A caricature from over a hundred years ago is a perfect example illustrating the clash of two worlds: the wild, untamed nature of animals and the cultural storytelling produced by humans. But why are these two images so far apart? Why does a sweet, fluffy teddy bear look so different from that of a dangerous predator from the dense forests? The answer lies in the need to tame human fears and the symbolism that perpetuates the image of animals in fairy tales, legends and myths.
Campfire stories
Let’s go back to the times when our ancestors gathered around the warmth of the fire on long winter evenings and told fascinating stories. Their role was not just to entertain or kill time. Oral storytelling, repeated from generation to generation, played an educational and warning role in small communities. Young people listened to their elders, drew morals from the stories told and learned from the examples they heard how to react in extreme situations. In that world, nothing terrified a hunter more than entering dense, unknown forests without proper weapons. Everyone also realized that it was not the fastest, but the cleverest warriors who returned from hunting. Those who were lucky enough to meet and experience the king of the forest spoke about this magical creature with fascination and respect.
Over time, bears – strong, dignified and dominating the ecosystem, began to become more than just a symbol of physical strength and endurance. By observing the phases of life of these amazing animals, they began to attribute secret wisdom and knowledge to them. Sophisticated skills of hunting, hibernation and rearing young aroused unconcealed curiosity in people.
Magical transformation
The world of teddy bears increasingly intersected with ours, and the presence of the king of the forest began to be used in sacred rituals. From Japan to the Urals, bear storytelling can be found in almost all shamanistic cultures. He was depicted as the totemic ancestor of people and the father of the ruler of the earth himself. Today, all you have to do is look at the starry night sky to see the constellation Ursa Major – a remnant of this adoration. In many cultures, including our native Slavs, it was believed that a bear was a man transformed by magic into a wild animal.
Perhaps this was due to the characteristic upright posture of the animal, the possibility of taming the beast, or the fact that bears did not particularly like human meat. These noble animals were invited under the roofs of human homes to drive away evil forces or even heal the sick. It was said that since these were people turned into animals, no sneaky sorcerer would take their form.
These motifs were used in the mythology of the Slavs. According to legends, Dziewanna, the goddess of forests and hunting, was dressed in bear fur, and the spirit of the forest and the ruler of animals, called Borowy or Leszy, often took the form of a powerful bear. The name of the animal itself reflects the respect and admiration that bears aroused in our ancestors.
The old Polish copperhead is also called a honeyeater. This mild name for the predator is probably a remnant of a linguistic taboo – the original name was not used so as not to jinx the unwanted visit of a wild guest. In this way, the language itself began to shape a new, surprising image of a teddy bear – a sweet, honey-eating idiot.
How we tame primal fear
Today, this charming, cunning hero is a staple of modern pop culture. We all know the books whose heroes are Winnie the Pooh, Paddington and Baloo. We grew up on cartoons about Care Bears, Gummy Bears and Yogi Bear. We buy Kumamon and Teddy Bear mascots for our children, and during the holidays we smile at the sight of advertisements with a white bear drinking a soda.
We have achieved what we have been working for for so long. We have domesticated the bear in our cultural storytelling. That’s why it’s sometimes so hard for us to believe in the true nature of the fluffy predator. In rare face-to-face encounters with a real bear, we realize how fragile and helpless a species we are without our cultural stories.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
