The white sea horses of every incoming wave belong to Manannan.
In Scandinavian mythology Freya, the goddess of lovers, rides in a chariot pulled by cats, a wonderful image of how love yokes even the most unruly. Thor, the god of thunder, has a chariot pulled by goats called Tanngrisnir and Tannostr. These goats proved useful on Thor’s visit to Utgard where they were killed and cooked before Thor resurrected them.
In Hindu mythology, there are many gods who ride upon animals; these are commonly called ‘the vehicle’ of the god. Brahma, the creator god who is the source of space and time, rides upon the swan or goose of knowledge which is called the Hamsa. The great and terrible mother Durgha rides on a lion to overcome the great buffalo demon, Mahisha, having no more mercy on him than a lion would show. Shiva, the Dionysian but ascetic god who breaks things in pieces, has the bull, Nandi as his mount, because he has triumphed over the lower nature of man, as all good yogis must do. Nandi is the joyful wanderer who is the embodiment of justice and virtue, which are the qualities which make the strong gentle. Nandi is shown as a bull lying down in many Hindu temples, where worshippers touch his genitals, which are a source of life. He is one of the teachers of music and dancing. The Garuda, half man, half vulture, is ridden by Vishnu, the god who preserves all things. Garuda imparts courage and represents the utterances of the sacred teachings or Vedas, for those who read them are transported upon the wings of wisdom and with the force of lightning.
ANIWYE
This huge and fearsome creature, resembling a giant skunk, is found in the folklore of the Ojibwe people of the United States. Armed with the characteristic pungent spray of its normal-sized brethren, the Aniwye hunts human prey and sprays them to death. It is able to understand and communicate with human beings.
The Aniwye approached a certain village and, having seen it coming, all the inhabitants fled, leaving behind one old woman who was too infirm to travel. When the Aniwye arrived in the village, it tore off the roof of her house and demanded to know where the rest of the tribe had gone. When the woman refused to speak, the Aniwye declared that it would cure her of her infirmities for good: it did so by spraying her to death.
ANJANA
One of the sacred white elephants of the Hindu mythology of India. Anjana, also known as Saumanasa, is the guardian of the Western quadrant of the world with the god Varuna standing on his back. (See also Airavata.)
ANJING AJAK
The name of a giant werewolf in the folklore of the people of Java. Like its Western counterpart, it is considered a human being whose evil nature transforms it into the shape of a great wolf with a taste for human flesh.
ANT
Ants are considered sacred among numerous cultures, and are especially prized for their industry, thrift, providence and forethought. In Chinese lore, the ant is considered a righteous creature and represents orderliness, patriotism and subordination to authority. However, since white ants can damage the rice crops, the god of war is sometimes invoked against them.
Among the Hindu, the ant is an example of the transience of existence, and is associated with the cult of the dead. In Zoroastrianism, the ant belongs to the dark forces of Ahriman and is the enemy of agriculture. In classical Greek tradition, the formidable Myrmidon warriors were said to be descended from ants or, according to Strabo, they were men transformed into ants after a plague had decimated the island where they lived. Among the Native American people, ants are respected for their patience, planning, building skills and aggression coupled with stamina. The ant is also said by them to have developed its narrow waist through self-denial, having provided food for the people who were forced underground during a cataclysm in the pre-modern
King Solomon once came with many men on a flying carpet to the Valley of the Ants, and they discovered to their horror that these insects were as large as wolves. However, the ants were equally terrified by the sight of the king’s flying carpet and the people on it, for they had never before seen human beings. A queen governed these ants, and when she discovered the exalted status of her visitor, she ordered her subjects to pay their respects to the king. When King Solomon landed and stepped from his carpet, all the ants sang out in unison: ‘Long live the king of all the animals and insects. Praise the Lord!’ Then the King of the humans and the Queen of the ants greeted one another cautiously. Solomon asked if there was anything they feared. ‘I fear only God,’ replied the Queen, ‘In case of danger my soldier ants would gladly sacrifice their lives on my behalf.’ On another occasion, Solomon heard how the ants had dug a pit so that an elephant fell into it, where it was consumed. They did this because the elephants had boasted that it was the duty of the ants to avoid their feet. Solomon admonished the elephants, telling them henceforward to respect the insects.
world. Quetzalcoatl, the Central American god of the elements, turned himself into an ant to steal maize, which the insects had hidden in a mountain, in order to bring it as a gift to humanity. The Pima tribe of South Arizona divides itself into three groups: Red Ants, White Ants and Black Ants, each of which has its own laws and customs, venerating the respective insect. Among the tribes of West Africa, ants are messengers of the serpent god, while for the Ibo of Nigeria the white ant or termite is sometimes represented as a spiritual ally that can be invoked to destroy the crops of personal enemies. Among the people of China, Persia, India and Greece, ants are also the guardians of treasure. Biblical tradition associates the ant with wisdom: ‘Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise’ (Proverbs 6: 6) and ‘There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise; the ants are people not strong, yet they provide their meat in the summer’ (Proverbs 30: 24–5).
ANTELOPE
In Sumerian and Semitic mythology, the antelope is a shape adopted by the gods Ea and Marduk while Ea-Oannes is considered to be ‘the antelope of Apsu’ – ‘the antelope of creation’. The antelope is also sacred to Astarte, the goddess of the moon. In ancient Egypt, the antelope was sacred to the goddess Isis and at times represented both Osiris and Horus. As a desert animal it was also sacrificed to Set. Throughout Asia Minor, the antelope was associated with the moon and the Great Mother. In Hinduism, it is an emblem of Shiva, and the gods Soma and Chandra have chariots drawn by antelopes. The Greek writer Strabo described it as being somewhere between a stag and a ram but swifter than either. Among the Native Americans, the antelope is a totem animal, particularly for the Plains Indians and the Comanche tribe. The Hopi tribe have a yearly ceremony in which societies representing Antelope and Snake enact a ritual in which antelope boys greet snake maidens. A mystical marriage is then enacted between these representatives of the animals. Antelopes running are said to stimulate thunder and rain-bearing clouds and, for this reason, they are considered symbols of fertility. The fast-running Antelope was one of the animals that helped Coyote steal fire from the Fire People in a story from British Columbia in Canada.
Several tribes in Africa regard the antelope as a significant animal as it is known to be a form taken by gods and only the creature itself knows where these gods are to be found. The bushmen of the Kalahari desert tell how Mantis created the antelope known as the Eland.
In heraldry, the antelope appears as a supporter, but has little resemblance to the actual creature, since it has the body of a stag, the tail of a Unicorn and the head of a heraldic tiger with serrated horns and a tusk protruding from its nose.
