The Role of Animals in History

Even though the majority of mankind is happily entrenched in the electronic age and mostly prefers to live in a concrete jungle, the mysterious link between humans and animals continues to hold true. Most of our contact with animals these days is limited to the fleeting glimpse of a bird overhead, the scurry of a squirrel or chipmunk across our paths, or the companionship of a pet. Yet the role of animals in history is of such great importance that we would not be where we are today without them.

Animals have always been a source of food, clothing, an obedient workforce and religious sacrifices. We count on them to provide their unique contributions to balance out nature and to give us much needed companionship.

Even though scientific information tells us that mankind and dinosaurs did not coexist, the fossil remains of those animals greatly impacted the beliefs and lifestyles of early peoples. The sight of massive bones and weathered sculls protruding from the earth fueled their imaginations. In her book, "The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times," Adrienne Mayor describes her theory that mythical creatures were based upon fossil remains. She believes mythical griffin lore, for example, came about after Protoceratops skeletons were found. She also theorizes that the belief in giant humans and mythological heroes came from the abundance of ancient elephant, mastodon and mammoth fossils.

Apart from fossil remains, animals that did coexist with humans bore a hefty portion of the burden of transporting mankind toward civilization. They were the first major food source, and people began domesticating certain animals as they came together into groups. Actually, how various species became domesticated is somewhat of a mystery in itself. Several ways animals can be domesticated have been researched. Mutations of a species can cause some to be more receptive to human control. Selective breeding can be responsible for the changes necessary for domestication. Natural selection can occur as well. Dogs, sheep and goats were the first to be domesticated.

Human survival has often depended upon animals. The camel, also known as the ship of the desert, was instrumental in the exploration and settlement of Australia, for example. They are one of the few animals where every function and physical part of them is of use to humans, including the dung which is used for fuel.

From the beginning, people have venerated the superhuman characteristics of the animals they worshipped and thought they were the embodiment of gods. Animism, the belief that a soul exists in every animate and inanimate object, is one of the oldest beliefs, dating to around the Paleolithic age. Ancient Egyptians worshipped nearly every animal. Their sacred bull Apis was believed to be the incarnation of a god. The Greeks had their sacred eagle of Zeus. The Aztecs had the Quetzalcoatl bird.

In 1994, a white buffalo was born near Janesville, Wisconsin, USA, the first white buffalo calf born since 1933. Since then other white buffalos have been born. See a list of these at Wikipedia's "White Buffalo." To American and Canadian Indians, a white buffalo is a symbol of hope and renewal for humanity and for harmony between all races of people.

American Indians have worn eagle feathers for thousands of years. To them, they represent fierceness, strength and power, and warriors earned the feathers in battle. No higher honor can be obtained by an American Indian than to receive an eagle feather. By law in the United States in recent years, only a member of a tribe that is recognized by the government can obtain a permit to own eagle parts. No one else is allowed to have them.

The Chinese attribute the power of controlling hours, days, months and years to animals, similar to the belief that the zodiac influences peoples' lives and fates. Twelve symbolic animals represent twelve terrestrial branches. They are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, cock, dog and pig. These are assigned to various years.

Perhaps one of the most influential animals upon history, if not THE most influential animal, is the horse. The horse provided the perfect solution to our need to go places and transport things. Even the sight of a horse stirs feelings deep within us. Psychologists tell us that horses are the only animals that give the impression of being naked. Muscles rippling, a running horse is quite exhilarating for most people to see. Although some of us rarely see a horse anymore, the horse is referenced frequently in our everyday language since we measure the power of motors by horsepower. This term is attributed to James Watt who lived from 1736-1819. He devised a way to measure the power available from ponies lifting coal from a coal mine. He discovered that a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute. He increased that number by 50% and set the definition of "horsepower" as 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute.

Animals have contributed much to our enjoyment of life as well. Among the many famous animals who have impacted children was an American black bear named Winnie who lived at the London Zoo. A Canadian lieutenant brought her there in 1914 at the beginning of WWI. A. A. Milne and his son Christopher visited the bear that later became Winnie the Pooh in Milne's stories. Balto, a black and white Alaskan malamute, is famous for leading a dogsled team through an Alaskan blizzard, which delivered the antitoxin needed to stop a diphtheria epidemic. Puppets and animated creatures comfort and entertain in the absence of the real thing. Pluto, the dog, Teddy bears, and a personal favorite of mine from the 50s, Soupy Sales' White Fang, "the meanest dog in the USA," can also touch that mysterious spot in our hearts marked "animals belong here."

Space will not permit but a mention of the incredible instincts of animals. We have all read stories of cats and dogs traversing great distances to return to their former residences after their families have moved. Buzzards return to Hinkley, Ohio, like clockwork every March. Capistrano has its sparrows.

The animal kingdom will impact future generations on a grand scale in other ways. Some of the worse plagues in history, like the Bubonic plague, have involved animals. HIV-AIDS has its origins in the Green Monkey of Africa where the virus was transmitted to humans through bites and eating raw monkey meat. Bird flu is now a threat for the next world pandemic. The Bible includes prophecy involving animals in Revelation 6:8 which states, "8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

Research on the bond between person and pet has revealed that pets can somehow know when their masters are on the way home. My dog instantly knew when I was upset and would rush to me to remedy the situation. He would get quite agitated whenever I would cry and would try to comfort me by jumping up and frantically licking my face. Look into a dog's eyes, and there seems to be more than kibbles in that body. But do animals have immortal spirits?

One thing we do know is that the role of animals in history was crucial and their impact on our future is just as important. While we are spending billions to find life on Mars, animals on earth are going extinct right under our noses. Geneticists are also beginning to tinker with animal DNA, adding human genes to the mix. Will a new breed of monsters emerge? What with such a mysterious bond between us and our co-inhabitants of the earth, we better ensure that animal strains are preserved and they remain here as long as we do.

Prepare to be amazed while watching this elephant paint:



Sources:
Book Review - The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times by Adrienne Mayor

Animal Worship

Miracle, the Sacred White Buffalo

Canku Ota, Native American Newsletter-August 25, 2001

How Horsepower Works