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There are many cultural references to donkeys, in
myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...
,
folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
, in
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
and in
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
.


Religion, myth and folklore

Due to its widespread domestication and use, the donkey is referred to in myth and folklore around the world. In classical and ancient cultures, donkeys had a part. In
Egyptian mythology Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world around them. The beliefs that these myths express are an important part of ancient Egyptia ...
the donkey, according to some interpretations, is the ''sha'' or totemic Set animal. In 2003, the tomb of either King Narmer or King Hor-Aha (two of the first Egyptian pharaohs) was excavated and the skeletons of ten donkeys were found buried in a manner usually used with high ranking humans. In Greek myth, Silenus is pictured in Classical Antiquity and during the Renaissance (''illustration, left'') drunken and riding a donkey, and Midas was given the ears of an ass after misjudging a musical competition.


Donkeys in the Bible

Donkeys (or asses) are mentioned many times in the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
, beginning in the first book and continuing through both
Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
and
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
s, so they became part of Judeo-Christian tradition. They are portrayed as work animals, used for agricultural purposes, transport and as beasts of burden, and terminology is used to differentiate age and gender. In contrast, horses were represented only in the context of war, ridden by
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
or pulling
chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...
s. Owners were protected by law from loss caused by the death or injury of a donkey, showing their value in that time period. Narrative turning points in the Bible (and other stories) are often marked through the use of donkeys — for instance, leading, saddling, or mounting/dismounting a donkey are used to show a change in focus or a decision having been made. They are used as a measure of wealth in
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
30:43, and in Genesis chapter 34, the prince of
Shechem Shechem ( ), also spelled Sichem ( ; he, שְׁכֶם, ''Šəḵem''; ; grc, Συχέμ, Sykhém; Samaritan Hebrew: , ), was a Canaanite and Israelite city mentioned in the Amarna Letters, later appearing in the Hebrew Bible as the first cap ...
(the modern
Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...
) is named Hamor ("donkey" in Hebrew). According to Old Testament prophecy, the
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...
is said to arrive on a donkey: "Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey!" (
Zechariah Zechariah most often refers to: * Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah * Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to: People *Zechariah ...
9:9). According to the New Testament, this prophecy was fulfilled when
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
entered
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
riding on the animal (
Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...
21:4-7, John 12:14-15). Jesus appeared to be aware of this connection (Matthew 21:1-3, John 12:16).


The alleged onolatry of Jews and Christians

The Greeks of
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
spread the belief that the Jews practiced
onolatry Onolatry is the supposed worship of the donkey. In Imperial Rome, the charge of onolatry was used to taunt the Jews and first Christians. The association of Jews with donkeys was a common feature of Ancient Greece, Hellenic as well as Latin ethno ...
, or donkey worship. The idea that the
Jewish god God in Judaism has been conceived in a variety of ways. Traditionally, Judaism holds that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the national god of the Israelites, delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and gave them the ...
was a being with the head of an ass is due to his identification with
Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
, the rival god of
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
, called
Typhon Typhon (; grc, Τυφῶν, Typhôn, ), also Typhoeus (; grc, Τυφωεύς, Typhōeús, label=none), Typhaon ( grc, Τυφάων, Typháōn, label=none) or Typhos ( grc, Τυφώς, Typhṓs, label=none), was a monstrous serpentine giant an ...
by Greek mythographers; Like the Jews, it was said, they were lepers who had set aside Egyptian beliefs, nothing more natural than they were worshipers of a god enemy of the gods of Egypt.
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
and other authors disproved this belief, but in the first centuries of the Common Era it was widespread among the Romans, who accepted it as a fact (
Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...
, Annales, I, v, 3, 4) and later applied it to the Christians.
Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...
relates that in the late second century CE, a Jewish apostate was paraded through the streets of
Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
carrying a toga-clad figure with the ears and hooves of an ass, and that this image was labeled: ''Deus Christianorum Onocoetes'' (Latin: "the God of the Christians begotten of a donkey": Tertulian, ''Ad nationes'', I, 14).
Minucius Felix __NOTOC__ Marcus Minucius Felix (died c. 250 AD in Rome) was one of the earliest of the Latin apologists for Christianity. Nothing is known of his personal history, and even the date at which he wrote can be only approximately ascertained as betwe ...
(''Octavius'', IX) also alludes to this accusation against the Christians. A caricature of the Crucifixion, discovered in 1857 on a wall in the imperial palace on the Palatine, depicts a young Christian worshiping a crucified figure with the head of an ass. A graffito in Greek clarifies: “Alexamenos adoring his God”. It is accepted that Alexamenos was a Christian page of the imperial house, at the time of the first Antonines, whose companions insulted by this means. Wünsch, however, surmised that the caricature was not derogatory, but rather represented a Gnostic belief that identified Christ the Egyptian god Seth. In support of his hypothesis, he cited the lost Gospel '' Gennas Marias'', where the appearance of God, with the head of a donkey, before the priest Zacharias, father of
John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
, was mentioned. Wünsch's interpretation did not find echo among scholars. According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
, other similar representations were found on a terracotta fragment in 1881 in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. They probably date from the 1st century and seem to belong to the same category as the caricature of the Palatine: A donkey-headed figure wearing a toga sits on a chair with a scroll in his hand, instructing his donkey-headed students. baboon. In an ancient jewel the donkey-headed teacher of two human pupils is clad in the pallium, the peculiar cloak shape of philosophers. A Syrian terracotta fragment represents Jesus Christ, book in hand, with the ears of a donkey. The donkey as a symbol of heresy or of Satan, is represented in a fresco from the Catacombs of Praetextatus: Christ, the
Good Shepherd The Good Shepherd ( el, ποιμὴν ὁ καλός, ''poimḗn ho kalós'') is an image used in the pericope of , in which Jesus Christ is depicted as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Similar imagery is used in Psalm 23 ...
, is protecting his flock from impurity and heresy symbolized as a pig and a donkey. This representation dates from the beginning of the 3rd century.


In Christian tradition

In Christian tradition, Mary, the mother of Jesus, rode a donkey to Bethlehem. This same donkey, together with an ox, was next to the manger of the baby Jesus. Later it was used to flee to Egypt. In some popular ceremonies in Europe and Latin America, the Christmas donkey appears as one of the animals that accompany the Holy Family. At Middle Ages, some believers came to see the cross-shaped marking present on donkeys' backs and shoulders as a symbol of the animal's bearing Jesus into
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
on Palm Sunday. During the Middle Ages, Europeans used hairs from this cross (or contact with a donkey) as
folk remedies Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
to treat illness, including
measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
and whooping cough. Around 1400 AD, one physician listed riding backwards on a donkey as a cure for
scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
stings.


In Judaism

In the
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
religion, the donkey is not a
kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
animal. In the
Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
, it is considered ''avi avot hatuma'' i.e. an ultimate impure animal, and doubly " impure", as it is both non-ruminant and non-cloven hoofed. However, it is the only impure animal that falls under the
mitzvah In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; he, מִצְוָה, ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discus ...
(commandment) of firstborn ("
bechor The firstborn or firstborn son (Hebrew בְּכוֹר ''bəḵōr'') is an important concept in Judaism. The role of firstborn son carries significance in the redemption of the first-born son, in the allocation of a double portion of the inherita ...
") consecration that also applies to humans and pure animals (See
Petter Chamor The Petter Chamor ( he, פטר חמור) or Redemption of the firstborn donkey, is a mitzvah in Judaism in which a male firstborn (bechor) donkey is redeemed by the owner of the donkey, who gives a lamb or kid to a Kohen. The lamb is not required ...
). In Jewish
Oral Tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
( Talmud Bavli), the son of David was prophesied as riding on a donkey if the
tribes of Israel The Twelve Tribes of Israel ( he, שִׁבְטֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל, translit=Šīḇṭēy Yīsrāʾēl, lit=Tribes of Israel) are, according to Hebrew Bible, Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch ...
are undeserving of redemption. In contemporary
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, the term " Messiah's Donkey" (Chamoro Shel Mashiach חמורו של משיח) stands at the centre of a controversial religious-political doctrine, under which it was the Heavenly-imposed "task" of secular
Zionists Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Jew ...
to build up a
Jewish State In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland of the Jewish people. Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewish people. It ...
, but once the state is established they are fated to give place to the Religious who are ordained to lead the state. The secularists in this analogy are "The Donkey" while the religious who are fated to supplant them are a collective "Messiach". A book on the subject, published in 1998 by the militant secularist Sefi Rechlevsky, aroused a major controversy in the Israeli public opinion. Donkeys are also referred to repeatedly in the writings and imagery of the
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, where the goddess
Kalaratri Kalaratri (sometimes spelled Kaalratri) is the seventh of the nine Navadurga forms of the mother Goddess Mahadevi. She is first referenced in the Devi Mahatmya. Kalaratri is one of the fearsome forms of the Mother Goddess. It is not uncommon to ...
's
vahana ''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindus, Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana ...
(vehicle) is a donkey. Donkeys also appear multiple times in Indian folklore as the subject of stories in both the Hitopadesha and the
Panchatantra The ''Panchatantra'' (IAST: Pañcatantra, ISO: Pañcatantra, sa, पञ्चतन्त्र, "Five Treatises") is an ancient Indian collection of interrelated animal fables in Sanskrit verse and prose, arranged within a frame story.
. In Islam, eating the meat of a domestic donkey is not allowed.


Literature and film

Donkeys hold a significant place in literature, especially in Western cultures. The original representations of donkeys in Western literature come mainly from the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
and
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
. Donkeys were represented in a fairly negative form by the Greeks, but perceptions later changed, partially due to donkeys becoming increasingly symbolically connected to Christianity. Donkeys were found in the works of
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
, Aesop and Apuleius, where they were generally portrayed as stupid and stubborn, or servile at best, and generally represented the lower class. They were often contrasted with horses, which were seen as powerful and beautiful. Aesop's ''
The Ass in the Lion's Skin The Ass in the Lion's Skin is one of Aesop's Fables, of which there are two distinct versions. There are also several Eastern variants, and the story's interpretation varies accordingly. Fables Of the two Greek versions of this story, the one ca ...
'', representational of the almost 20 of his fables that portray donkeys, shows the donkey as a fool. Apuleius's '' The Golden Ass'' (160 AD), where the narrator is turned into a donkey, is also notable for its portrayal of donkeys as stubborn, foolish, wicked and lowly. This work had a large influence on the portrayal of donkeys in later cultures, including medieval and renaissance Europe. During this time, donkeys continued to be shown as stupid, clumsy and slow.
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
popularised the use of the word "ass" as an insult meaning stupid or clownish in many of his plays, including Bottom's appearance in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'' (1600). In contrast, a few years later, Miguel de Cervantes writes a more positive slant on the donkey in his novel '' Don Quixote'', primarily as Sancho Panza's mount, portraying them as steady and loyal companions. This difference is possibly due to donkeys being an important aspect of many Spaniards' lives at this point in time. In contrast to Grecian works, donkeys were portrayed in Biblical works as symbols of service, suffering, peace and humility. They are also associated with the theme of wisdom in the
Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
story of
Balaam Balaam (; , Standard ''Bīlʿam'' Tiberian ''Bīlʿām'') is a diviner in the Torah (Pentateuch) whose story begins in Chapter 22 of the Book of Numbers (). Ancient references to Balaam consider him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beo ...
's ass, and are seen in a positive light through the story of
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
riding into
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
on a donkey. By the 19th century, the donkey was portrayed with more positive attributes by popular authors.
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
portrayed the donkey as loyal and patient in his 1819 poem '' Peter Bell:A Tale'', using the donkey as a Christian symbol.
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
in ''
Travels with a Donkey Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. Travel(s) may also refer to: Music * ''Travel'' (Future of Forestry EP), 2009 * ''Travel'' (Mamamoo EP), 2020 * ''Travels'' (Defeater album), 2008 * ...
'' (1879), portrays the animal as a stubborn beast of burden. Sympathetic portrayals return in
Juan Ramon Jimenez ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...
's ''
Platero and I ''Platero and I'', also translated as ''Platero and Me'' ( es, Platero y yo), is a 1914 Spanish prose poem written by Juan Ramón Jiménez. The book is one of the most popular works by Jiménez, and unfolds around a writer and his eponymous donke ...
.'' The melancholy
Eeyore Eeyore ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-P ...
in '' Winnie the Pooh'' (first published in 1926) is arguably the most famous donkey in Western literature. Donkeys were featured in literature during the 20th century, including in
George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
's 1951 ''
Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...
'', where
Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
the donkey is portrayed as a resilient and loyal friend to
Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...
the horse, as well as being wise, but he is also shown to be cynical about change and, like Eeyore, is resigned to his lot not improving.
Puzzle A puzzle is a game, Problem solving, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together (Disentanglement puzzle, or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at th ...
is a well-meaning but easily manipulated donkey in
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
's 1956 ''
The Last Battle ''The Last Battle'' is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by The Bodley Head in 1956. It was the seventh and final novel in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Like the other novels in the series, it was illustr ...
''. Brighty is the central character of the 1953 children's novel and 1967 film ''
Brighty of the Grand Canyon ''Brighty of the Grand Canyon'' is a 1953 children's novel by Marguerite Henry and a 1966 film of the same name based on the novel. They present a fictionalized account of a real-life burro named "Brighty", who lived in the Grand Canyon of the ...
''. Donkeys are portrayed in film including the 1940
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
animated films ''
Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
'' and '' Pinocchio'', where the Coachman and his
henchmen A henchman (''vernacular:'' "hencher"), is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organization: minions whose value lies prim ...
turning boys into donkeys in Pleasure Island, and in the segment of
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's Symphony No. 6, also known as The Pastoral Symphony a
unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...
donkey named Jacchus with
Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
and is attacked by
Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
. A donkey is featured as the main figure in the 1966 film ''
Au hasard Balthazar ''Au Hasard Balthazar'' (; meaning "Balthazar, at Random"), also known as ''Balthazar'', is a 1966 French drama film directed by Robert Bresson. Believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel ''The Idiot'', the film ...
'' by
Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, and s ...
, and, is given a life path of Christian symbolism.
Donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
, voiced by
Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...
, is featured as a main character in the '' Shrek'' franchise of the 2000s. The logo and brand identity of popular YouTuber
Videogamedunkey Jason Yevgeniy Gastrow (born January 30, 1991), known online as videogamedunkey or simply dunkey, is an American YouTuber known for his YouTube skits and video essays that blend crude humor with game studies, video game criticism. As of February ...
features a cartoon donkey.


Philosophy

The symbolic use of the ass in philosophy and literature has been prevalent for centuries. It was increasingly used in the
renaissance era The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
from thinkers including Jean Buridan (1330-1358), Machiavelli (1469-1527) and Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535). The philosopher Jean Buridan (1300-1358) proposed a dilemma in which a hypothetical donkey suffering from hunger and thirst finds itself halfway between a bucket of fresh water and enjoyable bales of hay. This makes the donkey perplexed, as it does not know whether to quench its thirst first or appease its hunger later or the vice versa. Its indecisiveness leads to its perish. This allegory could be taken as the cost of human inaction or as the total lack of free will versus determinism in human life. Agrippa placed apostles on a level with asses. He regarded the donkey as a means to achieve divinity: “From what I have said, it is clear as day that no other animal is in a better position than the ass to receive the divine. If you do not look to the ass, you will be no position to receive the divine mysteries.” (p. ix) Machiavelli complained that “in the form of an ass, he had toiled and suffered to discover “more bad than good” at the every level of the world.
Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (; ; la, Iordanus Brunus Nolanus; born Filippo Bruno, January or February 1548 – 17 February 1600) was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, poet, cosmological theorist, and Hermetic occultist. He is known for his cosmologic ...
(1548-1600) is another philosopher of the Renaissance Era who utilised the fictitious exposition of the donkey to achieve theoretical depth. In his long journey to explore the opposite aspects of the phenomenon of asininity, he combines the delicacy of an artist and the depth of a great philosopher: “according to cabalistic revelations…, the ass or asininity is the symbol of wisdom”; “pray, pray my dearest ones, that God may transform into asses if you are not already asses”; “Strive, strive, therefore, to be asses, who you are men”. In his masterpiece, ''
In Praise of Folly ''In Praise of Folly'', also translated as ''The Praise of Folly'' ( la, Stultitiae Laus or ), is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in June 1511. Inspired by previous works of the Italian hum ...
'', the Dutch philosopher
Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...
of Rotterdam (1466-1506) depicted the concept of asininity and applied it to the high-ranking echelons of the society including
king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
s,
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
s, grammarians, boastful
theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
s and even the
pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
himself.


Politics

In keeping with their widespread cultural references, donkeys feature in political systems, symbols and terminology in many areas of the world. A " donkey vote" is a vote that simply writes down preferences in the order of the candidates (1 at the top, then 2, and so on), and is most often seen in countries with ranked voting systems and
compulsory voting Compulsory voting, also called mandatory voting, is the requirement in some countries that eligible citizens register and vote in elections. Penalties might be imposed on those who fail to do so without a valid reason. According to the CIA World F ...
, such as Australia. The donkey is a common symbol of the Democratic Party of the United States, originating in the 1830s and became popularised from a
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
by Thomas Nast of '' Harper's Weekly'' in 1870. The bray of the donkey may be used as a simile for loud and foolish speech in political mockery. For example, In 1963,
Party of Donkeys Party of Donkeys or Donkeys' Party ( fa, حزب خران, Ḥezb-e Ḵarān; Donkey is epitome of docile imbecility) was a frivolous political party in Iran. It was founded in 1963, when the Iran Novin Party, New Iran Party vs. the People's Party ( ...
, a frivolous political party was founded in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The ''ruc català'' or ''burro català'' ( Catalan donkey) has become a symbol of Catalonia in Spain. In 2003 some friends in Catalonia made bumper stickers featuring the ''burro català'' as a reaction against a national advertising campaign for ''Toro d'Osborne'', a brandy. The burro became popular as a nationalist symbol in Catalonia, whose residents wanted to assert their identity to resist Spanish
centralism Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...
. Renewed attention to the regional burro helped start a breeding campaign for its preservation, and its numbers have increased.
Proshka Prokhor (Прохор) is a Russian name from the Latinised form Prochorus that originated from the Greek name Prochoros (Προχορος). Its diminutive form A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of i ...
, an ass owned by the Russian populist nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia ) , abbreviation = LDPR (English)ЛДПР (Russian) , native_name = , newspaper = ''For the Russian People'' , youth_wing = , seats1_title = Seats in the Federation Council , seats1 = , seats2_title ...
, became prominent during the
2012 Russian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012. There were five officially registered candidates: four representatives of registered parties, and one nominal independent. The election was the first one held after constitutional amend ...
campaign, when he was filmed in an election advertisement video. In that controversial ad, Zhirinovsky appeared sitting in a sleigh harnessed with Proshka, then claiming that the "little wretched ass" is the symbol of Russia and that if he would become
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
a "daring troika" would return as a symbol of Russia instead of the ass; at the end, Zhirinovsky beat Proshka with a
whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
, made the ass move and had a ride on him through the snow-covered backyard of his dacha. International organisations People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and
World Animal Protection World Animal Protection, formerly The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is an international non-profit animal rights organization that has been in operation since 1981. The charity describes its vision as: A world where animal ...
have accused Zhirinovsky of
cruelty to animals Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suf ...
. Zhirinovsky replied to the assertions by stating that similar treatment is commonplace in the
Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
and claimed that his ass has been treated "better than many people".


Colloquialisms, proverbs and insults

Many cultures have colloquialisms and proverbs that include donkeys or asses. British phrases include "to talk the hind legs off a donkey", used to describe someone talking excessively and generally persuasively. Donkeys are the animals featured most often in Greek proverbs, including such statements of fatalistic resignation as "the donkey lets the rain soak him". The French philosopher Jean Buridan constructed the paradox called
Buridan's ass Buridan's ass is an illustration of a paradox in philosophy in the conception of free will. It refers to a hypothetical situation wherein an ass (donkey) that is equally hungry and thirsty is placed precisely midway between a stack of hay and a ...
, in which a donkey, placed exactly midway between water and food, would die of hunger and thirst because he could not find a reason to choose one of the options over the other, and so would never make a decision. Italy has several phrases regarding donkeys, including "put your money in the anus of a donkey and they'll call him sir" (meaning, if you're rich, you'll get respect) and "women, donkeys and goats all have heads" (meaning, women are as stubborn as donkeys and goats). The United States developed its own expressions, including "better a donkey that carries me than a horse that throws me", "a donkey looks beautiful to a donkey", and "a donkey is but a donkey though laden with gold", among others. From Afghanistan, the
Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
proverb "Even if a donkey goes to
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
, he is still a donkey." refers to being the same no matter where the subject goes. In Ethiopia, there are many
Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
proverbs that demean donkeys, such as, "The heifer that spends time with a donkey learns to fart" (Bad company corrupts good morals). The words "donkey" and "ass" (or translations thereof) have come to have derogatory or insulting meaning in several languages, and generally means someone who is obstinate, stupid or silly, In
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, especially in the United Kingdom, a player who is considered unskilful is often dubbed a "donkey", and the term has a similar connotation in
poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
. In the US, the slang terms "dumbass" and "jackass" are used to refer to someone considered stupid.


See also

*
Onolatry Onolatry is the supposed worship of the donkey. In Imperial Rome, the charge of onolatry was used to taunt the Jews and first Christians. The association of Jews with donkeys was a common feature of Ancient Greece, Hellenic as well as Latin ethno ...
, worship of donkeys


References

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{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Nbfb2KZ1EMC&q=arabic+donkey+insult&pg=PA164, title=Translation and religion: holy untranslatable?, author=Long, Lynne, series=Volume 28 of Topics in translation, publisher=Multilingual Matters, year=2005, isbn=978-1-85359-816-6 {{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AbJ1tVGmiTgC&pg=PA232, title=A Dictionary of American Proverbs, author=Meider, Wolfgang, author2=Stewart A. Kingsbury, author3=Kelsie B. Harder, publisher=Oxford University Press, year=1992, isbn=978-0-19-505399-9, pages=231–232 {{cite web, url=http://www.italyrevisited.org/photo/Folk_Sayings_Animals/page4, title=Folk Sayings — Animals, website=Italy Revisited, author=Melfi, Mary, access-date=1 November 2011 A. Merrifield (2008). ''The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World''. Vancouver: Greystone Books, Chapter 13. {{cite book, author=Abbas Milani, title=Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979, volume=1, date=2008, publisher=Syracuse University Press, location=Syracuse, N.Y., isbn=978-0815609070, pages=408 {{cite journal, title=The Mirror Has Two Faces: Contradictory Reflections of Donkeys in Western Literature from Lucius to Balthazar, author=Bough, Jill, journal=Animals, year=2011, pages=56–68, doi=10.3390/ani1010056, pmc=4552212, pmid=26486214, volume=1, issue=1, doi-access=free {{cite journal, url=http://jsaw.lib.lehigh.edu/viewarticle.php?id=459&layout=html , title=Philip K. Dick and C.S. Lewis: The Approach to Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy , author=Mish, Kathleen , journal=L-SAW , year=2006 , access-date=1 November 2011 , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415101125/http://jsaw.lib.lehigh.edu/viewarticle.php?id=459&layout=html , archive-date=2012-04-15 {{cite journal, url=http://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/articles/all-ears, title=All ears: the Catalan donkey, author=Montgomery, David, date=1 July 2007, access-date=1 November 2011, journal=Metropolitan Barcelona {{cite web, url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/6870#.TsfcwlYavrB, title=Parshat Bo: The So Holy Donkey, author=Morrison, Chanan, date=24 January 2007, access-date=1 November 2011, publisher=Israel National News {{cite book, url=https://archive.org/details/secondthirdandf00mlgoog, title=The second, third, and fourth books of the Hitopadeśa, author=Müller, Friedrich Max, series=Volume 4 of Handbooks for the study of Sanskrit, page=Table of Contents, publisher=Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, year=1865 {{cite web , url=http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/kicking_lion.htm , title=Thomas Nast Portfolio , publisher=Ohio State University , access-date=1 November 2011 , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125164031/http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/kicking_lion.htm , archive-date=2011-11-25 {{Cite journal, title=This mule brays to order , journal=The New York Times , date=1 January 1903 {{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRXbm84C2nYC&pg=PT39, title=Black Cats & Four-Leaf Clovers: The Origins of Old Wives' Tales and Superstitions in Our Everyday Lives, author=Oliver, Harry, publisher=Penguin Group US, date=7 September 2010, isbn=978-0-399-53609-0 N. Ordine, A. Saiber (1996). Giordano Bruno and the Philosophy of the Ass. London: Yale University Press, p. ix. {{cite web, url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Buridansass.html, title=Buridan's Ass, website=The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, year=2006, author=Knowles, Elizabeth, publisher=Encyclopedia.com, access-date=1 November 2011 {{cite journal, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XdoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA556, journal=Popular Mechanics, page=556, date=October 1923, title=Hundreds of Odd Remedies found in Old Book, issn=0032-4558 {{cite book, url=https://archive.org/details/panchatantraaco00hertgoog, pages=xi–xii, title=The Panchatantra: A Collection of Ancient Hindu Tales in the Recension, Called Panchakhyanaka, and Dated 1199 A.D, series=Volume 11 of
Harvard Oriental Series The ''Harvard Oriental Series'' is a book series founded in 1891 by Charles Rockwell Lanman and Henry Clarke Warren. Lanman served as its inaugural editor (1891-1934) for the first 37 volumes. Other editors of the series include Walter Eugene Clark ...
, author=Pūrṇabhadra, editor=Johannes Hertel, publisher=Harvard University, year=1908
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