Continuing on the theme of amplifying the symbolism of bears, it is interesting to look at different names different cultures have had for the bear: I like “four-legged man”, “black thing”, “worthy old man,” “Holy man,” “unmentionable one.”
(from www.bears.org)
# Angry One (Cree)
# The Animal (Michikaman)
# Apple of the Forest (Finn)
# Big Feet (Native American- nA)
# Big Great Food (Cree)
# Big Hairy One (Blackfoot)
# Black Beast (nA)
# Black Food (Cree)
# Black Place (Koyukon)
# Bobtail (nA)
# Broadfoot (Estonian)
# Dark Thing (Koyukon)
# Divine One Who Rules the Mountains (Ainu)
# Dweller in the Wilds (Ostyak)
# Famous Lightfoot (Finn)
# Fine Young Chief (Navajo)
# Food of the Fire (Cree)
# Forest Apple (Finn)
# Four-legged Man (Ostyak)
# Fur Man (Ostyak)
# Golden Feet (nA)
# Golden Friend (Finn)
# Golden King (nA)
# Gold Friend of Fen and Forest (Ural Altaic)
# Good-tempered Beast (Cree)
# Great Man (Siberian)
# He Who Lives in the Den (Navajo)
# Holy Animal (Lapp)
# Honey Paw (Tungus)
# Illustrious Pride (Finn)
# Little Mother of Honey (Finn)
# Lord of the Taiga (Tungus)
# Master of the Forest (Lapp)
# Old Man of the Mountain (Lapp)
# One Who Prowls at Night (nA)
# Owner of the Earth (Siberian)
# Pride of the Woodlands (Finn)
# Reared in the Mountains (Navajo)
# Sacred Man (Lapp)
# Sacred Virgin (Lapp)
# Snub-nose (Finn)
# Step-widener (Lapp)
# Sticky-Mouth (nA)
# The Strong One (Taglish)
# That Which Went Away (Koyukon)
# The Thing (Koyukon)
# Unmentionable One (Blackfoot)
# Venerable One (Vogul)
# Wide-way (Lapp)
# Winter-sleeper (Lapp)
# Wise Man (Lapp)
# Woodmasted (Samoyed)
# Wooly One (Lapp)
# Worthy Old Man (Ural Altaic)
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