bears

[hindupridemn]

Are there any religions that revere bears?

 

[Valjean]

The Ainu?

 

[hindupridemn]

The Ainu?

ah but does anyone practice their traditional religion anymore?

 

[Valjean]

The Ainu?

 

[metis]

Some Neanderthal groups in central Europe seem to have as we see some burials whereas bear skulls surround the corpse facing outward as if to ward off potential threats.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

In Chicago? Not since Peyton …

… unless you include the Cub reverence.​

 

[Valjean]

The Sami have some sort of bear thing going, too, I think.

 

[Jumi]

Are there any religions that revere bears?

Yes. Finno-ugric peoples revered bears.

 

[Jumi]

I'm just going to quote from wikipedia, because I'm nowhere near an expert on Finnish Paganism:

Finnish paganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The bear was a sacred animal to the Finnish pagans.

Because of the very nature of life in prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Finland, the Finns relied heavily on hunting for survival. As such the animals that they hunted became vital to their survival, and they were treated with respect.

The bear was considered sacred. The pagan Finns believed that it came from the sky and had the ability to reincarnate[citation needed]. A celebration known as Karhunpeijaiset (literally "celebration of the bear") was practised whenever a bear was killed and eaten. The ceremony was designed to convince the bear's soul to reincarnate back into the forest. After the flesh was eaten, the bones were buried, and the skull placed on a venerated pine tree known as kallohonka[citation needed].

Before going hunting, the Finns would pray to the Emuus, or ancestral mothers of various animal species, for help.

From ancient drawings, petroglyphs, it is clear that the elk was a very important animal. It appears much more than bears do, and it is theorised that the bear was such a holy animal that it was forbidden to depict it. Also, the bear's name was almost forbidden to say, so many euphemisms were developed. The most usual Finnish word for bear in modern language, karhu, is just one of the many euphemisms, and it means "rough fur." Among the many names of bear otso is probably the original "real" name, as suggested by the wide spread of the word otso and related words amongst many of the Uralic languages. Many euphemisms for bear are local.

 

[Valjean]

Seems to be an arctic thing...

 

[Nietzsche]

The Norse did something similar. The Berserk, for instance literally translates to "Bear-Shirt", because that is what they would wear, in hopes of gaining the fighting power of that beast. Odin is also sometimes associated with bears.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Bear spirits are important in Native American religion: the grizzly for courage, the black bear for healing. Professor Jordan Paper has a relationship with the black bear spirit, but he doesn't go into details (that's disrespectful in NA ideas).

 

[Quintessence]

There are countless forms of Paganisms (indigenous, historical, or contemporary) that revere various aspects of the natural world, and reverence of charismatic megafauna like the bear is particularly commonplace.

 

[Jainarayan]

Thor has only a passing association with bears. One of his names is Björn, Bear. It's mentioned in the Prose Edda in the Skáldskaparmál. and in another later Icelandic poem about his journey to Útgarða-Loki. I suspect the name is more a reference to his build and stature than anything else (hence one reason why I do not picture him as a ripped bodybuilder).

 

[Nietzsche]

Thor has only a passing association with bears. One of his names is Björn, Bear. It's mentioned in the Prose Edda in the Skáldskaparmál. and in another later Icelandic poem about his journey to Útgarða-Loki.

For those unaware, no relation to to the Loki-Laufeyson.

I suspect the name is more a reference to his build and stature than anything else (hence one reason why I do not picture him as a ripped bodybuilder).

Thor is indeed more likely to have looked like a Powerlifter than a Bodybuilder, yeah.

 

[Jainarayan]

For those unaware, no relation to to the Loki-Laufeyson.

Thanks for pointing that out. Wiki (well, OK ) Útgarða-Loki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says the name literally means Loki of the Outyards. That brings us to "what the heck does the name Loki mean"? I can't find an answer.

Thor is indeed more likely to have looked like a Powerlifter than a Bodybuilder, yeah.

Like this guy... Chris Davies we've talked about before.



Only marginally related to this, I'm also drawn to bears. I wonder if my fylgja is a bear.

 

[Salek Atesh]

Bear spirits are important in Native American religion

Out of curiosity, which one?? Because my knowledge on Native American religions is limited mostly to central America, but I'm pretty sure it's not a universal belief to all native religious groups.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Out of curiosity, which one?? Because my knowledge on Native American religions is limited mostly to central America, but I'm pretty sure it's not a universal belief to all native religious groups.

Of course I should have said Native American religions of northern North America. Both American bears only made it to the northernmost parts of Mexico, rather than Mesoamerica proper, and it's difficult to have a connection to the spirit of a species you've never met.