Theophany - Deity Appearances To Animals in Religious Lore

Deity Appearances To Animals in Religious Lore

Human religious lore includes ancient literary recordings of deities appearing to animals, usually with the animals able to relate the experience to humans using human speech:

  • In numerous creation stories, a deity or deities speak with many kinds of animals, often prior to the formation of dry land on earth.
  • In the Hindu Ramayana, the monkey leader Hanuman is informed by deities, and usually consciously addressed by them.
  • In Chinese mythology, the Monkey King speaks with bodhisattvas, buddhas, and a host of heavenly characters.

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