Bear

The bear is an animal associated with the Great Mother in tales and myths (compare Artemis and Cybele), but also in dreams—“a fact presented in much psychological material” (Adler 1966, p. 98). In ancient Greece, girls dressed in bear skins were initiated into fertility mysteries.  

Maternal Animal  

The bear is a wild animal and shares this symbol's general content, but it is sometimes interpreted as a “higher aspect” of this. In a feminine sense, the bear is sometimes seen as grounded and maternal; one may envision protection in the soft, receptive fur.  

Rage  

Alongside strength, it also symbolizes rage, as expressed by the supernaturally strong, furious, and death-defying berserkers (“bear-shirts”). Both the bear and the berserkers belong to Odin, a god associated with madness and possessing androgynous traits. According to the Dictionary of Symbols, Jung suggested that the bear can symbolize the dangerous aspect of the unconscious.  

In alchemy, the bear shares symbolic content with other “devouring” animals such as lions and wolves. This connects the bear to “the dark mother.”  

Bears are, on one hand, wild, aggressive predators but can, on the other hand, be somewhat tamed. Overall, the Dictionary of Symbols suggests that the bear symbolizes fundamental forces that can develop but also risk leading to regression.  

Lunar Animal

The bear, which in ancient Greece accompanied Artemis, retreats to a cave during the winter and emerges again in the spring. In this way, it becomes associated with the moon and rebirth, and thereby also healing. As an aggressive lunar animal, the bear stands in contrast to the hare.

Bear and Man

The bear is the most common helpful animal in Nordic shamanism (Odin was also a shaman). Across the world where bears are found, they have been regarded as sacred animals and, like the wolf, have many names. The bear has been considered to stand particularly close to humanity in a mystical way. Not only does the idea that humans can transform into bears illustrate this, but so do stories about marriages and other close relationships between humans and bears, as well as names suggesting a close kinship (“grandfather,” “brother,” and so forth).

Alchemy

In alchemy, the idea of the close connection between the bear and humans is reflected. It was an expression of instincts and the somber beginning of the work; the man as still a primitive being and an expression of the initially perilous aspects of the unconscious.

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