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The Master of Animals, Lord of Animals, or
Mistress of the Animals Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
is a motif in ancient art showing a human between and grasping two
confronted animals Confronted animals, or confronted-animal as an adjective, where two animals face each other in a symmetrical pose, is an ancient bilateral motif in art and artifacts studied in archaeology and art history. The "anti-confronted animals" is the o ...
. The motif is very widespread in the art of the
Ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...
and Egypt. The figure may be female or male, it may be a column or a symbol, the animals may be realistic or fantastical, and the human figure may have animal elements such as horns, an animal upper body, an animal lower body, legs, or cloven feet. Although what the motif represented to the cultures that created the works probably varies greatly, unless shown with specific divine attributes, when male the figure is typically described as a
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
by interpreters. The motif is so widespread and visually effective that many depictions probably were conceived as decoration with only a vague meaning attached to them. The Master of Animals is the "favorite motif of
Achaemenian The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...
official seals", but the figures in these cases should be understood as the king. The human figure may be standing, as found from the fourth millennium BC, or as kneeling on one knee found from the third millennium BC. They are usually shown looking frontally, but in Assyrian pieces typically they are shown from the side. Sometimes the animals are clearly alive, whether fairly passive and tamed, or still struggling, rampant, or attacking. In other pieces they may represent dead hunter's prey. Other associated representations show a figure controlling or "taming" a single animal, usually to the right of the figure. But the many representations of heroes or kings killing an animal are distinguished from these.


Art

The earliest known depiction of such a motif appears on
stamp seal __NOTOC__ The stamp seal is a carved object, usually stone, first made in the 4th millennium BC, and probably earlier. They were used to impress their picture or inscription into soft, prepared clay. Seal devices have seldom survived through ti ...
s of the Ubaid period in Mesopotamia. The motif appears on a terracotta stamp seal from Tell Telloh, ancient
Girsu Girsu ( Sumerian ; cuneiform ) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated some northwest of Lagash, at the site of modern Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. History Girsu was possibly inhabited in the Ubaid period (5300-4800 BC), but ...
, at the end of the prehistoric Ubaid period of
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
, c. 4000 BC. The motif also was given the topmost location of the famous Gebel el-Arak Knife in the Louvre, an ivory and flint knife dating from the Naqada II d period of
Egyptian prehistory Prehistoric Egypt and Predynastic Egypt span the period from the earliest human settlement to the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period around 3100 BC, starting with the first Pharaoh, Narmer for some Egyptologists, Hor-Aha for others, with ...
, which began c. 3450 BC. Here a figure in Mesopotamian dress, often interpreted to be a god, grapples with two lions. It has been connected to the famous Pashupati seal from the Indus Valley civilization (2500-1500 BC), showing a figure seated in a
yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
-like posture, with a horned headress (or horns), and surrounded by animals. This in turn is related to a figure on the Gundestrup cauldron, who sits with legs part-crossed, has antlers, is surrounded by animals, and grasps a snake in one hand and a torc in the other. This famous and puzzling object probably dates to 200 BC, or possibly as late as 300 AD, and although found in
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
, it may have been made in
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
. A form of the motif appears on a belt buckle of the
Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
from Kanton Wallis, Switzerland, which depicts the biblical figure of Daniel between two lions. The purse-lid from the Sutton Hoo burial of about 620 AD has two plaques with a human between two wolves, and the motif is common in
Anglo-Saxon art Anglo-Saxon art covers art produced within the Anglo-Saxon period of English history, beginning with the Migration period style that the Anglo-Saxons brought with them from the continent in the 5th century, and ending in 1066 with the Norman ...
and related Early Medieval styles, where the animals generally remain aggressive. Other notable examples of the motif in Germanic art include one of the Torslunda plates, and helmets from Vendel and Valsgärde. In the art of Mesopotamia the motif appears very early, usually with a "naked hero", for example at
Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Muthanna Governorate, Al ...
in the
Uruk period The Uruk period (ca. 4000 to 3100 BC; also known as Protoliterate period) existed from the protohistoric Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age period in the history of Mesopotamia, after the Ubaid period and before the Jemdet Nasr period. Named af ...
(c. 4000 to 3100 BC), but was "outmoded in Mesopotamia by the seventh century BC". In Luristan bronzes the motif is extremely common, and often highly stylized. In terms of its composition this motif compares with another very common motif in the art of the
ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...
and Mediterranean, that of two
confronted animals Confronted animals, or confronted-animal as an adjective, where two animals face each other in a symmetrical pose, is an ancient bilateral motif in art and artifacts studied in archaeology and art history. The "anti-confronted animals" is the o ...
flanking and grazing on a
Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...
, interpreted as representing an earth deity. File:Master of animals, Susa I.jpg, Master of animals, Susa I (4200-3800 BC), Louvre Museum File:Stamp seal with Master of Animals motif, Tello, ancient Girsu, End of Ubaid period, Louvre Museum AO14165 (detail).jpg, Terracotta stamp seal with Master of Animals motif, Tell Telloh, ancient
Girsu Girsu ( Sumerian ; cuneiform ) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated some northwest of Lagash, at the site of modern Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. History Girsu was possibly inhabited in the Ubaid period (5300-4800 BC), but ...
, End of Ubaid period, c. 4000 BC File:Gebel_el-Arak_Knife_ivory_handle_(front).jpg, Gebel el-Arak Knife ivory handle (front), after c. 3450 BC File:Cachet maitre animaux Lorestan AO 22919.jpg, Soapstone stamp with, depicting an ibex-headed character taming snakes. Lorestan, 4th millennium BC. Louvre Museum File:SumerianBulls.jpg, Protective Master from the harp found at Ur, dated circa 2600 BCE File:Chlorite object Jiroft, Kerman ca. 2500 BCE, Bronze Age I, National Museum of Iran.jpg, Chlorite, Jiroft culture Iran, ca. 2500 BC, Bronze Age I a cloven-footed human flanked by scorpions and lionesses File:Finial in the form of 'Master of Animals' LACMA M.76.97.89.jpg, Luristan bronze finial in the form of the 'Master of Animals' File:Cylinder Seal, Achaemenid, modern impression 05.jpg,
Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
seal impression with the Persian king subduing two Mesopotamian lamassu File:Tronconical vase Tepe Giyan Louvre AO31918.jpg, Iranian Master of Animals with two snakes File:Indus valley civilization "Gilgamesh" seal (2500-1500 BC).jpg, Indus valley civilization seal, with human flanked by two lions (2500–1500 BC). File:Yogi. Mold of Seal, Indus valley civilization.jpg, Impression from the Pashupati seal, Indus Valley civilization File:Θεά των Όφεων 6393 (cropped).JPG, One of the Minoan snake goddess figurines, about 1600 BC File:Gundestrup antlered figure.jpg, Detail of the Gundestrup Cauldron antlered figure File:Relief plaque with confronted ibexes, Iran, Sasanian period, 5th or 6th century AD, stucco originally with polychrome painting - Cincinnati Art Museum - DSC03952.JPG,
Confronted animals Confronted animals, or confronted-animal as an adjective, where two animals face each other in a symmetrical pose, is an ancient bilateral motif in art and artifacts studied in archaeology and art history. The "anti-confronted animals" is the o ...
, here ibexes flank a
Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...
, from Sasanian Iran (fifth or sixth-century AD) ( Cincinnati Art Museum) File:Ancient Collection MfA Boston 0751.JPG, Ptolemaic period (305–30 BC) Egyptian '' cippus'' of
Horus Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the ...
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) File:Cheekpiece from a Horse Bit LACMA M.76.97.106 (2 of 2).jpg, Luristan bronze horse bit cheekpiece with "Master of Animals" motif, about 700 BC


Deity figures

Although such figures are not all, or even usually, deities, the term may be a generic name for a number of deities from a variety of cultures with close relationships to the animal kingdom or in part animal form (in cultures where that is not the norm). These figures control animals, usually wild ones, and are responsible for their continued reproduction and availability for hunters. They sometimes also have female equivalents, the so-called
Mistress of the Animals Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
. Many Mesopotamian examples may represent
Enkidu Enkidu ( sux, ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian poems and in the Akkadian ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', writte ...
, a central figure in the Ancient Mesopotamian ''
Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with ...
''. They all may have a
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...
precursor who was probably a hunter's deity. Many relate to the
horned deity Deities depicted with horns or antlers are found in many religions across the world. In religions that venerate animal deities, horned bulls, goats, and rams may be worshiped as deities or serve as the inspiration for a deity's appearance. Man ...
of the hunt, another common type, typified by Cernunnos, and a variety of stag, bull, ram, and goat deities. Horned deities are not universal however, and in some cultures bear deities, such as Arktos, might take the role, or even the more
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
deities who lead the
Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif (Motif E501 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature) that occurs in the folklore of various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by ...
. Such figures are also often referred to as 'Lord of the forest' or 'Lord of the mountain'. The Greek god shown as "Master of Animals" is usually
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
as a hunting deity.
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
has the epithet Pashupati meaning the "Lord of animals", and these figures may derive from an
archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
. Chapter 39 of the
Book of Job The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars a ...
has been interpreted as an assertion of the deity of the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' google booksJob:39, NIV
/ref>


Notes


References

*Aruz, Joan, et al., ''Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age'', 2014, Metropolitan Museum of Art, , 9780300208085
google books
* Frankfort, Henri, ''The Art and Architecture of the Ancient Orient'', Pelican History of Art, 4th ed 1970, Penguin (now Yale History of Art), *Garfinkel, Alan P., Donald R. Austin, David Earle, and Harold Williams, 2009, "Myth, Ritual and Rock Art: Coso Decorated Animal-Humans and the Animal Master". ''Rock Art Research'' 26(2):179-197
Section "The Animal Master"
''The Journal of the Australian Rock Art Research Association (AURA) and of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations'' (IFRAO)] *Werness, Hope B., ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art'', 2006, A&C Black, , 9780826419132
google books


Further reading

*Hinks, Roger (1938).
The Master of Animals
', Journal of the Warburg Institute, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr., 1938), pp. 263–265 *Chittenden, Jacqueline (1947).
The Master of Animals
', Hesperia, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1947), pp. 89–114 *Slotten, Ralph L. (1965).
The Master of Animals: A study in the symbolism of ultimacy in primitive religion
', Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 1965, XXXIII(4): 293-302 *Bernhard Lang (2002). ''The Hebrew God: Portrait of an Ancient Deity'', New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 75–108 *Yamada, Hitoshi (2013). "The "Master of Animals" Concept of the Ainu", Cosmos: ''The Journal of the Traditional Cosmology Society'', 29: 127–140 *Garfinkel, Alan P. and Steve Waller, 2012, ''Sounds and Symbolism from the Netherworld: Acoustic Archaeology'' at the Animal Master’s Portal. Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly 46(4):37-60 {{commons category, Master of Animals


External links


Master of the Animals
at
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
4th-millennium BC establishments Mythological archetypes Nature gods Hunting gods Dionysus Iconography Prehistoric art Ancient Near East art and architecture Animals in art Visual motifs Ubaid period