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 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..
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.
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.
@@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.
My dad, an avid deer hunter, tried hunting bear once, but it freaked him out because he said it looked just like a man after it was skinned and he never did it again.
I cannot believe that I’ve never heard this before watching this video and reading the comments. I’m an avid outdoorsman, fisher, hunter (only for food and other animal products [hides, bone tools, sinew for cordage, deer tallow, etc]), and hiker, and I have tried to learn every single thing about nature that I possibly can; I’ve never once heard a skinned bear compared to a human. I had to google a picture, and I can easily see how people think it looks like a man. When it’s standing up, outside of the length of the hind limbs, they do look eerily human-like. I can fully understand how our ancient ancestors believed that bears were men in bear skins.
This gives me so much perspective on Finnish bear myths. It is mindboggling to think how old these beliefs are. And to compare them to Finnish less than 10 000 year old myths and how they have changed along the way. Thank you for the video and all the work behind it!
these are not 10,000 yrs but around 10,00,000 yrs, as per Ramayan - gods took birth in the form of bears & monkeys. Even some 5-6000 years ago, Lord Krishna married the daughter of Jambvant (the bear).
It makes complete sense that they would think bears were humans in fur. Many a forensic worker has confused by bear front paws bones thinking them as human hand bones. They look nearly identical!
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 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.
these stories, rituals and general themes with the bear taking a young woman as wife, them having a bear-son, the bears explaing how to be treated after the hunt and the theme of burying the bones etc. are pretty much identical to how the Sámi and Finns did and told. Some aspects even exists in the Norse sagas as well! like how Thor slaughters his goats to eat and shares the meat with his host's family and then burys them, the next day they are alive again but one of them has a broken leg as the young son of the family broke the bone to get to the marrow, even though Thor told them not to... pretty sure he kills the father in anger. Although I'm pretty sure the Norse didn't see the bear in the same sacred way as their Finno-Ugric neighbours. It's so facinating to think of how far these storys traveled and over what enormus spans of time they pressist.
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 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...
As an avid self guided student of the Paleolithic societies and their art, I would absolutely love to hear more, as well as deep dive into how far these myths may have travelled. I was able to visit Font de Gaume last March, and among my first thoughts as I looked at the paintings was “these are gifts- this was an act of giving.” It wasn’t until I saw your video about the name we can’t speak that I remembered the guide saying that particular cave had evidence of cave bear habitation. That sort of clicked an idea in my head of possible correlation. Most painted caves have evidence of cave bear habitation, and in Chauvet cave there is the chamber of cave bear skeletons which features a bear skull having been placed on a large rock in a way that I can only say was reverential at the very least. Claw marks that have been proven to be cave bear’s are mimicked and nearly hidden by human made ones. If the idea of drawn or painted representations being a shadow of the spirit is a truly ancient one, I can envision (without the ability to ever truly know, alas) Paleolithic tribes offering the shades of the local herbivore population to this king of animals. Merely conjecture on my part, but it does send the artist imagination off and running- thank you for a truly thought provoking and inspirational video. I’m headed to your patron page now!
In the rigveda the king divodasa was from the rksa(bear) clan of the bharata tribe. Not only that there was also a major tribe known as lichhavi or better known as rksavi or bear clan which was a prominent tribe until the gupta era. Not only that but the rksa has been considered as a pitri(ancestor spirit) and is said in the ayurveda to be served food during sraddha(the hindu month for remembering the ancestors). In rigveda 1.24.10 for example bear has been mentioned as a constellation in association with varuna another primordial god
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.
Jamie Sams, half French/half Native American who co-wrote the Animal Medicine cards subscribes Bear to the West; it's medicine an ally with which to 'Enter The Silence', in order to find our own answers and the courage to meet our tomorrows. I resonate with this central theme in your wonderful presentation of the symbiosis between Human and Bear. Thank you.
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 incredible. Human gaining bear strength and bear gaining human intelligence. Hybridization beliefs and conceptualizing utility gain in the process, possibly?
I love how the bear story goes from classic fable antics to a full how-to recipe book on eating bears and practicing divination before jumping right back
I absolutely love what the bear spirit animal symbolizes: loyalty, strength, protective and nurturing qualities, wisdom, amongst other things that I can’t think of on the top of my head. Elephants also resemble these traits as well, which I also love. I have been seeing bear symbolism everywhere, like in media, in dreams, and overall “feeling” the Bear’s presence with me. I find it comforting, as I’ve been pretty anxious recently. Thank you so much for doing a video all about the bear and this interesting cult. If you haven’t already, can you do a video on elephants, if there are any myths or legends about these incredible animals? 🙏🏼
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.
Yes, pleas more about the different bear cults. I was always fascinated by the 'children's' story of Bearskin.; where it came from, how it came about. My take on the Bearskin stories I have read is that it appears to be a shamanic altering of the soldiers being/soul. I have read a few versions of the germanic bearskin stories and am looking for them across other cultures. Ainu, North American, etc.
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.
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.
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.
In ancient Hispania, where the celts lived there was the belief that drinking a bear's head (related to berserkers?). There was a bear god/goddes we don't know much about, Arconi. Also apparently the most common surname in Spain, García, means 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.
Long ago, I had a dream that I was being hunted by wolves. They completely surrounded me, and were howling like crazy. Suddenly I saw this enormous, and I mean huge, she bear standing in front of me. And I ran headlong towards her, and threw myself at her, and her giant paws closed around me. I buried myself as deeply as I could in her fur , and then I realized the wolves were no longer howling. I stayed there for a minute because I felt incredibly safe.
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.
This is really great information about the traditional stories , thank you for all the research! And l did a bit on how animals are said to be Spirt guides! Well l guess mine is the Bear , as to accordance to the month l was born ! So far in my walks in the woods l have had Bears follow me but not close but one day one came to my tent and was no more then 5 feet from me and then left after smelling me ! Man tends to need to be important with nature , it must be a ego thing to show how important one is ! The thing is to respect the wild and nature .
Me neither , but l got to go out and explore, it’s in me . Cub Scouts, Eagle Scout , Explorer Scout . Police Cadet , Marine Corps! Was a good education on the wilderness! So l got to walk forward and just have the kind animals and people around me but we know there is rogue ones too ! So be prepared
Oh, yes ! We must be prepared - prepared to not provoke... they say that bears sense and avoid poeple in general. Beware of exceptions ! Bear spray is known as an efficient deterrent in case of a nasty bear. @@heckusay5703
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
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.
Such a foreign concept in this day and age. We go to visit a bear, feast on his flesh and feed his spirit in return as our guest. That's the type of a story I'm here for.
If you read fiction you might check out "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.
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.
Satanna & Jumala fights caused thunder & lighting . . Sun swap times Kalevala Finn . . Saturn old brown cow Sun from the purple dawn & current Sun no name . . war in heaven/marriage made in heaven , long story
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. 👍
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.
I used to watch Alaska The Last Frontier and its based on a homestead in Katchacan, Alaska.a Swiss guy emigrated just b4 ww2 and he's dead but his 2 sons have cattle, one looks after the cows the other is a "range rider" and every single opportunity he shoots bears the bloodthirsty old codger, great video, thanks.
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
I wonder if the idea of bears as humans had any relation to the story of woodwoses and giant hairy men in the forests in medieval Europe? I would love to hear more about other cults.
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.
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.
@@Crecganford thank you for I was thinking more along the lines of the Swiss town Bern, and Germanic words for brown/bear. If I'm remembering correctly. Cheers. 👍
The Swedish, Norwegian and Danish word for child is Barn. Pronounced Baarn in Swedish. I was born in London and grew up with a few of Scots. I live in Sweden now and I'm learning Swedish so when I heard the Scandi word for child my ears pricked up. A lot of words in the British languages derive from Germanic languages going back to the Angle, Saxon and Jute migration/invasions. There's also the later Viking Era Norse influence in Scotland and the Orkneys. My great Grandfather's name was Bernard. He was Dutch. Bernard translates to Hard/Strong Bear in English. Good spot with the Scots word Bairn for child 🙂
My brother came back to his hunt camp one year to find a bear ransacking it in search of food. He always carries a bear license in case of such an occasion, anddispatxhed the bear. Later that evening, a group if Cree elders came by his camp, and asked if they could perform a funeral so that the bear would be returned to them. He agreed,of course. He wasnt allowed to be part of the ceremony, although he watched respectfully from a distance. He said is was deeply affecting.
Fascinating. And the bear's role in judgement prompts a few queries in my mind - about scalping, and animals: King Arthur - whose name means "bear" - was judged by the giant Rein to be arrogant, so he challenged him. Arthur slew him, took his beard-pelt AND the giant's mantle, itself made from the beard-pelts of Rein's defeated foes. But in another story (mentioned in How Cilhwch Won Olwen), Rein heard that two brothers - kings - had gone to war against each other. He took it upon bimself to punish them, conquered them, bearded them, turned them into oxen and yoked them together to plough the land (for Arthur). It seems they were turned back to human, because one of them was King Peipiau The Dribbler (although his dribbling was also attributed to leprosy). Oh... and Rein also lived on to become a saint, but hey, celtic myths... So were bearding and scalping judgemental remnants of hunting rituals? Minos was a king and a judge in the underworld, and we have the sacrifice of his illegitimate son in bull form, the Minotaur, but the latter was born out of Pasiphae's union.with Posiedon in the guise of a bull, and his bestial countenance was out of judgement for that union. And the tribute of Theseus was also a punishment, for the murder of Minos' son. So... when did judgement enter into myths, is scalping part of a hunting origin and a punishment, and were cattle and bears interchangeable? Anyway I'd be interest to.know when Judgement of the Dead became a theme of myths.
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
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 🧒
Bear cults in Siberia - Altai, Mansi, Nenets, Yakut, Evenki, Orochi and many others. Beliefs : 1. Bear is king of animals, can speak to them. 2. It's hearing is slightly dampened due to constant rustling of leaves, especially during autumn and winter. 3. It was also considered dangerous to speak ill of the bear, in case it heard you, it would hide behind a tree, and when you next went hunting, it would grab you with its paws. 4. If you meet a bear in the forest, in a chance encounter, you would say, "go away old man, I am not guilty".
Many tribes revered the bear and much regarding the rites and ceremonies can be found thru literature written to preserve the history of first nations. I'm particularly fond of the Lakota legends. There were bands who called themselves MAHTO in reverence of the bear.🌎🌬🔥💦
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 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 need you to finally cover the Slavic deities Veles, Perun, Rod, Svarog, Mokosh, the creation story and the Baltic Pantheon, which actually has far more sources in their own language group than the Slavic groups. I know you probably won't see this comment, but I am probably going to comment it again LOL It's very hard to ignore the Slavic and Baltic Pantheons when researching about Indo-Europeans! Nobody else is really done a good job at presenting it in English
I do want to cover these, and am aware of some books in Polish that I would love to read, but my Polish is very poor. But I will try and do this one day.
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.
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? 😂🍻🤣
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
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.
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.
My dad, an avid deer hunter, tried hunting bear once, but it freaked him out because he said it looked just like a man after it was skinned and he never did it again.
I cannot believe that I’ve never heard this before watching this video and reading the comments. I’m an avid outdoorsman, fisher, hunter (only for food and other animal products [hides, bone tools, sinew for cordage, deer tallow, etc]), and hiker, and I have tried to learn every single thing about nature that I possibly can; I’ve never once heard a skinned bear compared to a human. I had to google a picture, and I can easily see how people think it looks like a man. When it’s standing up, outside of the length of the hind limbs, they do look eerily human-like. I can fully understand how our ancient ancestors believed that bears were men in bear skins.
@ I never knew that about the ancients, but it makes a lot of sense. For me it’s the paws especially - they look like human hands.
This gives me so much perspective on Finnish bear myths. It is mindboggling to think how old these beliefs are. And to compare them to Finnish less than 10 000 year old myths and how they have changed along the way. Thank you for the video and all the work behind it!
these are not 10,000 yrs but around 10,00,000 yrs, as per Ramayan - gods took birth in the form of bears & monkeys.
Even some 5-6000 years ago, Lord Krishna married the daughter of Jambvant (the bear).
It makes complete sense that they would think bears were humans in fur. Many a forensic worker has confused by bear front paws bones thinking them as human hand bones. They look nearly identical!
Big foot
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 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.
these stories, rituals and general themes with the bear taking a young woman as wife, them having a bear-son, the bears explaing how to be treated after the hunt and the theme of burying the bones etc. are pretty much identical to how the Sámi and Finns did and told. Some aspects even exists in the Norse sagas as well!
like how Thor slaughters his goats to eat and shares the meat with his host's family and then burys them, the next day they are alive again but one of them has a broken leg as the young son of the family broke the bone to get to the marrow, even though Thor told them not to... pretty sure he kills the father in anger. Although I'm pretty sure the Norse didn't see the bear in the same sacred way as their Finno-Ugric neighbours.
It's so facinating to think of how far these storys traveled and over what enormus spans of time they pressist.
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 ?
@@TheUrsophile 13th warrior is a movie.Hope that helps
Always good to see a Crecganford video drop
Thank you.
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...
As an avid self guided student of the Paleolithic societies and their art, I would absolutely love to hear more, as well as deep dive into how far these myths may have travelled.
I was able to visit Font de Gaume last March, and among my first thoughts as I looked at the paintings was “these are gifts- this was an act of giving.” It wasn’t until I saw your video about the name we can’t speak that I remembered the guide saying that particular cave had evidence of cave bear habitation. That sort of clicked an idea in my head of possible correlation.
Most painted caves have evidence of cave bear habitation, and in Chauvet cave there is the chamber of cave bear skeletons which features a bear skull having been placed on a large rock in a way that I can only say was reverential at the very least. Claw marks that have been proven to be cave bear’s are mimicked and nearly hidden by human made ones.
If the idea of drawn or painted representations being a shadow of the spirit is a truly ancient one, I can envision (without the ability to ever truly know, alas) Paleolithic tribes offering the shades of the local herbivore population to this king of animals. Merely conjecture on my part, but it does send the artist imagination off and running- thank you for a truly thought provoking and inspirational video. I’m headed to your patron page now!
In the rigveda the king divodasa was from the rksa(bear) clan of the bharata tribe. Not only that there was also a major tribe known as lichhavi or better known as rksavi or bear clan which was a prominent tribe until the gupta era. Not only that but the rksa has been considered as a pitri(ancestor spirit) and is said in the ayurveda to be served food during sraddha(the hindu month for remembering the ancestors). In rigveda 1.24.10 for example bear has been mentioned as a constellation in association with varuna another primordial god
You forgot to mention jambavan
@@dwijgurram5490 It is dravid not arya
@@BrahmanofAryavart you left it out Just because it's Dravidian?
Then you'll definitely get the shock of your life when you get to know the truth
@@dwijgurram5490 No I left it out because it does not cognate with other cultures. Rather it is its own isolate
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 ❤
Jamie Sams, half French/half Native American who co-wrote the Animal Medicine cards subscribes Bear to the West; it's medicine an ally with which to 'Enter The Silence', in order to find our own answers and the courage to meet our tomorrows. I resonate with this central theme in your wonderful presentation of the symbiosis between Human and Bear. Thank you.
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 incredible. Human gaining bear strength and bear gaining human intelligence. Hybridization beliefs and conceptualizing utility gain in the process, possibly?
Very interesting as always.
I love how the bear story goes from classic fable antics to a full how-to recipe book on eating bears and practicing divination before jumping right back
I absolutely love what the bear spirit animal symbolizes: loyalty, strength, protective and nurturing qualities, wisdom, amongst other things that I can’t think of on the top of my head. Elephants also resemble these traits as well, which I also love. I have been seeing bear symbolism everywhere, like in media, in dreams, and overall “feeling” the Bear’s presence with me. I find it comforting, as I’ve been pretty anxious recently. Thank you so much for doing a video all about the bear and this interesting cult. If you haven’t already, can you do a video on elephants, if there are any myths or legends about these incredible animals? 🙏🏼
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.
Yes, pleas more about the different bear cults. I was always fascinated by the 'children's' story of Bearskin.; where it came from, how it came about. My take on the Bearskin stories I have read is that it appears to be a shamanic altering of the soldiers being/soul. I have read a few versions of the germanic bearskin stories and am looking for them across other cultures. Ainu, North American, etc.
Bears tend to enjoy aesthetics experiences in seemingly exact way we do.
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.
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.
Thanks for yet another wonderful video!! Of course I always love the animal stories and appreciate always learning from you!
Thank you, and I hope all is well with the animals at the zoo.
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.
So, these men absolutely destroyed bears and called it "Visiting the Old Man."
Great vid! I love learning about the earliest forms of religious thought!
Thank you.
Loved this video. While I don't personally believe in these myths, as a modern hunter these beliefs do make perfect sense to me.
In ancient Hispania, where the celts lived there was the belief that drinking a bear's head (related to berserkers?). There was a bear god/goddes we don't know much about, Arconi.
Also apparently the most common surname in Spain, García, means 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.
Long ago, I had a dream that I was being hunted by wolves. They completely surrounded me, and were howling like crazy. Suddenly I saw this enormous, and I mean huge, she bear standing in front of me. And I ran headlong towards her, and threw myself at her, and her giant paws closed around me. I buried myself as deeply as I could in her fur , and then I realized the wolves were no longer howling. I stayed there for a minute because I felt incredibly safe.
Stay in her paws !
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.
Love this topic brother ❤ hail and thank you for this beautiful video!
Thank you.
The bear is so revered in many cultures...it's so beautiful and amazing
This is really great information about the traditional stories , thank you for all the research! And l did a bit on how animals are said to be Spirt guides! Well l guess mine is the Bear , as to accordance to the month l was born ! So far in my walks in the woods l have had Bears follow me but not close but one day one came to my tent and was no more then 5 feet from me and then left after smelling me ! Man tends to need to be important with nature , it must be a ego thing to show how important one is ! The thing is to respect the wild and nature .
I'm certainly not keen to be that close to a bear in the wild!
Me neither , but l got to go out and explore, it’s in me . Cub Scouts, Eagle Scout , Explorer Scout . Police Cadet , Marine Corps! Was a good education on the wilderness! So l got to walk forward and just have the kind animals and people around me but we know there is rogue ones too ! So be prepared
Oh, yes ! We must be prepared - prepared to not provoke... they say that bears sense and avoid poeple in general. Beware of exceptions ! Bear spray is known as an efficient deterrent in case of a nasty bear. @@heckusay5703
There’s still a pretty large Bears cult in Chicago.
I'm surprised it took someone this long to say that.... :)
So excited the video dropped! ❤ 🐻
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'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
Bears and Mythology, 2 of the best topics there are. Great
Its incredibly important to keep these stories alive......thank you
Its easy to see why humans saw bears as fellow people.
Great stories, thanks!
Thank you.
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.
Great show, excellent presentation.
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.
This was awesome. Thanks for the information!
Actually absolutely awesome, and very informative. Excellent speaker, he's very relaxing to listen to. Subscribed.
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
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.
Such a foreign concept in this day and age. We go to visit a bear, feast on his flesh and feed his spirit in return as our guest. That's the type of a story I'm here for.
If you read fiction you might check out "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.
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 would love if you did a piece on the Hadza people's religion. Just learned of them and it sounds really interesting!.
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.
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.
Slavs believed that the great bear lived in the roots of trees, and that he battled with the storm god, which explained lightning.
Satanna & Jumala fights caused thunder & lighting . . Sun swap times Kalevala Finn . . Saturn old brown cow Sun from the purple dawn & current Sun no name . . war in heaven/marriage made in heaven , long story
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. 👍
Clan of the Cave Bear was one of my favorite movies as a kid 🐾
!
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.
Very enjoyable talk thank you
And thank you for watching.
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.
I loved this! Thank you.🐻
And thank you for watching and commenting, it is appreciated.
Great show
Very cool, that was a 20 min piece tops, brevity is the soul of wit.
I used to watch Alaska The Last Frontier and its based on a homestead in Katchacan, Alaska.a Swiss guy emigrated just b4 ww2 and he's dead but his 2 sons have cattle, one looks after the cows the other is a "range rider" and every single opportunity he shoots bears the bloodthirsty old codger, great video, thanks.
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.
Thank you, very well done
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 ✨🪄
Great work but sound levels are a bit low. Please boost it next time. Thanks!
I wonder if the idea of bears as humans had any relation to the story of woodwoses and giant hairy men in the forests in medieval Europe? I would love to hear more about other cults.
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 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.
May of 2024 this video is 2 months old, has 67,000 views, and 187k subscribers. How ia this not viewed more??
The 13'th warrior, anybody? Or the book, eaters of the dead?
Good work!
Thanks!
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'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.
Do you think the Scottish worn for child, bern, has any link to the adoption of bear cubs?
An interesting question, in effect whether bjorn and bern are cognate? I shall try and find out.
@@Crecganford thank you for I was thinking more along the lines of the Swiss town Bern, and Germanic words for brown/bear. If I'm remembering correctly. Cheers. 👍
The Swedish, Norwegian and Danish word for child is Barn. Pronounced Baarn in Swedish. I was born in London and grew up with a few of Scots. I live in Sweden now and I'm learning Swedish so when I heard the Scandi word for child my ears pricked up. A lot of words in the British languages derive from Germanic languages going back to the Angle, Saxon and Jute migration/invasions. There's also the later Viking Era Norse influence in Scotland and the Orkneys. My great Grandfather's name was Bernard. He was Dutch. Bernard translates to Hard/Strong Bear in English. Good spot with the Scots word Bairn for child 🙂
@@Goosebear77 it's all very interesting, how European words and myths interact. And thanks for the spelling of bairn. 👍
@@flamingdonut9456 As a species we take our stories with us. You are very welcome.
Very interesting Jon, these people respected the bear, even though they hunted it.
My brother came back to his hunt camp one year to find a bear ransacking it in search of food. He always carries a bear license in case of such an occasion, anddispatxhed the bear. Later that evening, a group if Cree elders came by his camp, and asked if they could perform a funeral so that the bear would be returned to them. He agreed,of course. He wasnt allowed to be part of the ceremony, although he watched respectfully from a distance. He said is was deeply affecting.
Curious about similar clans like wolf, snake and jaguar. Also berserkers.
Yes, I'll see what I can cover in a future video.
Fascinating. And the bear's role in judgement prompts a few queries in my mind - about scalping, and animals:
King Arthur - whose name means "bear" - was judged by the giant Rein to be arrogant, so he challenged him. Arthur slew him, took his beard-pelt AND the giant's mantle, itself made from the beard-pelts of Rein's defeated foes. But in another story (mentioned in How Cilhwch Won Olwen), Rein heard that two brothers - kings - had gone to war against each other. He took it upon bimself to punish them, conquered them, bearded them, turned them into oxen and yoked them together to plough the land (for Arthur). It seems they were turned back to human, because one of them was King Peipiau The Dribbler (although his dribbling was also attributed to leprosy). Oh... and Rein also lived on to become a saint, but hey, celtic myths...
So were bearding and scalping judgemental remnants of hunting rituals?
Minos was a king and a judge in the underworld, and we have the sacrifice of his illegitimate son in bull form, the Minotaur, but the latter was born out of Pasiphae's union.with Posiedon in the guise of a bull, and his bestial countenance was out of judgement for that union. And the tribute of Theseus was also a punishment, for the murder of Minos' son.
So... when did judgement enter into myths, is scalping part of a hunting origin and a punishment, and were cattle and bears interchangeable?
Anyway I'd be interest to.know when Judgement of the Dead became a theme of myths.
You ever see a bear up close?
Yea no wonder they were so revered
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
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.
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 🧒
It reminds me of the writings of Robert Holdstock!
Bear cults in Siberia - Altai, Mansi, Nenets, Yakut, Evenki, Orochi and many others. Beliefs :
1. Bear is king of animals, can speak to them.
2. It's hearing is slightly dampened due to constant rustling of leaves, especially during autumn and winter.
3. It was also considered dangerous to speak ill of the bear, in case it heard you, it would hide behind a tree, and when you next went hunting, it would grab you with its paws.
4. If you meet a bear in the forest, in a chance encounter, you would say, "go away old man, I am not guilty".
A bear ritual in a sparsely populated area is infinitely superior to going to walmart and buying meat.
❤ fantastic channel
Thank you so much.
Are there bear storys in north america? The myth seems to be very old. And bears native in america as well.
Many tribes revered the bear and much regarding the rites and ceremonies can be found thru literature written to preserve the history of first nations. I'm particularly fond of the Lakota legends. There were bands who called themselves MAHTO in reverence of the bear.🌎🌬🔥💦
Yes there are many, and I shall share some soon.
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 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.
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 need you to finally cover the Slavic deities Veles, Perun, Rod, Svarog, Mokosh, the creation story and the Baltic Pantheon, which actually has far more sources in their own language group than the Slavic groups. I know you probably won't see this comment, but I am probably going to comment it again LOL
It's very hard to ignore the Slavic and Baltic Pantheons when researching about Indo-Europeans! Nobody else is really done a good job at presenting it in English
I do want to cover these, and am aware of some books in Polish that I would love to read, but my Polish is very poor. But I will try and do this one day.