The meaning and symbol of sheep In the West, people in China regard sheep as a symbol of "auspiciousness". In the west, Aries Palace and Capricorn Palace were not only created, but also used as "sacrifices" to worship God. So what is the meaning and symbol of sheep in the west? You will know after reading it.
The significance and symbol of sheep in the west 1 sheep is an auspicious animal and a symbol of family prosperity.
1. According to "Shuowen" written by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Sheep are auspicious." Because "sheep" and "auspicious" are synonyms, and "auspicious sheep" means "auspicious", people used to carve the auspicious words of "Daji sheep" on utensils at that time, and match them with the image of sheep, so as to make life auspicious and all the best.
At that time, people not only wanted to be lucky in life, but also carved the inscription of "auspicious sheep" and sheep-shaped patterns on daily bronzes. For the sake of peace after death, they also put the image of the sheep's head in the center of the door when building the tomb. For example, at the tomb gate of Shaogou Han mural tomb in Luoyang, Henan Province, a sheep's head is shaped opposite, and a pair of big horns are rolled down around, and the composition is regular; The lower side of the sheep's head is painted with a mural of a god tiger eating a woman, in order to achieve peace and exorcism.
2. The richer the ancient families were, the more livestock and poultry they naturally raised. In the Han dynasty, people died as if they were alive. In order to simulate the sheep raised at home when they were alive, a ceramic sheep model was buried in the tomb. This kind of Xiao-shaped pottery sheep was unearthed in the tombs of the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the number placed in the tombs of ordinary people was small.
But in the burial pits of the Mausoleum, there are groups of pottery sheep. For example, some of the burial pits of Yangling, the Mausoleum of the Western Han Dynasty, have been excavated. You can see groups of pottery sheep, which can be divided into sheep and goats according to their shapes, and each has male and female characteristics, and their shapes are real and vivid. Some tombs in the Han and Wei dynasties did not put pottery sheep, but painted pictures of shepherds on murals, which is also a symbol of the owner's wealth.
The image of shepherd is often painted in brick tombs of Wei and Jin Dynasties in Gansu Province, because they are all painted on the brick surface of a brick, and the frame is very small, so the lines are concise, interesting and full of regional characteristics.
The difference is that a sheep with horns is often a symbol of purity ... Therefore, when Israelis offer sacrifices to God and Jehovah to show piety, gratitude and repentance, they often set up altars with stones and slaughter "sheep" as sacrifices. But goats are different. We can find that demons in western mythology often have the same horns and beards as goats. The animal god "Pan" in Greek mythology, and the original meaning of this name is everything. God in charge of forests, fields and sheep, human trunk and head, goat's legs, horns and ears. His appearance later became the prototype of medieval European demons. Christians associate goats with Satan. In the Middle Ages, most people thought that in the ears of saints, Yang Shan was swearing. This superstition may stem from the fact that male goats become very rough and aggressive during mating season. At that time, people thought that the devil's head was very similar to that of a goat: it had horns and a goatee. Black Mass, a black goat, is an admirer of Satan. Until now, many Christians still believe that goats are related to devil worship. The symbol of evil and witchcraft is a goat's head. Sometimes called Mendes goat.
The significance and symbol of sheep in the West II is in China (China);
Sheep stand for "beauty, auspiciousness, charity, friendliness, meekness, filial piety, timidity and indecision".
The goat means "not to fight against the world".
Foreign wine means "gift, sacrifice".
Narrow intestines mean "rugged and tortuous roads"
In the west:
Sheep means "good omen".
Goats represent "the pursuit of truth, supernatural, lawless, scapegoat, prolific, reproductive, victim, fool, slut, inferior product and devil incarnate" respectively.
Sheep means "coward, fool".
Ram means "reproduction, goats, creativity".
Ewe means "honest, naive, dull and helpless".
Lamb means "meek person, gullible person, virtue, innocence, patience and humility". The lamb also symbolizes the crucified saints Agnes and Naville Fu, while the lamb with the halo of the cross is used to symbolize John the Baptist.
Black sheep means "unfilial son, villain, scum"
Wool means "reward".
In Greece (Greece):
Goat means "male sexual ability".
Goatskin means "Athena, goddess of wisdom".
Goat means "one who breeds, produces, protects and goes to hell".
Ram blood means "vitality and immortality".
Gazelle means "Moon and themis".
In Greek mythology (the Greek myth):
Goats symbolize "male sexual ability".
Amalthea's horn means "a source of abundance".
Golden fleece implied that "it took a lot of hardships to find the treasure".
In Rome:
Goat means "male sexual ability".
Male goat means "one who gives birth to children and goes to hell".
Ram blood means "vitality and immortality".
During the European Renaissance:
Sheep means "naive, patient, humble and calm".
Ancient west Asia;
Goats symbolize "reproduction and fertility".
In Egypt:
Goat symbolizes "reproduction and fertility" and "Amon, king of gods, creator of life and god of productivity".
In Tunisia (Tunisia):
Ram symbolizes "sacredness, strength, courage and majesty".
In India:
Male goat means "reproduction and prolificacy".
Antelope symbolizes "Shiva, Devastator and Goddess of Dance".
In Buddhism (Buddhism):
Two gazelles symbolize "the teachings of the Buddha".
In Christianity (Christianity):
Both sheep and lamb symbolize "Christ".
Goat means "one who goes to hell".
Goat means "scapegoat".
In the Bible:
The only lamb represents "the one who loves most and the one who loves most".
The lost lamb means "the lost man".
The split-toed hoof of a sheep means "evil and malice".
Goat means "scapegoat".
The significance and symbol of sheep in the west are well known. All kinds of myths and legends handed down from ancient times provide a lot of material for today's artistic and literary creation. For example, novels, movies, games and so on, which we often contact. There are also many works with mythical themes and backgrounds. Therefore, we are familiar with the mainstream myth system in the world.
The western myth system is very different from our eastern myth system, and there are also many very interesting settings. For example, the devil is often said in the west, which is a very important concept, but there is no similar setting in China mythology. Most of the concepts and images of the devil that we usually come into contact with are influenced by western myths.
The concept of the devil in the west mainly comes from the setting of Christianity. The devil is often associated with an animal, which is a goat. In western culture, goats are regarded as the symbol of the devil. For example, Bafu Temple, one of the famous Christian demons, is a typical image of the sheep's head demon.
Throughout the western demon image, there are more or less goat, goat horn, sheep hoof and other characteristics. Even Satan, the greatest demon, will possess goats. Of course, not all demons are goat images, but in general, goats are indeed the representatives of demons on the earth, which can best represent the devil as an animal.
So what's so special about goats that they can become the representative image of western demons? In fact, goats have no evil symbol in our China myth or other myth systems. It is a unique cultural symbol in the west, and I think it can be analyzed from two aspects.
First of all, the characteristics of the goat itself, rural students may know better, although the goat is usually docile, but in estrus, it will turn into a sunny day, very violent and lewd, so it is a symbol of lust. Lust is one of the seven deadly sins abandoned by Christianity, and it is also one of the temptations of the devil.
There is also a demon called Asmode, whose symbols are goats, banshees and so on. The image of the banshee itself has the characteristics of a goat. Therefore, it can be said that the goat itself has one of the characteristics of the devil. Of course, this only shows that goats are symbols of some demons and are not universal.
As a universal symbol of the devil, goats should have deeper reasons. This should be related to the origin and definition of the devil in Christianity. In the definition of Christianity, the devil is the enemy and antithesis of God and mankind. In some Christian sects, the gods of other religions and nationalities are regarded as evil spirits and demons.
This is a conflict between different religions and myth systems, and in other myth systems, there are many gods in the image of goats. For example, in Norse mythology, Raytheon's mount is two goats, one is called a growler and the other is called a grinder. Judging from his name, he has a bad temper. The footsteps of goats walking are considered as the source of thunder.
So the goat is also a symbol of Thor. From the Christian point of view, Thor in Nordic mythology is also a demon symbolized by goats. In addition, there is Paine, the animal god in ancient Greek mythology, also known as Pan God, who is an ugly sheep-headed monster and is probably one of the sources of the image of the western goat demon.
There is also a legend in ancient Greek mythology that Zeus incarnated as a sheep and was the main god related to goats in the West. Farther away, Amon, the main god in ancient Egyptian mythology, also became a lion's head. There is some evidence that western mystics are probably also inspired by the image of the ancient Egyptian god Amon when describing the image of the devil.
In a word, under all kinds of coincidences, goats have become the representatives of demons in western mythology and culture, which is also a unique demon culture in the West. I think, in fact, the devil itself is a religious fictional concept, or it is invisible. It comes from people's hearts. When people need to portray the image of the devil, the goat is just a carrier.