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Deer have significant roles in themythology of various peoples located all over the world, such as object ofworship, theincarnation ofdeities, the object of heroicquests and deeds, or as magical disguise or enchantment/curse for princesses and princes in manyfolk andfairy tales.
The deer also symbolizes a connection to thesupernatural, theOtherworld, or the fairy realm, e.g., being a messenger or an entity'sfamiliar.[1]
A deer or a doe (female deer) usually appears in fairy tales[2] as the form of a princess who has been enchanted by a malevolent fairy or witch,[3] such asThe White Doe (French fairy tale) andThe Enchanted Deer (Scottish fairy tale),[4] or atransformation curse a male character falls under. Sometimes, it represents a disguise a prince dons to escape or to achieve a goal, e.g.,What the Rose did to the Cypress (Persian fairy tale). Tale types that include a transformation into deer or hind areATU 401, "The Princess Transformed into Deer"[5] and ATU 450, "Brother and Sister" (male relative changed into deer; see:Brother and Sister, German fairy tale;The Golden Stag, Romanian fairy tale).[6]
A deer also appears as a helper, such as in Italian fairy taleThe Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird, as a foster mother to the exposed twin children; or in Portuguese folktaleThe Hind of the Golden Apple, as a talking animal who gifts the hero with the titular golden apple. It also may appear as a disguised adversary (an ogre, a sorcerer), e.g., inThe Enchanted Doe (Italianliterary fairy tale), or as a malevolent seductress, e.g., inIndian fairy taleThe Son of Seven Queens, collected byJoseph Jacobs.[7]
The deer also appears as a character inanimal fables, e.g.,The Deer without a Heart (Indian fable) andThe Stag at the Pool (attributed toAesop). Anothercervine animal, the stag, appears in an etiological tale from Brazil (Why the Tiger and the Stag hate each other).[8]
There's also a Chinese short film made by Ink Wash Animation in 1963 titled Deer Girl based on mythology about a white doe who gave birth to a girl after drinking divine water.
In one of theJataka tales, Buddha has reincarnated into the form of a deer. This story has many incarnations and names itself: such as "The Story of Ruru Deer",[9] "The Golden Deer",[10] and the Chinese cartoonA Deer of Nine Colors. The story originated in India around the 4th century BCE.[11] The narrative hails the merits ofcompassion,empathy, andkarma.
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TheInsular Celts have stories involving supernatural deer, deer who are associated with a spiritual figure, and spirits or deities who may take the form of deer.
In someScottish andIrish tales deer are seen as "fairy cattle" and are herded and milked by atutelary, benevolent, otherworldly woman (such as abean sìdhe or in other cases the goddessFlidais), who can shapeshift into the form of a red or white deer.[12] In the West Highlands, this woman of the otherworld selects the individual deer who will be slain in the next day's hunt.[13]
In Ireland, TheCailleach Bhéara ("The Old Woman of Beare"), who lives on an island off the coast of County Cork, takes the form of a deer to avoid capture, and herds her deer down by the shore. The Beare peninsula is also associated with the islands in the western sea that are the lands of the dead.[14] OtherCeltic mythological figures such asOisín andSadhbh also have connections to deer.
Cernunnos is a mythological figure in ContinentalCeltic mythology, and possibly one of the figures depicted on theGundestrup cauldron. He has stagantlers on the top of his head. His role in the religion and mythology is unclear, as there are no particular stories about him.
Medieval works of fiction sometimes contain the existence of a white deer or stag as a supernatural or mystical being in the chivalry quest ("The Hunt for the White Stag" motif, such as in thelai ofGuigemar[15])[16][17] and in parts ofArthurian lore,[18][19] such as in the medieval poem ofErec and Enide.[20]
Saint Giles, a Catholic saint especially revered in the south of France, is reported to have lived for many years as a hermit in the forest nearNîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a deer, orhind, who in some stories sustained him on her milk. In art, he is often depicted together with that hind.
Deer figure in the founding legend ofLe Puy-en-Velay, where a Christian church replaced amegalithicdolmen said to have healing powers. A local tradition had rededicated the curative virtue of the sacred site to Mary, who cured ailments by contact with the standing stone. When the founding bishop Vosy climbed the hill, he found that it was snow-covered in July; in the snowfall, the tracks of a deer around the dolmen outlined the foundations of the future church.
SaintHubertus (or "Hubert") is a Christian saint, the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers, and used to be invoked to cure rabies. The legend of St Hubertus concerned an apparition of a stag with thecrucifix between its horns, effecting the worldly and aristocratic Hubert's conversion to a saintly life.
In the story of Saint Hubertus, on Good Friday morning, when the faithful were crowding the churches, Hubertus sallied forth to the chase. As he was pursuing a magnificent stag the animal turned and, as the pious legend narrates, he was astounded at perceiving a crucifix standing between its antlers, which occasioned the change of heart that led him to a saintly life. The story of the hart appears first in one of the later legendary hagiographies (Bibliotheca hagiographica Latina, nos. 3994–4002) and has been appropriated from the earlier legend ofSaint Eustace (Placidus).
Later in the 6th century, the Bishop SaintGregory of Tours wrote his chronicles about the Merovingian rulers.Historia Francorum contains the legend of KingClovis I, who prayed to Christ in one of his campaigns so he could find a place to cross the river Vienne. Considered as a divine sign, a huge deer appeared and showed where the army could pass.
In the 14th century, probably keeping some relation with Saint Eustace's legend, the deer again appears in Christian legend. TheChronicon Pictum contains a story where the later King SaintLadislaus I of Hungary and his brother the KingGéza I of Hungary were hunting in a forest, and a deer with numerous candles on his antlers appeared to them. Saint Ladislaus told his brother that it wasn't a deer but an angel of God, and his antlers were wings; the candles were shining feathers. He also stated his intent to build a cathedral in honor of the Holy Virgin in the place where the deer appeared.[21]
AnAnglo-Saxon royal scepter found at theSutton Hoo burial site inEngland features a depiction of an upright, antlered stag. In theOld English language poemBeowulf, much of the first portion of the story focuses on events surrounding a greatmead hall calledHeorot, meaning "Hall of theHart".
In thePoetic Edda poemGrímnismál thefour stags of Yggdrasil are described as feeding on the world tree,Yggdrasil, and the poem further relates that the stagEikþyrnir lives on top ofValhalla. In theProse Edda bookGylfaginning, the godFreyr is having once killedBeli with an antler. InÞiðrekssaga,Sigurd is presented as having been nursed by a doe.
Andy Orchard proposes a connection between the hart Eikþyrnir atop Valhalla, the hart imagery associated with Heorot, and the Sutton Hoo scepter.[22] Sam Newton identifies both the Sutton Hoo whetstone and the hallHeorot as early English symbols of kingship.[23]Rudolf Simek says that "it is not completely clear what role the stag played in Germanic religion" and theorizes that "the stag cult probably stood in some sort of connexion toOdin's endowment of the dignity of kings."[24]
InGreek mythology, the deer is particularly associated withArtemis in her role as virginal huntress.Actaeon, after witnessing the nude figure of Artemis bathing in a pool, was transformed by Artemis into a stag that his own hounds tore to pieces.Callimachus, in his archly knowledgeable "Hymn III to Artemis", mentions the deer that drew the chariot of Artemis:
One of the Labors ofHeracles was to capture theCeryneian Hind sacred to Artemis and deliver it briefly to his patron, then rededicate it to Artemis. As a hind bearing antlers was unknown in Greece, the story suggests a reindeer, which, unlike other deer, can be harnessed and whose females bear antlers. The myth relates toHyperborea, a northern land that would be a natural habitat for reindeer. Heracles' sonTelephus was exposed as an infant on the slopes of Tegea but nurtured by a doe.
Several figures were transformed into deer in Greek myths. The most notable among them is the hunterActaeon, who accidentally stumbled upon Artemis one day as she was bathing naked. Artemis turned him into a stag so that he could never tell what he had seen. Actaeon bolted off only to be chased by his own hunting dogs who did not recognise their master. The dogs caught him and devoured him. In some versions of the myth, Actaeon deliberatively tried to assault the goddess.
Others includeArge, a mortal huntress who claimed that even though the stag she was chasing was as fast as the Sun, she would catch it eventually.Helios the sun-god was offended by her words, so he turned her into a hind. Two more women were turned into hinds, both at the hands of Artemis; the firstTaygete so that she could escape the amorous advances ofZeus, and the secondTitanis, a girl in Artemis's own retinue, who incurred the goddess's wrath.
InHindu mythology, theAitareya Upanishad tells us that the goddessSaraswati takes the form of a red deer called Rohit. Saraswati is the goddess of learning, so learned men use deer skin as clothing and mats to sit upon. A golden deer plays an important role in the epicRamayana. While in exile in the forest,Rama's wifeSita sees a golden deer and asks Rama andLakshmana to get it for her. The deer is actually arakshasa calledMaricha in disguise. Maricha takes this form to lure Rama and Lakshmana away from Sita so his nephewRavana can kidnap her.[citation needed]
In the Hindu epicmahabharata, therishiKindama dons the disguise of a male deer.
South-Indian icons of the Hindu godShiva may be depicted holding a deer in a hand. In the iconography of Shiva's mendicant formBhikshatana, a deer playfully leaps near a hand of the god, who holds some grass. The deer also appears in icons of another formKankalamurti, who is depicted similar to Bhikshatana.
InJainism, the figureHarineyameshi (considered to be the same figure in Hindu sources referred to as Naigamesha often portrayed with the head of a goat) who is associated with transferring the embryo ofMahavira, is sometimes depicted having the head of a deer.[25]
The stag was revered alongside thebull atAlaca Höyük and continued in theHittite mythology as the protective deity whose name is recorded asdKAL. OtherHittite gods were often depicted standing on the backs of stags, such asKurunta or fellowAnatolian (Luwian) deityRuntiya. The deer would also have a long-standing rivalry with the mountains in Hittite mythology
For theHuichol people of Mexico,[26] the "magical deer" represents both the power of maize to sustain the body and of the peyote cactus to feed and enlighten the spirit. Animals such as the eagle, jaguar, serpent and deer are of great importance to the Mexican indigenous cultures. For each group, however, one of these animals is of special significance and confers some of its qualities to the tribe.
For the Huichol it is the deer that holds this intimate role. The character of the Huichol tends to be light, flexible and humorous. They have avoided open warfare, neither fighting against the Spanish nor Mexican governments, but holding to their own traditions. The Huichol hunt and sacrifice deer in their ceremonies. They make offerings to the Deer of the Maize to care for their crops, and to the Deer of the Peyote to bring them spiritual guidance and artistic inspiration.
InHungarian mythology,Hunor and Magor, the founders of theMagyar peoples, chased a white stag in a hunt. The stag lead them into unknown land that they namedScythia. Hunor and Magor populated Scythia with their descendants theHuns and the Magyars. To this day, an important emblem in Hungary is a many-antlered stag with its head turned back over its shoulder.[27]
Deer is associated with wisdom, agility, fertility and supernatural powers inTurkic mythology. In some of the early Turkic tombs, deer figurines were found.[28]
In theOttoman Empire, and more specifically in westernAsia Minor andThrace the deer cult seems to have been widespread and much alive, no doubt as a result of the meeting and mixing of Turkic with local traditions. A famous case is the 13th century holy manGeyiklü Baba (i.e. 'father deer'), who lived with his deer in the mountain forests ofBursa and gave hind's milk to a colleague. Material in the Ottoman sources is not scarce but it is rather dispersed and very brief, denying us a clear picture of the rites involved.[29]
TheTribe of Naphtali bore a stag on its tribal banner and was poetically described as a hind in theBlessing of Jacob.
InJewish mythology as discussed in theBabylonian Talmud inHullin 59b:2, a one-horned stag called theqeresh (קרש).[30] It is said in Hullin 59a to live in Bē-ʿIllāʾē (בי עילאי), a forest full of unusual animals.
The deer symbol appears in the ancientKurdish legends.Kurdish people believe that killing a deer brings bad luck and they see the deer as a saint who belongs to God. The deer is also used as a national symbol. The Kurdistan Regional Government forbids hunting and killing deer.
InNative American mythology, there is the tale of theDeer Woman, a legendary creature associated with love and fertility.
The spiritFurfur in TheGoetia is depicted as ahart or winged hart.
In 1914, Hungarian composerBéla Bartók collected two Hungarian (Székely)colinde inTransylvania. The story is of a father who has taught his nine sons only how to hunt, so they know nothing of work and spend all of their time in the forest. One day while hunting a large and beautiful stag, they cross a haunted bridge and are themselves transformed into stags. The distressed father takes his rifle and goes out in search of his missing sons. Finding a group of fine stags gathered around a spring, he drops to one knee and takes aim. The largest stag (eldest son) pleads with his father not to shoot. The father, recognizing his favorite son in the form of a stag, begs his children to come home. The stag then replies that they can never come home: their antlers cannot pass through doorways and they can no longer drink from cups, only cool mountain springs. Bartók prepared a Hungarian libretto, and in 1930 set the tale to music in hisCantata Profana. It was first performed in London in 1934, in an English translation.
TheScythians had some reverence for the stag, which is one of the most common motifs inScythian art. Possibly the swift animal was believed to speed the spirits of the dead on their way, which perhaps explains the curious antlered headdresses found on horses buried atPazyryk (illustration at the top of this article).
InSlavicfairytales,Golden-horned deer is a large deer with golden antlers.
Golden or silverdeer/elk was a popular folk character atthe Urals in the 18th century.[31] There were tales about the mythical creature called Silver Deer, also known as the elk Golden Horns and the goatSilver Hoof.[32]
Deer are considered messengers to the gods inShinto, especiallyKasuga Shrine inNara Prefecture where a white deer had arrived fromKashima Shrine as its divine messenger. It has become a symbol of the city ofNara. Deer inItsukushima Shrine, located inMiyajima, Hiroshima, are also sacred as divine messengers. In various parts ofNortheast Japan, a deer dance called "Shishi-odori" has been traditionally performed as an annual Shinto ritual.[33]
In Brazil, there is the indigenous legend of Anhanga (Anhangá). Anhangá in tupi-guarani: anhã + anga = to run + soul ( or genius).[34] It's a white deer, believed to have red eyes, and the protector of all animals in the florest. Anhanga can change into a man or sometimes other animals.
Quintus Sertorius, while a general inLusitania, had a tame white stag which he had raised nearly from birth. Playing on the superstitions of the local tribes, he told them that it had been given to him by the goddessDiana; by attributing all his intelligence reports to the animal, he convinced the locals that it had the gift of prophecy. (SeePlutarch's life of Sertorius andPliny the Elder's chapter on stags [N.H., VIII.50])
The naming of SirFrancis Drake's ship the "Golden Hind" is sometimes given a mythological origin. However, Drake actually renamed his flagship in mid-voyage in 1577 to flatter his patron SirChristopher Hatton, whose armorial bearings included the crest "a hindOr." In heraldry, a "hind" is adoe.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, as well as the rest ofSanta Claus's reindeer, originated as fictional but have become an integral part of Western festive legend.
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