Each animal, in one way or another, is reflected in folklore, but, perhaps, none of them carries such a symbolic meaning as a deer - one of the most beautiful animals in Russia.
The deer family today contains fifty-one species with many subfamilies. Representatives of different families differ significantly in size: from the size of a hare (pudu deer) to the size of a horse (moose), and in habitat: Eurasia, America, Australia, New Zealand.
There are also common features that unites all deer. Almost all of them, with the exception of the water deer, have branched antlers, which are shed and re-grow every year.
Some species prefer to live alone, but usually deer live in groups or herds, the number of livestock in which different types different.
Basically, herds are built on the principle of a harem. One male, the leader, leads a family of several females with cubs. During the mating season, the famous “deer fights” flare up, fights of males, in which not only horns, which just grow by the mating period, but also fangs are weapons.
Deer in all world cultures is the personification of light, purity, rebirth of life and creation. It is a symbol of the sun, sunrise, the great Tree of Life. An adult male is also an emblem of abundance, he is likened to a king and is considered royal prey when hunting.
The deer is the eternal mediator between the earth and the sky. It is no coincidence that Santa Claus arrives on reindeer, this is not just an ordinary mount of the northern regions. It's also echoes pagan myths about Sumerian-Semitic, Hittite and Shinto deities who used to move exclusively on deer. In many fairy tales, the Lord of Time or the Old Man of Time also travels on deer.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, the deer symbolized the purity and purity of solitude. IN Japanese poetry Loneliness and pain of love.
In the Chinese epic, the white deer is the incarnation of the god of longevity, Shou-Xin. To have an image of a deer in the house - to longevity, good luck and wealth.
The deer was also honored by the ancient Mayan tribes. Ah Maya means "people of the Deer".
The Celts considered the deer to be the main animal in the herds of the gods. The branches of his horns are nothing but symbols of rebirth and reproduction. Among the Celts, the cycles of seasonal rebirth and dying of nature were in charge of the god Cernunnos, who was depicted with luxurious deer antlers, and also often in the company of a deer or a bull. The white deer in the legends of the Celts is the messenger of the other world, but not hostile to people, but carrying wisdom and omniscience.
The Scandinavians have in the center of the universe the Yggdrasil tree, whose branches are nibbled by four deer. On the roof of Valhalla (Scandinavian paradise, where heroically fallen warriors forever feast with the supreme god Odin and Valkyrie maidens) stands the deer Eikturmir, whose horns are oak-tipped. He is accompanied by the goat Heidrun.
In myths ancient greece deer is the companion of the goddess of hunting Artemis. According to the myth, this is the hunter Actaeon, who spied on the bathing goddess, for which he was turned into a deer.
Christians often depict a deer in baptismal fonts, or drinking from a spring at the foot of the cross. This is due to the fact that new converts to the faith are as thirsty for knowledge as a deer dreams of drinking from a cool stream. A deer trampling a snake is a symbol of a Christian who conquers evil.
In alchemy, the deer signifies philosophical mercury and the dual nature of Mercury.
Among the ancient Slavs, the deer was able to perform miracles, give gifts, speak human language and was the personification of the ancestors.
See also our gallery, where you can buy stuffed animals made by the masters of our studio.
The deer is a very ancient symbol, it is present in all historical traditions. It is always a blessed symbol of rebirth and renewal, strength and nobility, courage and purity, piety and piety - a symbol human soul, but also a symbol of a warrior.
Deer in the mythology of the Slavs
The image of the deer played a special role in the life of the Slavs, they attributed it to the royal animals, and endowed with fantastic features. He was called "wonderful", "wonderful beast", "tour". According to beliefs, he was able to perform various miracles, speak human language.
Among the Slavs, the deer was considered the personification of the ancestors. Deer carried the souls of the dead to the other world, many of their images were found on the walls of ancient ritual caves.
The Russian north has preserved the image of a deer in architecture, carvings, embroideries, fairy tales, epics. IN Russian museums collected the richest collections of fabrics embroidered with patterns, the main element of which is a deer.
The deer was a symbol of the Slavic goddesses Rozhanitsa - mother and daughter, giving birth to all living things. They were depicted on embroideries in the form of two deer or horned female figures. Images of this horned deity, most likely, adorned the dwellings of the Slavs, and the tradition of hanging deer antlers inside the house, perhaps, has more ancient roots than we think.
The male deer, especially during the rut, was the embodiment of strength, courage, determination and prudence at the same time. A graceful and shy female could enter into a deadly fight, protecting her cub. Man has always admired the strength and beauty of the deer, felt his superiority over himself.
And the antlers of a deer had a completely amazing effect on a person. In beauty and magnificence, they were compared with the sun, they were the personification of life and its renewal. The horns played one of critical roles in religious rituals for thousands of years. Magi appeared in horned headdresses.
The image of a deer is imprinted on many household items: spinning wheels, clay vessels, 
toys. It is known that flour from the bones of deer was sometimes added to the clay for these vessels. A folk toy in the form of a deer continues to be sculpted even now in the Russian North and in the central part of Russia.
On Russian embroideries, two deer with a tree in the center were depicted as sacrificial deer at sacred tree. According to legend, a deer descended from the sky, came with a deer and sacrificed it himself, wanting to give people food.
On Ilyin's day in Rus' they stopped swimming - "The deer dipped his hoof into the water - you can’t swim." “It doesn’t knock, it doesn’t rattle its hooves, And a deer flies like a red-hot arrow, The deer has silver hooves, The deer’s horns are red gold. “Where are you going, young deer?” - I'm running, I'm flying to the river water ... The deer needs to step into the water with a hoof. Chill the silver water with that hoof.”
Deer is a creature correlated among the Slavs with the sun. Songs about the golden-horned deer have been recorded in Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria. The deer is an animal endowed with divine symbolism. It closely intertwines features of not only folk and pagan, but also Christian origin.
deer in Christian tradition.
According to Bulgarian belief, it is forbidden to kill a deer, because there is a deer that wears a cross on its horns, killing such a deer threatens a person with death. The image of a deer with a crucifixion on horns and the idea of a deer as a servant of God are associated with the Christian tradition. IN Ukrainian fairy tale the angel takes the form of a deer. Belarusian riddle about a deer: "Alive - and not having been in the church, died - they did not sing, but being a God-bearer."
The symbolic deer is depicted on tombs, icons, baptismal fonts - drinking at the foot of the cross. Symbolic representations of Christ in the form of a deer in combination with a cross, the image of a deer with a crucifix between the horns are known. 
The deer is a symbol of hermitage, piety and purity in Christian culture. It symbolizes Christ and is associated with the soul, striving to hear the word of Christ: “As a doe desires to the streams of water, so the soul desires to You, O God!”
In Christian iconography, a deer trampling the ground is a symbol of a Christian fighting evil, an emblem of nobility and fortitude. “Look: how the little oleshek devours the snake, Then he drinks the spring water, And once again he is clean of poison, And the person here sees the meaning: He was washed with baptismal water, He is fit for a sinless life.”
The special relation of a person to a deer is also manifested in heraldic images: the sun - abundance, laurel - glory and honor, a lion - strength and courage. The deer also belongs to bright heraldic images and is a symbol of a warrior before whom the enemy runs, a symbol of the human soul, thirsting for God and struggling with temptations.
In Christian culture, the image of a deer was often interpreted precisely as an image of the human soul. This applies to both Byzantine and Old Russian art.
The deer is also the emblem of a warrior, a symbol of male nobility. This emblem is found in the knightly coats of arms of warlike ancient peoples. The deer was especially popular in England and Germany. In Russian heraldry, a deer chasing a snake serves as the emblem of a warrior in front of whom the enemy is running. But not only Christianity honors the deer ...
Deer in Buddhism
Close to Chinese city Sanya operates one of the modern centers Buddhism, which has a deer park.
In Buddhism, there is a legend that Shakya Muni, the creator of Buddhism, in one of his past lives was a deer - the king of all deer with luxurious golden horns. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Buddha first expounded his teachings in the Deer Grove near the city of Benares (modern Varanasi) 7 weeks after he reached awakening.
IN ancient capital Japan Nare near the old temples for more than 1,000 years, a herd of 1,200 spotted deer has lived. According to legend, the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, descended from heaven and arrived in Nara riding a deer, and modern deer, the descendants of that deer, are guarded as messengers of the gods.
The deer is one of the most important symbols of Buddhism, and Buddha is often depicted with a deer.
Deer - european symbol deities.
Among the Celtic tribes, the deer was a symbol of fertility and vitality. The deer symbolized the sun, renewal, creation, he was considered the first ancestor. The main god of the Celts, Cernunnos, was depicted sitting next to a deer, and branched deer antlers adorned the head of the god. The image of a man - a warrior with deer horns on his head was a symbol of masculinity and military prowess.
Deer was a member ritual rites, since he was considered the lord of animals and had power over fertility, abundance and renewal. Deer appear as wonderful messengers and guides, showing the heroes the way to their goal. 
The deer as a symbol of the universe is mentioned in the Edda, the main work of Norse mythology. The deer is a sacred animal in the Greek mysteries, the companion of the huntress Diana. The image of this noble animal is widely represented in the art of ancient Greece.
totemism
In the art of all peoples there is an image of a mighty beast - the progenitor of the tribe, relative and patron. This phenomenon is called totemism and the deer is represented very widely in it.
The ancient Maya, for example, called themselves "Ah-Maya" - "people of the deer." The deer was considered the main tribal great-ancestor. The Huichol Indians also referred to themselves as "deer people". In Sami mythology, a wonderful deer - a werewolf Myandash is a totem animal - the ancestor of the Sami.
The word "saka" among the ancient Scythians meant a male deer, and many Scythian tribes called themselves "Saks". This name corresponds in Iranian with the word "saka", in Persian - "sax", in Buryat - "saga", in Russian "elk" and has the meaning "deer".
The veneration of the deer in such completely different historical traditions can hardly be called accidental. All this, one way or another, reflects a deep, in many ways spiritual connection between a person and a deer - a symbol of noble soul person.
The deer is an auspicious symbol associated with the Sun, sunrise, light, purity, renewal, rebirth, creation and spirituality. Due to the resemblance of deer antlers to branches, the image of a deer is associated with the Tree of Life. In addition, deer antlers symbolize the sun's rays, fertility. An adult male deer is a solar emblem of abundance.
Like the eagle and the lion, the deer is the eternal enemy of the snake; symbolically it is associated with the sky and light, while the snake is associated with night and life underground. A deer in a fight with a snake symbolizes the conflict between positive and negative, light and darkness.
Like the eagle and the horse, the deer is the mediator between heaven and earth, the messenger of the gods. Hittite, Sumerian-Semitic and Shinto deities moved on deer, deer were harnessed to the carts of Time and Christmas.
Most characteristics deer - swiftness, grace and beauty; maybe that's why the deer is associated with poetry and music.
IN medieval art in the West, the deer symbolized solitude and purity, and in Japanese poetry, loneliness and love yearning.
At Chinese means happiness and longevity, the white male deer symbolizes Shou-Sin, the god of longevity. In addition, the deer is associated with wealth and good luck, the word "deer" in China is consonant with the word "abundance".
ancient maya called themselves Ah-Maya, "people of the Deer". This animal was considered the main tribal great-ancestor and therefore a sacred animal. The constellation of the Deer (Capricorn) among the Mayans was associated with the new year, the next stage in life. This month it was recommended to focus only on earthly concerns. It was believed that as soon as you managed to live the month of the active Deer, this would be the whole year. It was believed that those born this month are distinguished, on the one hand, by their connection with traditions, and on the other hand, by the desire for something new, for the improvement of the existing. During this month, the ancient Maya turned to the priests for predictions or they themselves were engaged in divination.
At Celts the deer is a symbol of the Sun, fertility and vitality, dignity, masculinity, speed, a mediator between the world of the gods and the world of people. The Celts believed that the deer was the main animal in the magical herds of the gods. Deer antlers were considered a symbolic display of tree branches. Branches of horns, like branches and leaves on trees, were considered symbols of rebirth and reproduction. The Celtic god Cernunnos, associated with the cycles of dying and rebirth of nature, was depicted with branched antlers or with a deer and a bull standing at his feet. The legends feature a white deer, which was for the Celts a mystical animal that appeared on earth from the Other World and possessed the gift of wisdom and omniscience.
IN Norse mythology four deer nibbling the leaves of the world tree Yggdrasil. In addition, the deer Eikturmir ("with oak-tipped horns") and the goat Heidrun eat its leaves while standing on the roof of Valhalla.
IN Greco-Roman tradition deer is an attribute of Artemis (Diana). Angered by Artemis, the hunter Actaeon was turned into a deer for seeing her bathing.
IN Christian symbolism the stag represents religious fervor and zeal, as the converts craved knowledge "...as a stag yearns to reach a cool stream for a drink." It is in this meaning that the deer is depicted on baptismal fonts, as well as in religious painting- drinking at the foot of the cross. In Christian iconography, a deer trampling a snake is the emblem of a Christian fighting evil. Some saints are depicted with a deer as their attribute, for example, a deer with a crucifix between its horns is the emblem of Saint Hubert.
IN alchemy the deer together with the unicorn signify the dual nature of Mercury, philosophical mercury. Alchemists see in ancient myth about the hunter Actaeon, turned by the goddess Artemis into a deer, proof of the possibility of the transformation of metals.
At Slavs the deer was considered the personification of the ancestors. According to popular beliefs, he was able to perform various miracles, to speak human voice. In ancient carols, deer, like horses, carry the souls of the dead to the other world. The deer was considered to be a royal animal: it rules over all horned animals.
The deer often appears in heraldic images, where "means grace and moderation."
Words are tormenting pipes
thundering in the deep forest,
follow, calling to each other rudely,
Where will I carry the flame?
But what is the barking of greedy Diana to me,
catching the tramp and flight?
My soul is a huge deer -
Shake off the mad dogs!
Shake off - and along the burning path
rushes, opening its horns,
through the black nights
to the fiery shores!
Vladimir Nabokov
At all times, deer have fascinated people with their strength and beauty. The image of a deer can often be found in culture and myths. different peoples. A deer tattoo is traditionally considered male, however, girls choose it quite often. The only difference is that the beautiful half of humanity prefers to portray deer, which retains the meaning of the tattoo, but looks more gentle and sweet.
The meaning of a deer tattoo is freedom, nobility, loneliness, strength and beauty. In addition, the deer is a kind of symbol of wanderers and travelers. The sketch is done both in color and in black and white. Often the tattoo is applied to the chest, shoulder or thigh.
The northern peoples of Russia identify the deer with life energy and fertility of the family. Luxurious branched deer antlers they associate with the tree of powerful life and the sun's rays.
The Eastern peoples correlated the deer with the rising of the sun, the universal awakening and the renewal of human spirituality.
IN Japanese culture a deer is often depicted on a snake defeated by him. A tattoo with such a pattern in Japan means the triumph of good over evil, the victory of spirit over matter. The Japanese white deer symbolizes wisdom and longevity.
The Chinese consider the deer a symbol of wealth and success in all endeavors. In China, the word "deer" sounds exactly the same as the word "abundance".
The Indians of America considered the deer the embodiment of Life itself and a symbol of courage, loneliness, justice and passion.
IN art a deer wounded by arrows, or with a bunch of healing herbs is the personification of love, passionate longing and jealousy.
The Christian religion reveres a deer with a cross between its horns, considering it the incarnation and sign of God. The image of a deer often decorates baptismal fonts as a symbol of divine reverence.
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the deer was an integral companion and attribute of the goddess of hunting Artemis (Diana), and the Scandinavians worshiped the reindeer as a symbol of the Great Mother Isa.
The deer has unsurpassed grace and grace, exemplary attentiveness and caution. A deer tattoo usually symbolizes purity and strength. The exception is a tattoo with a deer skull, which carries the negative meaning of the forces of evil and lack of spirituality.
A deer tattoo is a good companion in life path expressing the confidence and calmness of its owner.
Deer tattoo video
In the video, the master creates gradients for a deer tattoo in the new school style.
And remember: whatever the sketch of the deer tattoo is, the main thing is that it be unique! And below are photos of deer tattoos from different masters for your inspiration.
Deer also appear as wonderful messengers and guides, showing the heroes the way to their goal. Deer are credited healing powers, especially the ability to search medicinal herbs. IN fine arts a deer wounded by an arrow and holding a bunch of medicinal herbs in its mouth is a symbol of love yearning. The deer, in addition, symbolizes caution and keen hearing.
However, as a result of observing the habits of this animal, the symbolism of loneliness associated with the deer arose - both in European and Japanese traditions.
At American Indians and some peoples of Asia, an adult male deer is a solar emblem of abundance, its branched horns symbolize the Tree of Life, the sun's rays, Longevity and rebirth (there is a change of horns periodically). A young deer can be a symbol of defenselessness.
In China, the deer is associated with wealth and good luck, the word "deer" there is a homonym for the word "abundance".
In Christian art, the male red deer personifies hermitage, prosperity, purity. Mentioned as an enemy of the snake, which can be lured out
Deer-patron of the Siberian peoples
out of hiding with your breath, and then stomp. In Christian iconography, a deer trampling a snake is a symbol of the destruction of evil, and in the Bible there is a comparison of a deer thirsting for water with human soul, thirsting for God - therefore, the male deer often symbolizes piety. It is in this meaning that the deer is depicted on baptismal fonts, as well as in religious painting - drinking at the foot of the cross. The deer also symbolizes Christ, who is looking for the devil in order to destroy him.The white deer was a favorite badge English king Richard II; when he ordered that every hotel should have some kind of sign, many took his white deer; until now, this emblem is often found on pub signs.
The female deer is less common as a symbol, usually as a companion of the lunar goddesses of the hunt, including the ancient Greek Artemis (Diana). She can also symbolize the feminine principle in initiation rites.
The deer was a sacred animal in the Greek mysteries of Bacchus, the participants dressed in deer skins. Since the deer was associated with the worship of the moon goddess, Bacchic orgies took place at night.
The deer was often a generic figure (totem) among the peoples Central Asia, hence comes the legend that the ancestors of Genghis Khan were a wolf and a deer. At North American Indians, who lived northwest of the Great Lakes, the deer was also considered one of the totems. For example, among the Hurons (southeast of the Great Lakes) there was a genus Deer.
Some tribes of the ancient Germans were also called by the names of animals, among them was a tribe called "Young Deer".
The Khanty and Mansi peoples decorate their national clothes various kinds of embroideries, among which the canonized ornament called “deer antlers” was established.
Thus, from ancient times, the deer not only gave people food and clothing, providing the opportunity for survival, but also acted as a strong magical intercessor who, hitting the ground with his ringing hoof and flashing his golden horns in the distance, is ready at any moment to come to the rescue, protect from trouble, protect from evil. Perhaps it was for these qualities that people endowed a beautiful, proud and strong animal that they began to call him the Noble Deer.
The deer is one of the most common patron spirits and helpers of shamans. Siberian peoples. The novice shaman imagined himself as a deer, imitated its habits, began to snort like a deer, and this process of “entry of the spirit into the shaman” lasted a long time, sometimes two or three years. After this period, the shaman made himself a beater for a tambourine. Having stuck it in the ground, the initiated shaman sang shamanic songs. In a dream, a deer appeared to him, from the skin of which he needed to make a tambourine. The tambourine is perceived as a shaman's deer, on which he "rides to the upper world to the spirits." The tambourine depicts animals and birds patronizing the shaman. Some shamans, such as the Evenks, in addition to the tambourine, also have a ritual costume, symbolizing a deer, and a staff in their hands.
To the imagination of a Slav-northerner, each storm cloud it was represented as a deer carrying the chariot of Perun the thunderer (an ancient Slavic deity, an analogue of Elijah the prophet in the Christian tradition or Zeus-Jupiter in the Greco-Roman tradition) across the heavenly sea-ocean. From Ilyin’s day in Rus' they stopped swimming, saying: “from Ilyin’s day the leaves on the trees turn yellow, and in the rivers and lakes the water cools down because on that day the Deer swam across the river and cooled the water.” The same idea is reflected in the German legends about the "solar" deer.
The Celts believed that the deer was the main animal in the magical herds of the gods (this may have led to the tradition that Santa Claus travels in a reindeer team); some Celtic gods wore antlers.
Many Hittite, Sumero-Semitic and Shinto deities also moved on deer.
In alchemy, both male and female deer often act as symbols of transformation, which is associated with the myth of Artemis, who turned the hunter Actaeon into a deer because he saw her while bathing naked.
In heraldry, a deer is always depicted in profile, running, walking or lying down.
