Thematic list
Animals That Symbolize Healing
Symbolism only. Nothing on this page is medical advice.
Animal-healing symbolism has its clearest primary-source anchors in the Greek serpent of Asclepius (still on the WHO logo), the Egyptian ibis of Thoth associated with writing and medicine, the Hindu Dhanvantari (depicted with amrita, the nectar of immortality), and the snake in the Hebrew Bible's Numbers 21:8–9. Nothing on this page is medical advice. For medical concerns, see a licensed physician.
Animals in this list
Snake spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern transformation-and-rebirth reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to the serpent in Genesis 3, the Greek Asclepius rod, Indian Nāga and the Buddhist Mucalinda, and Mesoamerican Quetzalcóatl.
Dolphin spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern joy-and-intelligence reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo at Delphi, Arion's rescue by a dolphin in Herodotus, the Minoan Knossos dolphin fresco, and the Amazonian boto encantado tradition.
Butterfly spirit animal meaning, from the modern pop-concept back to the Greek psyche, the Mexica goddess Itzpapalotl, the Zhuangzi butterfly dream, the Japanese chō, and Ted Andrews's 1993 synthesis.
Horse spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern freedom-and-power reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to the Vedic Aśvamedha, the Greek Pegasus, the Welsh Rhiannon of the Mabinogion, the Gallo-Roman Epona, and the Plains horse cultures that began with the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.
Bear spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern strength-protector reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to Finno-Ugric bear ceremonialism, the Ainu iyomante, the Greek Brauron arkteia, and Anglo-Saxon kenning tradition.
Owl spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern wisdom-and-intuition reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to Athena's Little Owl on the Athenian tetradrachm, the Roman strix, Lakshmi's vahana uluka, and Japanese fukurō folklore.
Rabbit spirit animal meaning, traced from the modern fertility-and-timidity reading back through Ted Andrews's Animal Speak to the Mesoamerican Four Hundred Rabbits (Centzon Tōtōchtin), the Chinese moon-hare and Japanese Inaba hare, and the African-rooted Br'er Rabbit trickster.