Blog #3: Animals in Religion

Animals are frequently used as mascots, symbols, and for many other purposes, in and outside of religion. In the cave paintings at Lascaux, they were simply representations of animals that the people may have had encounters with. There was no obvious religious or spiritual meaning. The effigy mounds in the shape of animals, however, clearly do have some furthur significance than the animal that they depict. In addition, the mounds are more in the shape of symbols of animals, whereas the paintings are of the actual creatures as they appear.

As far as animals being used as mascots, that is also very different from the effigy mounds. Sports teams may use the animal mascots to promote their ferocity, or competetiveness, or it may simply be a catchy name. There isn't necessarily special meaning behind the name, or any religious sifnificance. The mounds, being related to burial or other rituals, do represent something more, and are less easily understood.

We know that the Native Americans' beliefs frequently include animals, including stories about ancient spirits or deities that took the shape of specific animals. That may be the main reason that animals are used as shapes for some of the mounds. Plenty of other religions used animals as symbols, but few incorporated them as much as the Native Americans. In our modern culture, animals have become characters with human traits and abilities, due to cartoons and other media. They no longer hold any special significance, and are only used for entertainment purposes.