Fierce Protector, Gentle Father, Storm – bringer, King-Maker… From Pagan Ireland to the Horn Of Africa, few creatures were so beloved as the Sacred Bull.

Even today he lingers as Zodiac sign Tuarus, the Chinese year of the bull, and as ‘Nandi’ the escort of Shiva – adored  by more than one billion Hindu’s. A symbol of courage, strength and fertility the world over.

Where ever people have shared land with Cattle, Buffalo, Bison or Oxen of any kind, they’ve become a part of our spiritual cosmos. With their powerful bodies, sculptured faces, and soul-deep eyes, they’ve also been irresistible to artists since the first animals were painted in pigment on cave walls. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to stand beside a fully grown bull, quietly chewing and softly breathing his sweet grassy breath, you will know that just the presence of these powerful and gentle creatures can pretty much move you to tears. I love these animals, I can’t help myself. Whatever your own roots, you will very likely have  ancestors who honoured the magic of the Sacred Bull.

A World Of Sacred Bulls

The ancient world was full of Bull deities, with many artefacts still surviving and being unearthed in modern times. For the ancient Egyptians the Apis Bull was only one of a whole host of sacred bulls. These were god incarnations with a heavy load of powerful duties and associations, from war and the underworld to kingship and carrying the disc of the sun. There were also great Bull Cults all across the Mediterranean and near East, most famously the Minotaur of Knossos, and the giant Bull Gods of Persepolis in ancient Iran. Anatolia, Cyprus, the Arabian peninsular, Syria and Iraq, all have their history of mythical bulls.

The Indus Valley of what is now India and Pakistan was birthplace to bovine cults that predate Hinduism, and the bull ‘Nandi’ remains the principle disciple and vehicle of Shiva to this day. All over India huge stone Nandi figures wait patient as angels outside the temples, almond eyed and serene.

There were bulls depicted beside Roman gods and Christian Saints, as well as in Chinese Astrology. Bison  have of course remained deeply sacred for First Nations Americans, and Bull Yaks have endured from early Himalayan animist religions to still appear in the Buddhist art and scriptures of the mountain kingdoms.

Many African countries have the Bull as a major figure in their sacred and spiritual art, and he remains as a shadow of his once sacred role in the folk traditions of South and Central America, Portugal, and Spain. Even here in the British Isles cattle were central to Pagan spiritual life, with Bulls and Cows stampeding through early Scots and |Irish mythology in their droves.

 

Folklore & Weather Magic

Scottish folklore has it’s fair share of fairy folk and mythical creatures, many being fierce and dangerous, but among them the ‘water bull’ is a gentler soul. A nocturnal creature residing mostly in the highland Lochs, the slippery black water bull will climb up onto land at night to romance the domestic cattle. It’s said he can even mate with them producing a halfling calf. A young heifer who is awkward to milk, refusing to be haltered or fidgeting in the stocks was sometimes thought to have a bit of the ‘old water bull’ blood in her, it’s even said you can tell these halflings by the strange shape of their ears…

Ireland is awash with references to its ancient sacred cattle, some are females like the trio of white, red, and black cows who swam ashore on the promise of a mermaid queen, and gave birth to the first herds of the island nation. Their descendants include the two sparring bulls of the great epic ‘The Cattle raid of Cooley’ and through this they are closely tied to The Morrigan.

Any place name (and there are many) including the word ‘Bo’ is a reference to the sacred cattle that once were at the heart of Irish culture.

For adherents of ‘Bon-Po’, an ancient animist religion predating Buddhism in the Himalayas, Yar-Lha-Sham-Po is one of the most powerful ‘Creator Gods’ of the Tibetan plateau. He is embodied as a great white yak bull, from who’s nostrils and mouth snow storms continuously blow. His magical powers are fearsome, with the ability to cause floods, smash rocks, and shape-shift into human form being among his many talents, although his main concern is the guardianship of his mountains and their people. Yaks still hold a crucial role in the most remote regions of Tibet and Nepal, not just for the work they do carrying cargo through the mountains, but also as beloved spirits, adored and respected by the people who have depended on them for thousands of years.

This loving and benevolant spirit bull is also found in Africa, where people such as the Masia are inseparable from their cattle herds.  One South African folk tale tells of a ‘Rain Bull’ who comes down from the clouds to relieve the land of drought in return for the company of a beautiful young woman. But just as often it’s a tempest that our mythic bulls are bringing. Some say it’s their deep and thunderous bellow, or the pounding of their hooves that does it, Slavic deity ‘Perun’ Mesopotamian ‘Hadad’, and Semitic ‘Baal’ are just a few of this swirling cosmos full of sky-bull weather magicians and  storm-bringers.

The spirit bull, just like his earthbound counterpart, is also a creature of contrasts…

Protection, Patience, Justice, Strength, Fertility, Honesty, Steadfastness, & Courage

– these are the qualities he is most admired for in both the mythical and the spiritual realms.

 

The Sacred Bull, A Collectors Dream Animal;

So looking back on the history, it’s no surprise that the mythical bull really is a collectors dream creature. Every one of these cultures that has loved him so, has also turned his image into a huge and beautiful array of spiritual art and magical objects. Sculpted in clay, terracotta and stone, carved in wood, ivory, and bone, cast in every metal known to history, and painted on every type of surface, he is possibly the most ‘idolised’ of all beasts.

In South East Asia Buffalo and Oxen have worked the fields for centuries and have been decorated with ornate bronze bells in their honour. This bell is from Vietnam, with other lovely  examples coming from Cambodia and  Burma.

Many ancient idols and images can also be found on the global antiquities market, although they tend to be pretty pricey. But happily there are numerous Bulls from more recent history too. And although his star has waned in many cultures, he lingers on in folk and indigenous art.

I’ve rarely spent over £80  on a bull and yet I’ve managed to pick up pieces hailing from across 4 continents and 3000 years of history. Sacred and folklore Bull figures appear frequently at flea markets and with antiques sellers. Surprisingly i’ve found that  some of the loveliest are not even really ‘antiques’ –  but are more vintage souvenir pieces from the countries where the ancient Bull Cults once flourished. These include wonderful painted clay bulls from South and Central America and a variety of ‘Minatour’ busts from Crete. Many of these pieces come from the first half of the 20th century so they’ll  become ‘antique’ in the next few years, but for now they’re affordable and delightful in their own right. 

As somone with a deep love of all animals, ive been fascinated by their place in ancient devotion, folklore, and magic. These days the Bull dieties get forgotten about in the West, but most of us have ancestors who saw him for the sacred and beloved creature that he should be.

 

 

>click here to find out more about Knossos <
>click here to find out more about the Tibetan Plateau<