As the hunt takes place when the bear goes in hibernation, can the den be a cave? Can the painted caves might have been bear's den? In some caves, there are bear scratchs or bear skulls.
Great video. I would love to see more videos on Bear Cults. Hence my nickname. I'm sitting with my back against a Bear Bear fur as I type 😄 I've been looking up Bear traditions and myths for a few years since being given the nickname. The traditions recounted here remind me of the work of a Russian researcher from the early 1900's. I can't remember his name now. There are similar Bear traditions in Sámi folklore of Northern Sweden. Some shapeshifting between man and bear occurs. The themes and motifs are very similar. The marriage/union between a human woman and a male Bear, the woman's male family searching for her, brass jewellery (rings) being used to identify the man in Bear form upon death. In later Icelandic sagas the motifs of shape shifting and a ring reoccur. I find the seven cups of tea described in the video very interesting as the Ursa Major constellation usually depicted in short hand with 7 stars. Thanks for the video.
The Lakota tribe honored ALL that shared Earth however they only bestowed the honor of "warrior" status to the bear. They revered the bear nation as a relative who taught the nation of men many valuable lessons such as what plants were medicinal and/ or good for food. Truly a meaningful podcast and presented in scholarly and respectful manner...heartfelt thx!🌎🌬🔥💦
not all, that one tract way of thinking has been falling out of favor in past years based on the size of the ice walls they would face in Beringia (its late idk how to spell the land there) they believe some people becoming the inuit may have occupied the land there for tens of thousands of years it was more than a bridge also the dna of plains first people and other first nations haplo group point to a closer relation to CentralAmerican's people.
@@stephennelson4964is there any information if any tribes migrated from the Pacific Islands? If people made it as far as Hawaii and the Scandinavian ezpolrers made it thru the northern Atlantic with their open/exposed boats then i would think it should be possible though very dangerous.
"The Strength of 7 men, but the Wisdom of Ten", was the saying as late as me growing up in the 1960s and being a youth in the 70s, although bears were preserved and hunting for them was illegal in my childhood in Northern Norway..
You had me in your opening statement. " If we could go back in time we would find that the line between humans and animals was blurred our ancestors formed spiritual connections with nature and animals and considered them an essential aspect of life." Humans were nature not separate from it. As we lost our respect for nature our beliefs changed to the point where nature is just a resource to exploit. There's wisdom in the old ways.
In Slavic mythology, and especially in Russia, the image of the bear and the bear cult is in contact with the cult of the chthonic god Veles, Veles is the god of livestock, but at the same time the god of the underworld. In Slavic mythology, the bear is a model of strength and power of nature over man, and this connection confirms that Veles is also connected with nature. He is a chthonic god, often depicted as a serpent (especially it is seen in the correlation of St. George with Perun and the Serpent with Veles), but at the same time with a bear. This is confirmed by written sources in the territory of Rus', where pagan priests of Veles wore, in addition to ceremonial clothes, the skin of a bear to confirm the closeness with the beyond, especially with their God.
The Siberian gran-pa cult feels heart warminly similar to the Finno-Ugric King of Animals I am familiar with as a Finn. Note that I did not write His real name...
The bear cult in 13th warrior came to mind; and ancient north Eurasians. You are such a fantastic content creator! So grateful for your work. In areas around here, bears are being displaced from their habitats by urban sprawl 😢. In ww2 a bear named Woitek was raised by an army and guven his own ration card, and worked loading the artillery.
Could you please elaborate on 13th warrior ? Wojtek is famous - do you know "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr ? Arthur means Bear. King Arthur = Ursa Major in the middle of the round table zodiac - what about that ?
The similarities in bear rituals and myths over the entire circumpolar region is really interesting. In the museum we got a statue of a polar bear to illustrate an arctic expedition a helicopter we have was part of. I then decided to theme my childrens guided tour around the bears instead of aircrafts. I used our mobile plantery to create a cave, placed a flame lamp and created a fake fire with some firewood around it. Then I told them a variant of the legend of The woman who married a bear. I was a bit trepidated about the sad parts, not least when the bear is killed. But in the end it was a success. I prepared them ahead that all old stories contain both happiness and sadness, because life is both happiness and sadness. It really worked.
Until very recently, bears were kept as members of the family in many parts of Lithuania and worked with people in the fields and in mills and factories performing heavy labor and lifting. During WW2, the Polish Army had a bear as a member of the army who was on the roster as a regular soldier, was paid a wage and fought in combat with his compatriots. Many "animal" are much smarter than they are giving credit for, just ask anyone with a dog or cat or even a parrot.
Wojtek's first "military act" was to discover and terrorize a spy hiding in showers. Because Wojtek was allowed to take a shower whenever he wanted, and he knew how to activate the shower by pulling a cord - no soldier would go to a shower during the day - and so the hidden spy was discovered and, frightened by Wojtek's presence, he admitted and passed on all the information to the soldiers who had captured him. Wojtek helped carry heavy ammunition boxes - just to imitate what soldiers did, and that was a good help. Wojtek could sense moments of sadness or depression in those around him and came to comfort them. Intelligent and sensitive animals. Very touching story of this terrible war - you can read a book "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr Jean Jacques Annaud, filmmaker, said that the actor bear understands very quickly what is asked from him, the only problem is to decide this bear to do what is wanted - he had to "bribe" the bear with tasty food as a gratification. Smart beast ! How not to love bears ?... To see a wild undisturbed bear in nature is the highest mystical experience - at least for me. Hunters cults and myths translate and conjurate a fear and anxiety to eat and survive - brutal reality indeed.
This makes me wonder about Coyotes. A book that changed my life is Coyote America by Dan Flores. He speaks of Coyote as a central animal spirit in many many cultures, globally. He delves lightly into spiritual practices and stories regarding coyotes in the America’s. Seeing a video regarding other information, either specific rituals, stories, constellations, or coyote teachings from elsewhere would be amazing! I’ve also wondered deeply about the horse… worldwide, however especially in North America where horses originally came from and have returned so many generations later.
Knowing more about the Ket was cool! I know scholars have linked Yeniseyan speakers like them to Na-Dene folks of North America, but also to Altaic peoples like the Mongols. But I know almost nothing about the Ket. Thankyou.
This is superb as always, thank you! For a culture that still has a special relationship with bears, the Ainu of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, etc. are a wonderful example. They also have had both mercantile and familial relations with the eastern tribes of Siberia for millennia.
A skull of a cave bear was found on what might represent some kind of altar in the Cave of Chauvet in the Ardèche in France. The skull is facing beautiful art of all kinds of animals, even rhino's, that populated the region.
it’s s fascinating to hear these tales, thank you so much, Crecganford! From Finland and Estonia, passing through Siberia and going all the way to Japan with the Ainu you can find the sacred Bear, really amazing.
Michael Crichton wrote _Eaters of the Dead_ to include a sort of bear cult of berserkers [bear skins] to serve as antagonists. I'd be interested in hearing if there were a bear cult tied to Norse traditions.
My knowledge of actual Bearskins is that they were soldiers come back from wars who were required to wear the bearskin for approximately 7 years without bathing or shaving, no clipping of finger nails etc. as if to put the bearskin wearer thru a type of shamanic/wisdom or upgrading of their knowledge of what really matters in life. /each story/version I have read differs.
@@elizabethtowers3321 I've read that berserkers were crazed murderers that were banished from scosiaty, "more beast than man". but they were hired as murcinarys from time to time.
@@thesamo-finnicviking6435 Berserkers vs Bearskins. One is a soldier and the other , from what I have read, is a retired soldier going thru a shamanistic change for a number of years, as if to cleanse his soul of war.
Thank you Jon, I thoroughly enjoyed this. We have a group of people (uk countrywide) who hold a Bearfeast rituals in honour of our guest, honeypaw, and put together by our friends over ten years ago.
I've always found it interesting that the original slavic word for bear has been lost. This is because it was believed that saying the bears name would summon him, so everyone started calling bears "honey-eaters" and now that is the slavic word for bear
I just hit play, but I also have to let you know that a strong IPA is my preferred beverage when watching your videos. I do drink tea in the morning. Earl Grey with honey, and sometimes a thyme infusion I make.
As humans take over the threat of wild animals and lose sight of themselves in nature, this indeed is a loss in holistic spirituality that encompasses the world around us. Great story, one with great metaphysical attributes. 👍
According to the _Kojiki_ (Japanese Record of Ancient Matters), there are several mentions of the emerging noble families putting down rebellions in regions dominated by the "bear people." The name of the city Kumamoto could be interpreted as "origin of the bear," and its mascot is a cute (but slightly creepy in my opinion) stylised bear named Kumamon. Funny enough, Kumamon was voted the most beloved mascot in Japan a few years ago. And if you go north to Hokkaido on the other side of the country, you can see that the bear is still revered.
This is very interesting. It certainly makes animals in folklore easy to understand. Japanese Ainu - close to Siberia, interestingly - had women living together with a dog-man or horse-man as a partner, as if that wasn't anything special - and that husband WAS an actual dog or a horse. It's also interesting, how the man-of-the-forest in many cultures, WAS an actual animal, like the orangutan, but seen as a human, whereas cultures departed from nature, would regard actual humans as animals - even long before social-darwinism - as in the case brought to court in Madrid concerning the genocide of Mesoamerican populations.
There was not enough time, I could have talked for about six hours on this. And so I will make more videos diving into other cultures when time allows.
The Ainu and Koreans have very little in common with Siberians or Saami, whilst Saami and Siberians are practically cousins, so no, Northern Europe has far more in common with Siberia than merely having myths about bears like Korea.
Great video! It reminds me of "The Clan of the Cave Bear". It's the first book of the "Earth's Children" series by Jean M. Auel. It's one of my favorite series and is based on scientific and historical findings.
I don't know if the Goldi people of Siberia are a bear cult, but I was reminded of the great film by Akira Kurosawa "Dersu Uzala" where some Russian men use a Goldi hunter named Dersu to guide them through the forest for doing a topographic survey. I would be interested in hearing about Dersu's culture. By the way, I miss your intro music of the drumming.
@@Crecganford Do you mean the music? I can always hear it by goin to an old video. Have you seen Dersu Uzala? It is based on a memoir of the Russian serveyer who befriended Dersu. I don't know if the Goldi were a bear cult ,but I would like to read the memoir.
I’ve always wanted to pat a bear. They’re so cute!!! Maybe growing up in Australia so far away from them has removed the fear I’m supposed to feel towards them? They’re so fluffy and their little ears make them look so adorable 🐻 Thank you for explaining this history
Hmm maybe someone known as ymir/Yama. Oh wait according to Mahabharata Shanti parva dvita(second man) aka Yama and ekata(first man) aka manu were both condemned to become wolves. So maybe some correlation is there
I think the cults of bears (and wolves), even predate the shamanic cults of Europe and Asia, even though they are all evolving from a basic totemic animism..
I think snake or “dragon” cults were probably the oldest of the cults, but whether they predate shamanism is a difficult question to answer with confidence.
The first past life I experienced was as a female bear. I can vouch for the traditions being based in spiritual truths of how previous chosen species passed the torch of creative evolution to humanity and were sacrificed for their efforts by servants of the adversary
The idea that Western cultures had this terrible separation between humans and animals while ancient cultures had this wonderful spiritual connection to Nature is exploded when you remember that the last trial of an animal in a European court of law (that is, treating an animal as if it had a mind like a human and similar rights in and obligations to human society) took place in the 18th century. The Great Separation is very much a consequence of the Enlightenment, not of classical or mediaeval civilisation. Nor, when you reflect for a while, is bears being caged, killed with many spears, and eaten the kind of treatment one hands out to a being one genuinely respects and admires. The simplest hypothesis seems to be that, on quite rational grounds, ancient humans regarded bears as powerful enemies, with victory over a bear celebrated and commemorated much as one would celebrate and commemorate victory over a demon or a dragon.
I have a white Japanese Akita and hes very like a polar bear, they were used to hunt bears in japan in male/female pairs, Akita are one of those dogs that are still quite close to wolves, well more so than any other dog.
I really like the idea presented in The Clan of the Cave Bear-books which is that they worship the cave bear for it was he who, long ago, taught them to spend winters in caves in order ro survive.
I used to have a recurring dream where a lumberjack is chasing me through the woods and I am a child of maybe 8 years old. Every time the lumberjack was about to grab me a she bear 🐻 would come out of the woods and chase the lumberjack away. One night I was having this nightmare and as I was running 🏃🏼♂️ I came upon another young boy standing on the path and as I was about to tell him to run from the lumberjack he asked me if the lumberjack would chase him instead of me? I responded, “You want the lumberjack to chase you?” He said yes “It looks like fun.” I said OKAY, just stand right there and the will surely see and chase you. He said okay and I hid behind a tree 🌲 and watched and sure enough the lumberjack was running down the path and saw him and started chasing him. I never had the nightmares again. Boy am I glad I ran into that kid 🧒
Scandinavia's Sami people buried the bones of the bears they killed in a respectful and ritualistic way until the 17th century when they became christianized.
So what did they do before copper pots? Cook it in an animal skin like Native Americans did to make succotash? BTW This video gave me an idea for something to pursue in designing a TTRPG. So, thanks for that.
*Turumism* - A Siberian religion, which believes the world we live in is vertical & equal. That every animal species exists as an intelligent feudalistic Race, instead of plain wild animals.
It really surprises me that the Siberian Tiger didn't have the title of King of The Animals instead of the Bear. They are at least as capable as hunters, and have even been known to kill Bears.
The black bear is like the teacher's pet of creation. They wander where they want munching on all they can and nap frequently until it gets too cold then they check out until spring. They feel no pain delivering cubs and don't even have to eliminate waste. A perfect existence. There is no such thing as a bear problem for people. People are problematic for bears 🐻❄️🐻🐻❄️🐻. 🐼? ✨🪄
Odin is Manu, didn't know that. As per Ramayan, gods took birth in the form of bears and monkeys, to help lord Ram. As per Indian calendar, this took place more than 9,00,000 years ago.
What about the cave bear they were scary as well i seen their skeletons and 🤯😵😱 no way im going in a cave now, I don't care if there extinct or not scary besides they were shown in the movie Pathfinder I enjoyed that movie so much.
@@CrecganfordThe context... A part Native woman, mixture from several tribes, Seattle area... my impression, most associated with the umm... Macah, maybe I remember the tribe name correctly... located at the uttermost spur of land in the northwest corner of Washington, where the Pacific Ocean meets with the Strait of Juan de Fuca... Canada on the other side. She worked as a counselor, and said that an older woman of the badger tribe agreed to meet with me to... work with, mentor... something. I did not follow through. I had a lot of snarly energy at the time and did not want to pass it on... snarly energy that minded it's own business, unless poked, like a badger. A badger woman, of the badger tribe, so maybe not a mythical story or archetype. As I recall, she called her Badger Woman.
What about the cave bear they were scary as well I seen their skeletons and 🤯😵😱 no way im going in a cave now, I don't care if there extinct or not scary besides they were shown in the movie Pathfinder I enjoyed that movie so much. The living relative of the short face bear is the sun bear of South America the smallest member of the bear family.
@@Crecganford Sorry to say, but even at full volume of my laptop, I could not really listen the voice. Had to rely on the auto caption. Still, learnt something from history and enjoyed it.
Do you want to hear more about the different Bear Cults? Or would you like to hear about other cults?
As the hunt takes place when the bear goes in hibernation, can the den be a cave? Can the painted caves might have been bear's den? In some caves, there are bear scratchs or bear skulls.
@argumentfoireux1660
We don't know what people were doing those myriads of years ago. It was cave bears, anyway
Great video. I would love to see more videos on Bear Cults. Hence my nickname. I'm sitting with my back against a Bear Bear fur as I type 😄 I've been looking up Bear traditions and myths for a few years since being given the nickname. The traditions recounted here remind me of the work of a Russian researcher from the early 1900's. I can't remember his name now. There are similar Bear traditions in Sámi folklore of Northern Sweden. Some shapeshifting between man and bear occurs. The themes and motifs are very similar. The marriage/union between a human woman and a male Bear, the woman's male family searching for her, brass jewellery (rings) being used to identify the man in Bear form upon death. In later Icelandic sagas the motifs of shape shifting and a ring reoccur. I find the seven cups of tea described in the video very interesting as the Ursa Major constellation usually depicted in short hand with 7 stars. Thanks for the video.
I would like you to talk about the Arkteia bear cult.
How about the Lykaia, that ancient werewolf cult based in Greece? That could be fun.
The Lakota tribe honored ALL that shared Earth however they only bestowed the honor of "warrior" status to the bear. They revered the bear nation as a relative who taught the nation of men many valuable lessons such as what plants were medicinal and/ or good for food. Truly a meaningful podcast and presented in scholarly and respectful manner...heartfelt thx!🌎🌬🔥💦
Well at some point these north American people crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia
not all, that one tract way of thinking has been falling out of favor in past years based on the size of the ice walls they would face in Beringia (its late idk how to spell the land there) they believe some people becoming the inuit may have occupied the land there for tens of thousands of years it was more than a bridge also the dna of plains first people and other first nations haplo group point to a closer relation to CentralAmerican's people.
@@stephennelson4964is there any information if any tribes migrated from the Pacific Islands? If people made it as far as Hawaii and the Scandinavian ezpolrers made it thru the northern Atlantic with their open/exposed boats then i would think it should be possible though very dangerous.
They are one of the three tribes of Atlantis.
All the old world people respected feared and loved the natural world we swoped it for money and technology and look where we find ourselves today
Bear cults! I am from Finland. In Finnish culture bear was a sacred animal.
"The Strength of 7 men, but the Wisdom of Ten", was the saying as late as me growing up in the 1960s and being a youth in the 70s, although bears were preserved and hunting for them was illegal in my childhood in Northern Norway..
And Ainus...
And Sami.
And the Germanic spraking Scandinavinans.
Yes they are.
Isn't Karhu still significant in Finland? 😂🍻🤣
You had me in your opening statement. " If we could go back in time we would find that the line between humans and animals was blurred our ancestors formed spiritual connections with nature and animals and considered them an essential aspect of life."
Humans were nature not separate from it.
As we lost our respect for nature our beliefs changed to the point where nature is just a resource to exploit.
There's wisdom in the old ways.
yes, exactly
That was lost when cities were built thousands of years ago.
I know you’re trying to be profound but what is the wisdom?
@@jasoninthehood9726 how to live in harmony with nature instead of using it only when we need something from it. It's a way of life, not just words.
probably crusades killed the people, the wisdom and the traditions.
In Slavic mythology, and especially in Russia, the image of the bear and the bear cult is in contact with the cult of the chthonic god Veles, Veles is the god of livestock, but at the same time the god of the underworld. In Slavic mythology, the bear is a model of strength and power of nature over man, and this connection confirms that Veles is also connected with nature. He is a chthonic god, often depicted as a serpent (especially it is seen in the correlation of St. George with Perun and the Serpent with Veles), but at the same time with a bear. This is confirmed by written sources in the territory of Rus', where pagan priests of Veles wore, in addition to ceremonial clothes, the skin of a bear to confirm the closeness with the beyond, especially with their God.
There’s still a pretty large Bears cult in Chicago.
I'm surprised it took someone this long to say that.... :)
The Siberian gran-pa cult feels heart warminly similar to the Finno-Ugric King of Animals I am familiar with as a Finn. Note that I did not write His real name...
The bear cult in 13th warrior came to mind; and ancient north Eurasians.
You are such a fantastic content creator! So grateful for your work.
In areas around here, bears are being displaced from their habitats by urban sprawl 😢.
In ww2 a bear named Woitek was raised by an army and guven his own ration card, and worked loading the artillery.
Could you please elaborate on 13th warrior ?
Wojtek is famous - do you know "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr ?
Arthur means Bear. King Arthur = Ursa Major in the middle of the round table zodiac - what about that ?
The similarities in bear rituals and myths over the entire circumpolar region is really interesting. In the museum we got a statue of a polar bear to illustrate an arctic expedition a helicopter we have was part of. I then decided to theme my childrens guided tour around the bears instead of aircrafts. I used our mobile plantery to create a cave, placed a flame lamp and created a fake fire with some firewood around it. Then I told them a variant of the legend of The woman who married a bear. I was a bit trepidated about the sad parts, not least when the bear is killed. But in the end it was a success. I prepared them ahead that all old stories contain both happiness and sadness, because life is both happiness and sadness. It really worked.
Until very recently, bears were kept as members of the family in many parts of Lithuania and worked with people in the fields and in mills and factories performing heavy labor and lifting. During WW2, the Polish Army had a bear as a member of the army who was on the roster as a regular soldier, was paid a wage and fought in combat with his compatriots. Many "animal" are much smarter than they are giving credit for, just ask anyone with a dog or cat or even a parrot.
Wojtek's first "military act" was to discover and terrorize a spy hiding in showers. Because Wojtek was allowed to take a shower whenever he wanted, and he knew how to activate the shower by pulling a cord - no soldier would go to a shower during the day - and so the hidden spy was discovered and, frightened by Wojtek's presence, he admitted and passed on all the information to the soldiers who had captured him.
Wojtek helped carry heavy ammunition boxes - just to imitate what soldiers did, and that was a good help.
Wojtek could sense moments of sadness or depression in those around him and came to comfort them. Intelligent and sensitive animals.
Very touching story of this terrible war - you can read a book "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr
Jean Jacques Annaud, filmmaker, said that the actor bear understands very quickly what is asked from him, the only problem is to decide this bear to do what is wanted - he had to "bribe" the bear with tasty food as a gratification. Smart beast !
How not to love bears ?... To see a wild undisturbed bear in nature is the highest mystical experience - at least for me.
Hunters cults and myths translate and conjurate a fear and anxiety to eat and survive - brutal reality indeed.
All hail wotjek ❤
This makes me wonder about Coyotes. A book that changed my life is Coyote America by Dan Flores. He speaks of Coyote as a central animal spirit in many many cultures, globally. He delves lightly into spiritual practices and stories regarding coyotes in the America’s. Seeing a video regarding other information, either specific rituals, stories, constellations, or coyote teachings from elsewhere would be amazing! I’ve also wondered deeply about the horse… worldwide, however especially in North America where horses originally came from and have returned so many generations later.
Knowing more about the Ket was cool! I know scholars have linked Yeniseyan speakers like them to Na-Dene folks of North America, but also to Altaic peoples like the Mongols. But I know almost nothing about the Ket. Thankyou.
I'm glad you liked it.
This is superb as always, thank you!
For a culture that still has a special relationship with bears, the Ainu of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, etc. are a wonderful example. They also have had both mercantile and familial relations with the eastern tribes of Siberia for millennia.
A skull of a cave bear was found on what might represent some kind of altar in the Cave of Chauvet in the Ardèche in France. The skull is facing beautiful art of all kinds of animals, even rhino's, that populated the region.
it’s s fascinating to hear these tales, thank you so much, Crecganford! From Finland and Estonia, passing through Siberia and going all the way to Japan with the Ainu you can find the sacred Bear, really amazing.
Michael Crichton wrote _Eaters of the Dead_ to include a sort of bear cult of berserkers [bear skins] to serve as antagonists. I'd be interested in hearing if there were a bear cult tied to Norse traditions.
My knowledge of actual Bearskins is that they were soldiers come back from wars who were required to wear the bearskin for approximately 7 years without bathing or shaving, no clipping of finger nails etc. as if to put the bearskin wearer thru a type of shamanic/wisdom or upgrading of their knowledge of what really matters in life. /each story/version I have read differs.
@@elizabethtowers3321 I've read that berserkers were crazed murderers that were banished from scosiaty, "more beast than man". but they were hired as murcinarys from time to time.
@@thesamo-finnicviking6435 Berserkers vs Bearskins. One is a soldier and the other , from what I have read, is a retired soldier going thru a shamanistic change for a number of years, as if to cleanse his soul of war.
@@elizabethtowers3321 That sounds similar to Genghis Khan society practice of a ritual absolution of their soldiers from guilt of war crimes
Thank you Jon, I thoroughly enjoyed this. We have a group of people (uk countrywide) who hold a Bearfeast rituals in honour of our guest, honeypaw, and put together by our friends over ten years ago.
Loved this video. While I don't personally believe in these myths, as a modern hunter these beliefs do make perfect sense to me.
I've always found it interesting that the original slavic word for bear has been lost. This is because it was believed that saying the bears name would summon him, so everyone started calling bears "honey-eaters" and now that is the slavic word for bear
Reminds of the Movie "The Thirteen Warrior." It was based on a book I didn't read.😊
I read it. It was about a creature more like a Yeti than a bear.
I just hit play, but I also have to let you know that a strong IPA is my preferred beverage when watching your videos. I do drink tea in the morning. Earl Grey with honey, and sometimes a thyme infusion I make.
Great vid! I love learning about the earliest forms of religious thought!
Thank you.
that face on the artwork is straight from a character in the movie Jeremiah Johnson: "elk don't know how many legs a horse has!"
Watch yer topknot.
As humans take over the threat of wild animals and lose sight of themselves in nature, this indeed is a loss in holistic spirituality that encompasses the world around us. Great story, one with great metaphysical attributes. 👍
According to the _Kojiki_ (Japanese Record of Ancient Matters), there are several mentions of the emerging noble families putting down rebellions in regions dominated by the "bear people." The name of the city Kumamoto could be interpreted as "origin of the bear," and its mascot is a cute (but slightly creepy in my opinion) stylised bear named Kumamon. Funny enough, Kumamon was voted the most beloved mascot in Japan a few years ago. And if you go north to Hokkaido on the other side of the country, you can see that the bear is still revered.
So, these men absolutely destroyed bears and called it "Visiting the Old Man."
This is very interesting. It certainly makes animals in folklore easy to understand. Japanese Ainu - close to Siberia, interestingly - had women living together with a dog-man or horse-man as a partner, as if that wasn't anything special - and that husband WAS an actual dog or a horse.
It's also interesting, how the man-of-the-forest in many cultures, WAS an actual animal, like the orangutan, but seen as a human, whereas cultures departed from nature, would regard actual humans as animals - even long before social-darwinism - as in the case brought to court in Madrid concerning the genocide of Mesoamerican populations.
Bears and Mythology, 2 of the best topics there are. Great
Actually absolutely awesome, and very informative. Excellent speaker, he's very relaxing to listen to. Subscribed.
Didnt even bring up Ainu and Korean bear worship when they're much more similar to Siberian bear cults than anything in Europe
There was not enough time, I could have talked for about six hours on this. And so I will make more videos diving into other cultures when time allows.
The Ainu and Koreans have very little in common with Siberians or Saami, whilst Saami and Siberians are practically cousins, so no, Northern Europe has far more in common with Siberia than merely having myths about bears like Korea.
@@bruanlokisson8615 The Finnish & etc Saami Laps are an Slav/Siberian tribe old . . you notice it quick
@@benwinter2420 that is because I am half Saami.
@@bruanlokisson8615 the ainu are old Indo Europeans that lived there, I'd say it definitely links up.
Great video! It reminds me of "The Clan of the Cave Bear". It's the first book of the "Earth's Children" series by Jean M. Auel. It's one of my favorite series and is based on scientific and historical findings.
Clan of the Cave Bear was one of my favorite movies as a kid 🐾
Very fascinating I’m Iroquois and we have bear clans and those of the bear clan can’t harm a bear.
I’m slowly learning about early American cultures, and so soon hope to read about this.
This was awesome. Thanks for the information!
I don't know if the Goldi people of Siberia are a bear cult, but I was reminded of the great film by Akira Kurosawa "Dersu Uzala" where some Russian men use a Goldi hunter named Dersu to guide them through the forest for doing a topographic survey. I would be interested in hearing about Dersu's culture.
By the way, I miss your intro music of the drumming.
I'm just trying something different, I'm in two minds myself on what is best.
@@Crecganford Do you mean the music? I can always hear it by goin to an old video. Have you seen Dersu Uzala? It is based on a memoir of the Russian serveyer who befriended Dersu. I don't know if the Goldi were a bear cult ,but I would like to read the memoir.
Finnish French 'horror' movie . . Sauna , about guilt . . starts off with a survey along a border long ago
I’ve always wanted to pat a bear. They’re so cute!!! Maybe growing up in Australia so far away from them has removed the fear I’m supposed to feel towards them? They’re so fluffy and their little ears make them look so adorable 🐻 Thank you for explaining this history
A skinned bear, with head and paws cut off, looks VERY like a skinned human with head, hands and feet cut off. VERY LIKE.
Yes, I guess it would. Interesting.
Hmm maybe someone known as ymir/Yama. Oh wait according to Mahabharata Shanti parva dvita(second man) aka Yama and ekata(first man) aka manu were both condemned to become wolves. So maybe some correlation is there
I would love if you did a piece on the Hadza people's religion. Just learned of them and it sounds really interesting!.
Very cool, that was a 20 min piece tops, brevity is the soul of wit.
Great show, excellent presentation.
Very interesting Jon, these people respected the bear, even though they hunted it.
It reminds me of the writings of Robert Holdstock!
I think the cults of bears (and wolves), even predate the shamanic cults of Europe and Asia, even though they are all evolving from a basic totemic animism..
I think snake or “dragon” cults were probably the oldest of the cults, but whether they predate shamanism is a difficult question to answer with confidence.
A bear ritual in a sparsely populated area is infinitely superior to going to walmart and buying meat.
The first past life I experienced was as a female bear. I can vouch for the traditions being based in spiritual truths of how previous chosen species passed the torch of creative evolution to humanity and were sacrificed for their efforts by servants of the adversary
You were very blessed to have experienced this ✨🪄
Very enjoyable talk thank you
And thank you for watching.
Great show
I loved this! Thank you.🐻
And thank you for watching and commenting, it is appreciated.
The idea that Western cultures had this terrible separation between humans and animals while ancient cultures had this wonderful spiritual connection to Nature is exploded when you remember that the last trial of an animal in a European court of law (that is, treating an animal as if it had a mind like a human and similar rights in and obligations to human society) took place in the 18th century. The Great Separation is very much a consequence of the Enlightenment, not of classical or mediaeval civilisation. Nor, when you reflect for a while, is bears being caged, killed with many spears, and eaten the kind of treatment one hands out to a being one genuinely respects and admires. The simplest hypothesis seems to be that, on quite rational grounds, ancient humans regarded bears as powerful enemies, with victory over a bear celebrated and commemorated much as one would celebrate and commemorate victory over a demon or a dragon.
Great work but sound levels are a bit low. Please boost it next time. Thanks!
!
Yokut Native American tribe from the west coast look like them, and is also a bear tribe! I would love to see a DNA done between the two.
I have a white Japanese Akita and hes very like a polar bear, they were used to hunt bears in japan in male/female pairs, Akita are one of those dogs that are still quite close to wolves, well more so than any other dog.
I've heard of people crossing wolf with huskies
I really like the idea presented in The Clan of the Cave Bear-books which is that they worship the cave bear for it was he who, long ago, taught them to spend winters in caves in order ro survive.
The bear also very special in Sami culture here in the far north. My ancestors believed they could understand human language and many othet things
I used to have a recurring dream where a lumberjack is chasing me through the woods and I am a child of maybe 8 years old. Every time the lumberjack was about to grab me a she bear 🐻 would come out of the woods and chase the lumberjack away. One night I was having this nightmare and as I was running 🏃🏼♂️ I came upon another young boy standing on the path and as I was about to tell him to run from the lumberjack he asked me if the lumberjack would chase him instead of me? I responded, “You want the lumberjack to chase you?” He said yes “It looks like fun.” I said OKAY, just stand right there and the will surely see and chase you. He said okay and I hid behind a tree 🌲 and watched and sure enough the lumberjack was running down the path and saw him and started chasing him. I never had the nightmares again. Boy am I glad I ran into that kid 🧒
Scandinavia's Sami people buried the bones of the bears they killed in a respectful and ritualistic way until the 17th century when they became christianized.
I wonder if there's any correlation between the seven cups during the feast and the seven stars in the Big Dipper which is part of Ursa Major.
We do see the number seven mentioned in various tales more than other numbers, and so it maybe linked to something within the environment.
I'm definitely rewatching this, so much to chew on. Awesome stuff, thank you for your hours of squinting 🤨😉
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it as much the second time.
So what did they do before copper pots? Cook it in an animal skin like Native Americans did to make succotash?
BTW This video gave me an idea for something to pursue in designing a TTRPG. So, thanks for that.
The 13'th warrior, anybody? Or the book, eaters of the dead?
I always love your videos, but something about the title put me off of this one for a few days. 😅
I understand, not usually my type of title, but I wanted to see if it made a difference. I'll probably change it to something more normal next week.
You ever see a bear up close?
Yea no wonder they were so revered
I wonder where we would be if bears would have been selectively bred like dogs were...
police bears?
Bear parks?
Service bears?
*Turumism* - A Siberian religion, which believes the world we live in is vertical & equal. That every animal species exists as an intelligent feudalistic Race, instead of plain wild animals.
does the ritual of the bear hunt provide on origin of the term 'Berserker'?
Totemism is probably a significant influence in the origin of warriors who behaved like animals, who felt they had the animal's spirit within them.
It really surprises me that the Siberian Tiger didn't have the title of King of The Animals instead of the Bear.
They are at least as capable as hunters, and have even been known to kill Bears.
I guess it is because they didn't look human.
The black bear is like the teacher's pet of creation. They wander where they want munching on all they can and nap frequently until it gets too cold then they check out until spring.
They feel no pain delivering cubs and don't even have to eliminate waste. A perfect existence. There is no such thing as a bear problem for people. People are problematic for bears 🐻❄️🐻🐻❄️🐻. 🐼? ✨🪄
Odin is Manu, didn't know that.
As per Ramayan, gods took birth in the form of bears and monkeys, to help lord Ram.
As per Indian calendar, this took place more than 9,00,000 years ago.
Native American Bear Dancers are transformed into bears in a healing ceremony
There may be a new Finland bear myth soon since they just joined NATO to go to war with Russia, the Greatest bear of all!
The tiniest bear of all*.
❤ fantastic channel
Thank you so much.
Thanks
Yes their are cults. Even in the US.
I'm Australia it's the koala bear
Bears. Man earth is wild.
Bear
I still wish the bears, like dogs and cats, were miniturized, and we could have mini bears as pets.
I also hear that bear meat is an acquired taste.
I wish my cats were larger 😅 Maybe the size of a big dog. Better for cuddling!
I have seen a lot of suspect pictures of Russian women with bears and I’m hoping this is the actual reason why they’re so weird
These people must’ve had very short lives because bears are lousy with parasites
Yes, do not eat meat that eats meat... otherwise you'll liable to get diseases
I can get fat and hibernate. Does that count?
Don’t confuse the respect that Siberians had for bears with the sickeningly cruel treatment that bears suffer in Asia for Traditional Chinese medicine
Clan of the cave bear novels
What about the cave bear they were scary as well i seen their skeletons and 🤯😵😱 no way im going in a cave now, I don't care if there extinct or not scary besides they were shown in the movie Pathfinder I enjoyed that movie so much.
21:29 Hostióz Helpu Ufar fatai jaga iz wóðnas weraz 🦌
Who is badger woman?
I’ve never heard of the badger woman… I am now intrigued and will see what I can find.
@@CrecganfordThe context... A part Native woman, mixture from several tribes, Seattle area... my impression, most associated with the umm... Macah, maybe I remember the tribe name correctly... located at the uttermost spur of land in the northwest corner of Washington, where the Pacific Ocean meets with the Strait of Juan de Fuca... Canada on the other side.
She worked as a counselor, and said that an older woman of the badger tribe agreed to meet with me to... work with, mentor... something. I did not follow through. I had a lot of snarly energy at the time and did not want to pass it on... snarly energy that minded it's own business, unless poked, like a badger. A badger woman, of the badger tribe, so maybe not a mythical story or archetype. As I recall, she called her Badger Woman.
The Potawatamie Indians of Wisconsin USA have a bear tribe. A tribal member said they are noted for great stamina.
could you whisper a little more? I can almost hear you.
This is so sad 😢! Corpse abuse. Why not just hunt it for food and say gratitude to the Powers?
What about the cave bear they were scary as well I seen their skeletons and 🤯😵😱 no way im going in a cave now, I don't care if there extinct or not scary besides they were shown in the movie Pathfinder I enjoyed that movie so much. The living relative of the short face bear is the sun bear of South America the smallest member of the bear family.
How do I get rid of the comment section?
If you think of bear, like its meaning in gay bro culture, (a large hairy man, usually laid back personality) the idea of a bear cult is hilarious.
I can barely hear you. It's like you are whispering. Please get better audio.
Bear should have hidden behind his wife, and then they both can explain the situation. lol id be cool with a bear deity son in law
Joe Rogan
Siberian indigenous people are not Turcik.
Coming off of tictok man or bear ? 😅
Disgusting. You should have an "ASMR" warning in the title.
What?
Probably just my OCD... Cheers.
You earned a thumb down for sound deficit. Quit whispering and increase you recording volume.
Wow.
This guy is proof that not all British accents sound good lol.
Wow, I hope your day gets better… and you spread some positive news about your opinion of other people.
In soviet Russia potato peels you
Just gotta say how great your voice/speaking style is. It has this careful, controlled calmness to it and it's super enjoyable.
Thank you.
@@Crecganford Sorry to say, but even at full volume of my laptop, I could not really listen the voice. Had to rely on the auto caption. Still, learnt something from history and enjoyed it.