Bears in Mythology
According to Joseph Campbell, the worship of bears is one of the two early signs and evidence of mythological thinking and experience.
In early cultures, bears were believed to be a soul of a loved one or ancestor, a guardian spirit of protection and we’re viewed as a symbol for healing, strength and medicine.
Bears were adopted as a symbol for man as their omnivorous diet and ability to walk on their hind legs mirrors human behavior. So much so that in the early 20th century, people in Kaleria, Russia did not consume bears due to the belief that they were the soul of a person’s relative or ancestor.
Bears as a Divine Visitor or Ancestor
Inuit Mythology: Nanuk
The Inuit viewed polar bears with deep spiritual significance, considering them “almost man”. They believed that it was polar bears who determined a hunter’s success.
In Intuit mythology, there is a polar bear god, Nanook, that is highly revered as a figure of sustenance and protection. The Intuit also viewed both the god and the species as a symbol of strength, independence and endurance, all which are traits that are crucial and essential for surviving in cold climates and harsh weather.
Proper devotions and offerings to the god were required in order for the community to receive a successful hunt and harvest. Successful devotions and offerings would provide the people with sustenance, warmth and sustainability. The Inuit believed that when killing a bear, man was required to make offerings to the bear’s spirit. The legend of the Inuit says that those who properly kill and pay respect to the bear’s spirit, will redeem successful hunts. While those who did not, would fail.
“Although it is the nations bordering the polar seas that demonstrate the greatest interest in the polar bear, he actually belongs to everyone. Surely the peoples of the world would want to assure this great animal a place on the globe, not because he is something for hunters to shoot, but because he is the symbol of the Arctic and a worthy companion of mankind.” (Ellis, 2009)
Japanese: Ainu
Located in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, a small community of people called the Ainu, have a religion centered around bears. Although they view all animals as earthly manifestations of God, the bear is given more reverence as they believe that when the gods visit the earth they will disguise themselves as bears. The term the Ainu itself translates to mean God.
The Ainu take bears as cubs and raise them as pets before sacrificing them in a ritual. The bears are nursed by women and spoken to with great reverence before the ritual. The Ainu believed that gratitude and respect must be displayed in order to liberate the bear’s spirit before consumption. When conducting the bear’s sacrifice, the Ainu are sure to invite the bear to return to earth. To the Ainu, death is not the end nor is it viewed as a punishment, rather as an endless and eternal existing cycle.
The Ainu legend states that a young woman and her baby would often travel to the mountains when gathering food. One day while washing her gatherings at the mountain stream as she had done everyday before, a bear stumbles upon them. The woman runs off in a hurry, forgetting her baby. The bear, seeing the abandoned child, tends to the baby and never leaves its side. When villagers approached as a mob in search of the baby, the bear took off. The villagers interpreted this as the bear caring for the baby and so deemed the bear a deity worthy of worship.
Finnish Mythology: Otso
In Finland, a bear is thought to be an intelligent and sacred spirit. In Finnish folklore, the bear is a symbol of the human spirit.
In Finnish tradition, women were often associated with bears as it was believed that bears were looking for a chance to reincarnate through women. This belief may stem from viewing hibernation as a transformative and rebirthing experience. This led to the belief that bears would not attack a person they recognized as a female. There was also a superstition that women were supposed to stay far away from a dead bear during Peijaiset.
Peijaiset was a feast designated to celebrate and honor the killing of a large animal before consumption. Karhunpeijaiset is a celebration held specifically for the bear’s soul and spirit after a hunt. Due to their reverence, when a bear is killed, the skull must be kept for a sacred shrine and brought offerings.
Otso was a bear spirit and was thought to be the strongest, most powerful, and therefore the king of the forest. Otso is associated with companionship, brotherhood and is often referred to as a forest cousin. Otso can refer to the spirit of a single bear or the collective spirit of all bears.
Bears as The Mother Goddess and Tutelary Symbol
The belief that bears were a guardian spirit and a symbol for protection also led to their association with motherhood. Cultures throughout centuries have associated bears with mothers because protecting, nurturing, and healing are all feminine attributes evident in motherhood.
Celtic Mythology: Artio , The Bear Goddess
Artio, whose name derives from an old Celtic word used to describe a bear, is a goddess of wildlife and protection. Artio is also associated with abundance, prosperity, and transformation. Artio is evidently a Mother Goddess as she cares for, nurtures , and protects all that is and of the natural world. Her association with abundance also proves this as “ the mother is the mirror of prosperity for her son or daughter”. (Price, 34) Artio is believed to be the counterpart of the Greek Artemis, who is also a goddess of the natural world and protectress of women.
Roman and Greek Mythology: Diana & Artemis
Despite three goddesses being associated with bears, bears are the least common allegorical representations of animals in relation to Greek gods and goddesses.
Artemis & Diana
Artemis is the Greek Goddess of hunting, wild life, children, birth, and fertility, whereas Diana is her Roman counterpart. Both are protectors of young women from infancy to the age of marriage. They hold the power to relieve women of illness and diseases, as well as assist for a healthy birth. It was said that if Greeks were to harm or kill a bear, Artemis would punish mankind by cursing all their attempts to hunt. A companion and hunting attendant of Artemis was also associated with bears.
Cosmic Bears
Greek Mythology: Callisto
In one version of the myth, it is Zeus who transforms Callisto into a bear in in order to protect her and their son, Arcas, from Hera’s jealous and vengeful wrath. He then throws their bear form into the sky. Having used their tails to throw them in the sky, it is often you will find depictions of this particular bear with an elongated tail.
In another version, it was Artemis who was angry at her companion and follower for breaking a vow of chastity and was the one responsible for turning Callisto into a bear as form of punishment.
In one other version it is Hera who turns Callisto into a bear. In this version, Hera then asks Artemis to hunt and kill the bear that unknowingly to her is Callisto. Callisto was ultimately unsafe and Zeus decides to rescue Callisto from his wife’s wrath by transforming her into the constellation Arctos, also known as “the Great Bear” or “Ursa Major”.
Korean Mythology: Ungnyeo
In this myth, a bear and tiger ever so wished to become humans. In order to become human, the two were required to stay in a cave for 100 days eating nothing but garlic and wormwood. Unfortunately the tiger could not last the 100 days and quit just after 20 days. The bear stayed and after 21 days had transformed into a woman who became known as Ungnyeo.
Chinese Mythology: Yu or Gun-Yu or Pangu
The Chinese story about Yu is one of my favorite creation and flood stories. In one version of the Chinese flood myth the demigod, Gun, attempts to stop the flood for nine years but fails. Yu, the son of Gun, steps up to the role and works for 13 years straight in order to stop the flood. In those thirteen years, despite passing his home several times , he did not return home. Yu had asked for and received mythological aid throughout his efforts to end the flood. One form of mythological aid comes in the form of his ability to transform into a bear in order to tunnel and repave the mountains.
