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Important:
Please note this article is included for interest only,
it is not suitable for serious study as precise accuracy
cannot be guaranteed. Please keep in mind that
information included on this website has been researched
to the best of my ability and any misinformation is
quite by accident but is of course possible.
The difference
between myth and religion of course depends on ones own
personal perspective and beliefs. This particular article is for historical interest only, I
make no personal comment whatsoever concerning religion
or its practice. I am planning to include an article in
the
Animal Rights
section about the impact that religious
belief has had upon how we treat animals.
I will discuss
the significance of sheep in mythology and religions
both modern and ancient. I have endeavoured to
include examples of religion and myth in a basic
chronological order but a more precise order as such is
not possible as the origins and beginnings of many myths
are unknown.
I have chosen
several well known and one or two less known examples of
the role of sheep in religion and mythology.
Please note in the
discussion of the Abrahamic traditions I will refer to the Abrahamic God as Allah when He is being discussed in the
sole context of Islam. God or more correctly, Yahweh, referred to in Judaism and
Christianity and Allah are of course the same deity.
Sheep are common
symbols in both mythology and religion.
The ancient
civilisations where polytheistic (believing in many
Gods). Many of these ancient peoples worshipped animals
as Gods, used animals to symbolically represent their
gods and believed that these gods could shape shift to
assume the form of an animal.
The ancient
Sumerians, approximately 4000 BC to 2000, who are
thought to have developed the first form of writing in
the ancient world (Cuneiform script) immortalised
sheep through religion in the form of gods and goddesses
whose sphere of activity was to guard and represent
flocks. The most prominent and powerful was Duttur sheep
goddess and protector of flocks, a
Mother Goddess of both Dumuzi, also Lord of shepherds
and the flocks, and Gestinanna although an oracular
goddess associated with the interpretation of dreams
also has associations with sheep and shepherding. The Sumerians had huge flocks of sheep,
and sheep where important for meat and clothing for the
entire population, sheep where the most important part
of the economy as they were in many ancient cultures.
Likewise The
Egyptians also valued sheep, they were dependent on
sheep for milk, meat, clothing and to provide manure to
fertilise the land. Right from the earliest times the
Egyptians worshipped animals and at various periods held certain animals to be sacred and as
representations of their gods and goddesses. Many graves
of ancient Egyptian people have been found which include
the remains of animals wrapped in cloth, including sheep.
Concerning
sheep in the religious context of Egypt, the God Khnum
had the head of a ram. From the earliest beginnings of
Egyptian civilisation Khnum, originally the god of
the source of the Nile and believed to have created all
the other hundreds of gods and goddesses, was
worshipped. Revered as the most important of the gods he
was believed to have been self created and it was he who
made the first egg from which arose all of creation in its
entirety.
Also in ancient Egypt
the god Heryshaf, a creator and fertility god who was
said to have been born in primeval waters, was
represented by the figure of a man with the head of a
ram or as a ram. In Egyptian mythology he was identified
with Ra and Osiris and in Greek mythology to Heracles.
Rams heads have
been found in ancient Neolithic shrines in Catal Huyuk
in Ancient Turkey suggesting some religious signifcance.
The Greeks, Romans, and other cultures set
significant store in the sacrifice of animals as an act of
propitiation or worship in order
to placate
the gods and no doubt sheep where included amongst the
animals deemed suitable as sacrificial offerings.
Animal sacrifices including sheep also served other
significant religious purposes other than appeasement, such as an offering of
thanksgiving, to seek a favour and as a way of telling
the future such as the use of animal entrails for divination.
For this purpose it appears that the sheep's liver was
the most commonly used organ. In these ancient cultures the use of animal
sacrifice was integral to religious practice and
was in some cases a substitute for human sacrifice. In
Greek culture according to mythology the gods took
delight in human sacrifice but seemingly were willing
to accept a substitute of an animal sacrifice with a few
drops of human blood symbolically added.
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Suovetaurilia.
The above which is housed in the Lourve is a
relief from the panel of a
sarcophagus and shows the sacrifice of a pig, a
sheep and a bull to the god
Mars. A fine example of Roman artwork
constructed in marble it dates from the first
half of the 1st century AD . Photo credit:
Public
Domain. Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen
Suovetaurile Louvre.jpg - Wikimedia Commons |
This symbolism
presents itself in the bible when Abraham is commanded
by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac to prove to God
that he is a loyal and obedient servant. In the Islamic
tradition Ishmael rather than Isaac is the son selected
for sacrifice however this is not
explicitly stated in the Qur'an. Abraham's faith thus
proven and before the deed could be carried out a ram
appears and serves as a replacement, a substitute for
Isaac/Ishamel. More about this later.
The ancient Greek
gods where called upon to protect sheep. In the Greek
colony of Kyrene in Libya the god Aristaios was revered
as the god of herdsmen and bee keepers. He was
worshipped by herdsmen because it was believed that he
was the protector of both the men and their flocks,
watching over to protect them from predators
such as wolves, weather and malevolent forces.
In Greek
mythology the well known and ancient legend of the
golden fleece is central to the mythological tale of Jason,
one of the many great heroes of Greek mythology comparable to Herakles and Odysseus.
The story tells of
Jason's quest for the fabled golden fleece, which in
Greek mythology is the fleece of the winged ram
Chrysomallos, required in order to place him on the
throne of Iolcus in Thessaly. Familiar in the time
of Homer 800 BC this is a very ancient
mythological tale with some later variations.
The quest of Jason
and his band of
Argonauts, so named after their ship the Argo, for the
Golden fleece was popularised in 1963 by
the Columbia Pictures film Jason
and the
Argonauts starring Todd Armstrong as the mythical Greek
hero Jason.
Sheep play an
important role in the monotheistic Abrahamic religions.
The Abrahamic religions include all religions that
believe in only one god, that is the God of Abraham and
include: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Sheep, lambs
and Sheperds are present in these religions in many
symbolic ways, perhaps more so than in other religions.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and King David were all
shepherds. Sheep and shepherds are mentioned 247
times in the Bible. In the Abrahamic traditions in
ancient times a lamb was considered a possession
of high value, sheep signified wealth. A lamb was
therefore seen as a fitting sacrifice to placate,
demonstrate faith and obedience or to obtain the more
highly prized favour of God.
As already
mentioned a ram was sacrificed instead of Abraham's son
Isaac. According to this tradition as a test of
his faith God demanded that Abraham sacrifice his son,
but before he was able to do so however an angel
intervenes, and a near by ram is sacrificed instead of
Isaac.
In the Islamic
tradition, founded by the prophet Muhammad 570–632 A.D., a sheep is sacrificed during
Eid al-Adha, a festival to commemorate Abraham's
obedience to Allah by demonstrating his willingness to sacrifice Ishmael even though
the devil tempted Abraham to spare his son. Allah
intervened as Abraham was about to perform the sacrifice
and instead Allah provided a lamb as the sacrifice. The
festival of Eid al-Adha falls approximately
seventy days after Ramadan and lasts for two days or
more.
The Festival begins
with a prayer and a sermon. People dress in their finest
clothes. Those who are able to do so are required to
offer their prized animals at about one year of age,
usually a sheep, but cattle, camels and goats also are
acceptable. The Qur'an states that the meat is divided
into three shares: a portion for the poor, another for family and
friends and finally oneself. It is required that a large
portion is given to the poor.
Concerning Animals
in general, the Qur'an does not specifically mention that
animals have souls but it does however teach
respect for all creatures, although Muslims sacrificed
animals to Allah and eat meat. However certain animals
are excluded, pigs and animals who have died of
natural causes or an animal who has been blessed by
Allah. The drinking of animal blood is forbidden.
In Judaism in
accordance with the mandate of the Torah (Translated as
law refers usually to the first five books of the old
testament, called the books of Moses) a
lamb, known as the Paschal Lamb, was sacrificed on the eve of the passover to
commemorate the night of the event referred to as the
passover when God took the
lives of the first born sons of the Egyptians and spared
or passed over the first born sons of the Israelite
slaves. During the passover door posts and lintels of
each household were smeared with the blood of a
lamb to identify the houses of the Israelites, a
sign to the angel of death when passing over the land
on his charge to slay the Egyptian first born. The
passover commemorative sacrifice took place in the court of the
Temple at Jerusalem and was usually a ram lamb of
one year of age without flaw, he was offered during a
very elaborate and precise ritual.
The old testament
also refers to sacrifices of lambs as a means of
atonement for sin,
32
If you offer a lamb
instead of a goat as a sacrifice for sin, it must be a
female that has nothing wrong with it. 33
Lead the lamb to the altar and lay your hand on
its head, before having it killed.
34 The priest will dip a
finger in the blood, smear some of it on each of the
four corners of the altar, and pour out the rest at the
foot of the altar.
Leviticus 4:32-34
. In other words in
the Judaic tradition sin could be forgiven by the
shedding of the innocent blood of an unblemished lamb.
In a similar way Christians would come to believe that
they were freed from sin by the blood of Jesus, the
unblemished lamb of God, and this is why Jesus is
referred to as the lamb of God. There is no
reference in the Old testament that animal sacrifice was the only means of atonement and instead teaches
that it is possible to atone for sin by prayer and
repentance alone. In fact according to Judaic belief
atonement may be achieved without recourse to animal
sacrifice, which in modern times is not generally
practiced. The above ritual for atonement carried out in
the temple in Jerusalem was performed by
Israelite priests, Kohanim. The ritual included not only
the sacrifices of animals and offerings but also
prayer and singing.
The popular and
well know psalm 23 is analogous of sheep and Shepard's,
where God is compared to a shepherd and His
followers to sheep.
The LORD is my
shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
Psalm 23
The symbolism of
sheep or lambs is an important part of the Christian
Tradition. Jesus is often referred to as a Shepherd and
his followers as a flock. For instance in the bible:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know
I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that
I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have
I received of my Father. "
John 10 verses 14 to 18
Jesus is also given
the title the Lamb of God. As already mentioned earlier,
in the Christian tradition the ultimate mission
of Jesus to die on the cross to atone for man's sin, is analogous to a sacrificial lamb.
In Christian
churches you will often see the imagery below: Agnus
Die, A symbol of the Lamb of God or Jesus Christ
depicted as a lamb.
Agnus Dei is a
Latin term meaning Lamb of God, it refers to Jesus as
the the perfect sacrificial offering that atones for the
sins of humanity.
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Agnus Dei, Latin term meaning the Lamb of God
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In ecclesiastical
art an Agnus Dei is a visual representation of Jesus as
a lamb holding a cross and Christian banner such as the in
the above example. The cross usually rests on the lamb's
left shoulder and held in his left foreleg. The cross
may have attached to it a banner, most often red similar
to the George cross, but as with the picture above the
crosses may be rendered in different colours. There are
variations such as for example the lamb may be depicted
bleeding from the heart; this symbolises the shedding of
Jesus' blood
to take away the sins of the world.
Agnus Dei may be found in many comparable
forms depicted on stained glass windows, kneeling cushions and
heraldry as those shown below.
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Agnus Dei Gloucester cathedral |
Agnus Dei Kneeling cushions |
Angus Dei Is the
canticle "Lamb of God" used in the liturgy of Holy
Communion.
In
both Catholic and protestant Christian
churches the Agnus Dei is the invocation
to the Lamb of God sung or recited
during the distribution of the Host, the
Bread and wine used to represent the
blood and body of Christ. "Behold the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of
the world"
In
addition in the Christian tradition the lamb is symbolical of innocence,
gentleness, peacefulness and patience under suffering
and typifies the gentle qualities associated with Jesus.
The death of Jesus
on the cross was according to Christian tradition a sacrifice for sin and
here the culture of sacrificial offerings continues as Jesus is compared to a sacrificial lamb. This concept harks back
to Jewish temple sacrifices mentioned earlier when a lamb, the Paschel
lamb, was sacrificed, his blood sprinkled on the
alter and his remains eaten to remember the
passover. In Greece and
Romania,
Easter celebrations include a meal of Paschal lamb.
Sheep and lambs are
included in Christian iconography, for example on
stained glass windows such as those below.
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Jesus as the good shepherd is depicted in
stained glass windows |
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Stained Glass Window Gloucester Cathedral |
This example in the St John's chapel of Ludlow
Church dates
from the 15th century. |
Many Christian
saints are considered
patrons of sheep and shepherds for
example Sts Bernadette of Lourdes, Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Dominic of Silos and Regina to name
just four.
Unlike the
Abrahamic religions sheep have less signifcance in
Buddhism. However in the Chinese
Buddhist tradition a ram was said to be present at the
birth of Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama
563–483 B.C. the son of King Suddhodana, ruler of the
Sakya tribe.
In Tibet at new
year, a ram which represents the faults of the previous
year is released for the new year, symbolically taking
with him last year's faults, although this may stem more
from the shamanic religions practiced in Tibet prior to
the introduction of Buddhism in about 500 AD.
The ram is
associated with shamanic worship and is sacrificed, the fight against the ram is one of the symbols of the
shaman's struggle. As in the above example The ram is
seem as an expiatory animal: it can symbolically bear
human faults, or be used to contain demons or drive out
evil forces.*
Also in Tibet there is a ritual
which involves driving a sheep around the monastery
walls by a pilgrim practicing devotional
circumnambulations. Such practices are undertaken to gain
merit and mitigate or improve ones Karma. Thereafter the
sheep is allowed to live out the remainder of his or
her life in peace.
There is an old Tibetan saying :
It is better to live one day as a tiger than a thousand
years as a sheep. This generally refers to the
timidity of sheep and often quoted in reference to fear.
Although Buddhism
is the predominant religion of Tibet and other Himalayan
countries the sheep is
exploited for his wool, skins, meat and milk. In
the treeless barren terrain of Tibet their dung is used
as fuel. Their horns are used as needles and their
guts as thread. Along with yak, sheep are used also as
pack animals.
As already
mentioned sheep seemingly have little
religious significance in Buddhism however as a major
part of the Buddhist ethic most Buddhists consider the
life of an animal as equal to that of a human and this
of course includes sheep. In Buddhism there are five
precepts (codes of ethics), although in some traditions
there are up to ten. Buddha taught these from
compassion and as a means of improving society and to
aid followers along the path to enlightenment; the
Buddha taught that animals where like humans in that
they where progressing towards a higher consciousness,
towards enlightenment and would one day be humans or may
have been human in previous incarnations. Therefore
Buddhists consider it wrong to harm any creature. The five
precepts are more like voluntary ethical commitments and
not considered as commandments as such. The first of
these precepts is to refrain from killing and is usually
translated as "I undertake the precept to refrain
from destroying living creatures."
There is some
confusion at times as the logical implication of the
first precept is that Buddhists should not eat meat and
most Buddhists are vegetarian. However in some Buddhist
traditions this is not the case, in Tibet for example
where the cultivation of crops is impossible due to
climate. Buddha himself ate meat which he acquired as
alms or meals prepared for him by invitation of
followers and it is Buddhist ruling for monks to eat
what is offered. Buddha indicated that it was
acceptable to eat meat as long as the animal was
not purposely slaughtered for your benefit. However as
time went on Buddhists began to feel uncomfortable with
eating meat. In modern times generally speaking the
Mahayana tradition of Buddhists are vegetarian and Theravadin Buddhists are not.
In Hinduism Animals
occupy an important place and are mentioned in myth and
legend and are also included in the Hindu pantheon as
divinities themselves; Hinduism is a polytheistic religion
which includes many deities . Animals are also the
vehicles of these deities both Gods and Goddesses. Each
God and Goddess has his or her own vehicle each of which has an
important significance and represents the various
energies that exist in the universe as well as in each
Human being. Symbolically the animal vehicle represents
the animal energy, qualities or skills which need to be
enhanced or sublimated in our lower nature which may
be transformed with the help of the appropriate deity. The God or Goddess is in charge of a particular energy, which he or she rides, or controls at his or her will.
The ram is the vehicle of Mangala and Agni, a divinity
in the Vedic pantheon, he is a deity connected with
sacrificial ritual. The symbolism being the connection
with Rams as typical sacrificial animals. In Hinduism
sacrifice, or Sanskrit yaina, means worship,
devotion, offerings, love and oblation. Animals
themselves are not
sacrificed, the sacrifice or yaina, is performed to
please the gods or to attain certain aspirations
and to represent seeds of
past karma.
Performed as a part of personal devotions and at
weddings and funerals, it consists of a sacrificial
fire into which oblations, clarified butter Glee, grains
spices and wood
are poured accompanied by the chanting of mantras. The
fire represents Agni who is the divine messenger who
takes the offering to the Devas - deities, or variously
spirits, celestial beings of excellence.
Rather like
Buddhism, in Hinduism there is no distinction
between animals and human beings. In fact all beings
including both plants and animals are considered as
divine and as manifestations of God. According to Hindu
belief animals are not inferior, they have souls and
may one day progress to become human.
Sheep or to be
specific the ram is represented in astrology
In Western
astrology the sign of the ram Aries is the first sign of
the Zodiac , the belt of twelve constellations through
which the sun passes during the course of a year.
In Greek mythology
Aries is associated with the Ram who carried
Athamus', king of
Orchomenus, twin son Phrixus and daughter Helle,
to Colchis to escape their stepmother Ino,
Athamus' second wife, as well as the mythological figure
of Theseus.
Any one born
between March 21 and April 20th are born under the sign of Aries. Those born under the sign of Aries are
believed to possess certain characteristics and are
said to be dexterous, affable, gifted, enterprising,
well-meaning, quick-witted, lusty, daring, persuasive,
competent, honest, thrifty, promiscuous, wilful,
excessive, gullible, sanctimonious, authoritarian,
rigid, belligerent, self-indulgent, isolate, brash,
parsimonious, forceful and obstinate.
In Chinese
Astrology the ram or sheep is the eighth sign in a
twelve year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac which
relates to the Chinese calendar. For example the
following years where years of the sheep: 1919, 1931,
1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003. The Sheep is
considered to be the most artistic or creative sign of
the Chinese zodiac. Indeed rather like the western
Zodiac anyone born under the sign of the sheep are said
to have certain attributes and these are said to be the
following: sensitivity, creativity, insecurity, pessimism,
anxiety, empathy,
generosity, idleness, capriciousness,
indecisiveness, gullibility, irresponsibility, romantic, self-pitying, indecisiveness.
In Madagascar sheep
are said to be the incarnations of human souls and are
not eaten.
References and links:
Domestic
sheep - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sheep - New World Encyclopedia delte
Art and Shamanism in the Himalayas on Tribalarts.com
khandro.net/animal_goat_ram.htm#scapegoat
Buddhist
Studies: Vegetarianism
hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/vedicgods.asp#agni
libraryindex.com/pages/2148/History-Human-Animal-Interaction-ANCIENT-CULTURES-RELIGIONS.html
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