| Animal |
Physical Trait/Behavior |
Symbolizes |
| Panther |
Sweet breath |
Jesus Christ; the Word |
| Unicorn |
single horn; savage; loyal |
Christ; pure and invincible |
| Lion |
King of the beasts; strong |
courageous, strong, faithful |
| Goat |
likes high hills; keen-sighted |
Christ-like; all-knowing |
| Wolf |
strong chest, weak legs; ravenous, cunning |
devil |
| Hare |
swift and timid |
fearful of God |
| Fox |
doesn't walk in straight line |
devious, clever |
| Dog |
clever; loves its master |
faithful and loyal |
| Lamb |
pure; innocent; blameless |
Christ |
| Heron |
flies high to avoid storms; white and grey |
souls of the saints above earthly things; innocent and penitent |
| Partridge |
steals each other's eggs; powerful sex drive |
treacherous, lustful |
| Magpie |
noisy, likes shiny things |
gossip; thieving |
| Rabbit |
reproduces often |
fertility |
| Falcon |
good eyesight; love of master |
total vision; faithful |
n medieval art everything stood for something else. A dog was never just a dog, a lily never just a lily. There was an elaborate symbolic code familiar to all, in which animals and plants each contained different moral messages for humans, often based on physical traits or behavior.