Greetings all! Hope this finds you well. This is the second installment of The Evolution Of Religion. Hope you enjoy it. Happy day to all of you! The true significance of nature to the peoples of ancient cultures, particularly those of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, can be discerned by observing the way in which the gods themselves were portrayed. Whilst the gods themselves are human in form, they are always adorned by animal motif headdresses, clothing or other symbolism. These animals are specific to the god or goddess wearing them. This phenomenon, far from being a mere fashion trend, is in fact a way to identify the god or goddess portrayed. In cultures not possessing a written language, or those with writing, but with a largely illiterate populace, this symbolic identification is critical. Without it, the pictorial stories of the gods would become vague and confusing. What was intended as a sacred, meaningful depiction would simply become a collection of pretty pictures. One could be forgiven for imagining that this code of sorts is a brilliant invention of a specific culture or tribe. But the truth is that this symbolic language is universal. The use of animal motifs to identify gods and goddesses is not unique to Mesoamerica, but can also be found as far away as Egypt, and as far back as a thousand years before the depictions of the Maya or Aztecs. While the Egyptians went as far as putting actual animal heads on anthropomorphic bodies, as opposed to the use of headdresses and clothing by the Mesoamerican traditions, the nature of the phenomenon is undoubtedly one and the same. These animal motifs were a way of identifying specific deities to populations who either had no written language or who were simply largely illiterate. But why use animal motifs to identify the gods? And how is it that the animals used possess enough meaning to be able to give identity to the gods? Symbolism has been a way to transmit a message since the beginning of humanity. But the symbol must be easily understood by all who see it. This is where the reason for using animals to identify deities becomes very clear. Unlike most people of today, the people of ancient cultures had far fewer distractions from day to day life. Subsequently, these people spent copious amounts of time observing their environment. These observations led to specific associations between certain animals and certain aspects of life. Birds, for example, were associated with travel or wisdom. The distances that birds flew make them a good candidate for representing travel. And who would deny that birds have to be smart? They are, after all, the only animals that know how to fly. Vultures and jackals symbolized death and anything associated with death or the passage from this life to the next. This too stands to reason as it was these animals that fed off of the carcasses of animals and people alike. When a person saw vultures circling overhead, or jackals on the move, it was a given that someone or something was dead or very nearly there. Strength was seen in lions and jaguars, thus it is their image that represents strength. This symbolism was easily understood by the people of a culture well versed on the specific nature of the animals within their environment. The Egyptians, Aztecs, and Mayans are certainly examples of such cultures.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 22:51:57 +0000
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