'Great Shamans and Great Teachers'

Animals as Guides to Truth in Religious Texts

Abstract

Animals in the role of guides and messengers are found in the texts (artistic, ritual, mythological and written) of many traditions, with the significance of the animals’ presence going beyond the merely aesthetic or fanciful. The animal-related shamanic practice of hunter-gatherer cultures has influenced later world religions. Written texts can be divided into the mystical, concerning experience; the philosophical, concerning ideas; the devotional, concerning sacred places and utterances; and the ethical. Two important narratives provide examples of zoophilic ethical principles supporting ontological claims.