Living Wisdom: Animal Spirits
Nicholas J. Saunders
Time-Life Books
Nonfiction, Animals/Folklore
Themes: Cross-Genre, Occult
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Description
Since humanity's earliest days, people have attributed strange and mystic powers to various animals. Observing the owl's large staring eyes and eerie calls, mankind decided it must also possess wisdom of the dark afterlife. The long-lived turtle came to stand for longevity. These are somewhat obvious inferences, but how did the bear come to represent creation, or butterflies fire? This book outlines how some of these strange associations may have come about, discussing various cultures and their views of animals' spiritual and symbolic aspects.
Review
The author seems to have a jaded view of animal intelligence and emotional capacity, but otherwise this is a rather interesting look at the spiritual roles assigned to a wide variety of creatures. No other book I own on the subject deals with as much cultural variety, nor do most other books bother looking at the "why" of beliefs surrounding animals. I found this in the discount section, so it was a real steal for the price.