The animal, shadow of the gods and brother of man

The animal has had various significations in the history of humanity: the magical animal enabled primitive man to free himself from mystical participation; the ancestral animal in medieval Christendom symbolizes savage strength and sovereign power; the totem animal and power animal of shamanistic people, although it is often dangerous, is also an allied spirit; the malevolent or benevolent animal in the fairy taie determines the hero’s destiny. But the most important challenge to man is to integrate his inner animal: without it, he can access neither his true humanity nor the conjunction of opposites.