for your spiritual emanations to connect with the energies of this symbol, Firstly Energy contact should be carried out constantly, like a meeting. Then, the Soul must sincerely desire to express itself. The soul must choose the forms of its work, know exactly what it could use and what it would never accept. Therefore, listen to what your conscience says. When interacting with this symbol, you can begin to meet people from the past, from those reincarnations in which you interacted or even from the past of this life, you will meet those people with whom you have unfinished business. Don't be afraid of difficulties, just remember that you are under Higher guidance and you have to go through now. What seemed forgotten will come to life and you will need to end some relationship or figure out the situation until the end.

After you have worked with this symbol for 40 days in a row, you can go and buy yourself a ring with the stone. This will be your amulet. He will support you when difficulties arise, he will protect you from some situations, just remember that any amulet will not live for you. You, like Robin Hood, will have to fight and move forward. Only you, like him, will be protected by the Supreme Patrons.

Wise decisions will come to you and your intuition will rise to higher levels. high level. Just, in addition to all this, develop laconicism and modesty. The energy of this symbol will help you establish harmony and the correct relationship between the soul and circumstances, even those that occurred in the previous incarnation. What was normal and traditional for you may change. Continue to work with this symbol, and the best proof between you and the energy of the symbol will be if the White Deer visits you in a dream. Then rest assured that you are safe and protected.

The deer symbol is very ancient, it is present in all historical traditions. It is always a blessed symbol of rebirth and renewal, strength and nobility, courage and purity, piety and piety - a symbol human soul, but also a symbol of a warrior.

Deer in Slavic mythology

The image of a deer played a special role in the life of the Slavs; they considered it a royal animal and was endowed with fantastic features. He was called “wonderful”, “wonderful beast”, “tour”. According to legends, he was able to perform various miracles and speak in human language.

Among the Slavs, deer was considered the personification of ancestors. Deer carried the souls of the dead to the other world; many of their images were found on the walls of ancient ritual caves.

The Russian north has preserved the image of a deer in architecture, carvings, embroidery, fairy tales, and epics. IN Russian museums The richest collections of fabrics embroidered with patterns, the main element of which is a deer, have been collected.

The deer was a symbol Slavic goddesses Women in labor - mothers and daughters giving birth to all living things. They were depicted on embroideries in the form of two deer or horned female figures. Images of this horned deity most likely decorated the homes of the Slavs, and the tradition of hanging deer antlers inside the house may have roots that are more ancient than we think.

A male deer, especially during the rutting period, was the embodiment of strength, courage, determination and prudence at the same time. An elegant and timid female could engage in mortal combat while protecting her cub. Man has always admired the strength and beauty of the deer and felt its superiority over himself.

And the antlers of a deer had a completely amazing effect on a person. In beauty and greatness, they were compared with the sun, they were the personification of life and its renewal. Horns played one of critical roles in religious rituals for many millennia. The Magi appeared in horned headdresses.

The image of a deer is imprinted on many household items: spinning wheels, clay vessels, toys. It is known that meal from deer bones was sometimes added to the clay for these vessels. folk toy They continue to sculpt in the form of a deer even now in the Russian North and in the central part of Russia.

In Russian embroidery, two deer with a tree in the center were depicted as sacrificial deer at a sacred tree. According to legend, a deer descended from the sky, came with a fawn and sacrificed it himself, wanting to give people food.

On Ilya’s Day in Rus' they stopped swimming - “The deer dipped its hoof in the water - you can’t swim.” “It does not knock, does not rattle its hooves, But the deer flies like a red-hot arrow, The deer has silver hooves, The deer has red-gold antlers. -Where are you flying, young deer? “I’m running, I’m flying to the river water... The deer needs to step its hoof into the water.” Chill the silver water with that hoof.”

Deer is a creature associated among the Slavs with the sun. Songs about the golden-horned deer were recorded in Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Deer is an animal endowed with divine symbolism. It closely intertwines features of not only folk and pagan, but also Christian origin.

Deer in the Christian tradition.

According to Bulgarian belief, it is forbidden to kill a deer, because there is a deer that wears a cross on its antlers; killing such a deer threatens a person with death. The image of a deer with a crucifix on its antlers and the idea of a deer as a servant of God are associated with Christian tradition. IN Ukrainian fairy tale the angel takes the form of a deer. Belarusian riddle about a deer: “He lived and was not in church; he died, he was not praised, but he was a God-bearer.”

The symbolic deer is depicted on tombs, icons, baptismal fonts - drinking at the foot of the cross. There are known symbolic representations of Christ in the form of a deer in combination with a cross, and an image of a deer with a crucifix between the horns.

Deer is a symbol of hermitage, piety and purity in Christian culture. It symbolizes Christ and is associated with the soul striving to hear the word of Christ: “As a deer desires for streams of water, so the soul desires for You, O God!”

In Christian iconography, a deer trampling the ground is a symbol of a Christian fighting evil, an emblem of nobility and fortitude. “See: how a little deer devours a snake, Then he drinks the spring water, And now he is clean from the poison again, And the person here sees the meaning: He is washed with the water of baptism, He is fit for a sinless life.”

The special relationship of man to the deer is also manifested in heraldic images: the sun - abundance, laurel - glory and honor, lion - strength and courage. The deer also belongs to bright heraldic images and is a symbol of a warrior before whom the enemy is running, a symbol of the human soul thirsting for God and fighting temptations.

In Christian culture, the image of a deer was often interpreted precisely as an image of the human soul. This applies to both Byzantine and ancient Russian art.

The deer is also the emblem of a warrior, a symbol of male nobility. This emblem is found in the knightly coats of arms of warlike ancient peoples. Deer was especially popular in England and Germany. In Russian heraldry, a deer driving away a snake serves as the emblem of a warrior before whom the enemy is running. But not only Christianity reveres the deer...

Deer in Buddhism

Close to Chinese city Sanya, on a vast territory, operates one of modern centers Buddhism, which has a deer park.

There is a legend in Buddhism that the creator of Buddhism, Shakya Muni, in one of his past lives was a deer - the king of all deer with luxurious golden antlers. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Buddha first expounded his teachings in the Deer Grove near the city of Benares (modern Varanasi) 7 weeks after he achieved awakening.

IN ancient capital In Nara, Japan, a herd of 1,200 sika deer has lived near the old temples for more than 1,000 years. According to legend, the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, descended from heaven and arrived in Nara riding a deer, and modern deer, descendants of that deer, are protected as messengers of the gods.

The deer is one of the most important symbols of Buddhism, and Buddha is often depicted with a deer.

Deer - European symbol of deity.

Among the Celtic tribes, the deer was a symbol of fertility and vitality. The deer symbolized the sun, renewal, creation, it was considered the first ancestor. The main god of the Celts, Cernunnos, was depicted sitting next to a deer, and the god’s head was decorated with branchy antlers. The image of a male warrior with deer antlers on his head was a symbol of masculinity and military valor.

The deer was a participant in ritual rites, as it was considered the lord of animals and had power over fertility, abundance and renewal. Deer appear as wonderful messengers and guides, showing the heroes the path to their goal.

The deer as a symbol of the Universe is mentioned in the Edda, the main work of German-Scandinavian mythology. The deer is a sacred animal in the Greek mysteries, the companion of the huntress Diana. The image of this noble animal is widely represented in the art of Ancient Greece.

Totemism

In the art of all nations there is an image of a mighty beast - the ancestor of the tribe, relative and patron. This phenomenon is called totemism and deer are represented very widely in it.

The ancient Mayans, for example, called themselves “ah-Maya” - “people of the deer”. The deer was considered the main tribal ancestor. The Huichol Indians also called themselves “deer people.” In Sami mythology, the wonderful deer - werewolf Mändash is a totem animal - the ancestor of the Sami.

The word “saka” among the ancient Scythians meant a male deer, and many Scythian tribes called themselves “Sakas”. This name is correlated in Iranian with the word “saka”, in Persian – “sax”, in Buryat – “saga”, in Russian “forged” and has the meaning “deer”.

The veneration of deer in such completely different historical traditions can hardly be called accidental. All this, one way or another, reflects the deep, largely spiritual connection of a person with a deer - a symbol of the noble soul of a person.

The deer is an auspicious symbol associated with the Sun, sunrise, light, purity, renewal, rebirth, creation and spirituality. Due to the resemblance of deer antlers to branches, the image of a deer is associated with the Tree of Life. In addition, deer antlers symbolize the sun's rays and fertility. An adult male deer is a solar emblem of abundance.

The most characteristic features of a deer are swiftness, grace and beauty; Maybe that's why deer are associated with poetry and music.

In medieval art in the West, the deer symbolized solitude and purity, and in Japanese poetry - loneliness and longing for love.

For the Chinese it means happiness and longevity; the white male deer symbolizes Shou-Xin, the god of longevity. In addition, deer is associated with wealth and good fortune; the word “deer” in China is consonant with the word “abundance”.

The ancient Mayans called themselves Ah-Maya, "people of the Deer." This animal was considered the main tribal ancestor and therefore a sacred animal. The Mayan constellation Deer (Capricorn) was associated with the new year, the next stage in life. This month it was recommended to focus only on earthly concerns. It was believed that as soon as one manages to live through the month of active Deer, it will be like this for the whole year. It was believed that those born this month are distinguished, on the one hand, by their connection with traditions, and on the other, by the desire for something new, to improve the existing. During this month, the ancient Mayans turned to priests for predictions or engaged in divination themselves.

Among the Celts, the deer is a symbol of the Sun, fertility and vitality, dignity, masculinity, speed, a mediator between the world of the gods and the world of people. The Celts believed that the deer was the main animal in the magical herds of the gods. Deer antlers were considered a symbolic representation of tree branches. The branches of the horns, like branches and leaves on trees, were considered symbols of rebirth and reproduction. The Celtic god Cernunnos, associated with the cycles of death and rebirth of nature, was depicted with branched stag antlers or with a stag and a bull standing at his feet. The legends feature a white deer, which for the Celts was a mystical animal that came to earth from the Other World and possessed the gift of wisdom and omniscience.

In German-Scandinavian mythology, four deer pluck the leaves of the world tree Yggdrasil. In addition, the deer Eiktürmir (“oak-tipped horns”) and the goat Heidrun eat its leaves while standing on the roof of Valhalla.

In the Greco-Roman tradition, the deer is an attribute of Artemis (Diana). Enraged by Artemis, the hunter Actaeon was turned into a deer because he saw her bathing.

In Christian symbolism, the deer represents religious enthusiasm and zeal, as converts longed for knowledge "...as a deer longs to reach a cool stream to drink." It is in this meaning that the deer is depicted on baptismal fonts, as well as in religious paintings - drinking at the foot of the cross. In Christian iconography, a deer trampling a snake is the emblem of a Christian fighting evil. Some saints are depicted with a deer as their attribute, for example a deer with a crucifix between its antlers - the emblem of St. Hubert.

In alchemy, the deer together with the unicorn signify the dual nature of Mercury, philosophical mercury. Alchemists see in the ancient myth of the hunter Actaeon, transformed by the goddess Artemis into a deer, proof of the possibility of transforming metals.

Among the Slavs, deer was considered the personification of ancestors. According to legend, he could perform various miracles and speak in a human voice. In ancient carols, deer, like horses, carry the souls of the dead to the other world. The deer was considered a royal animal: it rules over all horned animals.

Deer often appears in heraldic images, where it “means grace and moderation.”

Deer

Vladimir Nabokov