- Stereotypes of animals
When anthropomorphising a (non-human) animal there are stereotypical traits which commonly tend to be associated with particular species. Often these are simply exaggerations of real aspects or behaviours of the creature in question, while other times the stereotype is taken from
mythology and the true origins are forgotten. Some are popularised or solidified by a single particularly notable appearance in media, for example Disney's 1942 film "Bambi " which portrayed the titulardeer as an innocent, fragile animal. [Eaton, Marcia. " [http://www.cofc.edu/hettinger/Aesthetics_Fall_04/EatonFact&Fiction.htm Fact and Fiction in Aes App of Nature] ". Accessed17 September 2006 .] In any case, once they have entered the culture as widely-recognized Stereotypes of animals, they tend to be used both in conversation and media as a kind of shorthand for expressing particular qualities.While some authors make use of these animal stereotypes "as is", others undermine reader expectations by reversing them, developing the animal character in the exact opposite direction (e.g. a pig or a cowardly lion).
Many modern stereotypes of animals have a long tradition dating back to
Aesop's Fables , which drew upon sources that includedAncient Egypt ian animal tales. Aesop's stereotypes were so deeply ingrained by the time ofApollonius of Tyana that they were accepted as representative of various animals' "true" natures:Discussion
It is important to note that many animal stereotypes reflect anthropomorphic notions which are unfair to impose upon actual animals in nature. Thus, while a
shark is instinctively feeding in the way its nature intends, in folklore it tends to be classified as "cruel", a word which implies a conscious and immoral choice to cause unnecessary pain. Yetconscience andmorality are metaphysical attributes which are imposed by humans and do not, in fact, exist as such within the shark's world. Likewise, some stereotypes are based on mistaken or grossly oversimplified impressions, e.g.spotted hyena s are stereotypically portrayed as cowardly scavengers, but in reality they are efficient pack hunters with a complex social structure who care for their young.Despite these considerations, the use of such animal stereotypes is generally much less problematic than it is for human stereotypes (to which some of the same issues apply), for obvious reasons.
Common Western animal stereotypes
*The bloodthirsty or
evil bat
*The loyaldog
*The dim-witted dog
*The vicious guard dog
*The cruel or evilwolf
**Through the latter half of the 20th century, the wolf was increasingly portrayed in the opposite manner, as an especially dignified and capable wild form of dog and symbol ofNature . (eg. theKevin Costner film, "Dances with Wolves ")
*Thesolitary or renegade wolf
**From the phrase "Lone Wolf ".
*Theevil / cruelTyrannosaurus
*The stubborn ass
**From the character ofNick Bottom inShakespeare 'sA Midsummer Night's Dream
*The horny orvirile donkey /stallion/bull
*The ,cruel orintelligent fox
**Reynard the Fox, a character in stories frommedieval Europe , is depicted as atrickster .
**Roald Dahl 's bookFantastic Mr. Fox shows the fox as an intelligent saviour.
**InFurry fandom , foxes are seen as extremely promiscuous, or "yiff y".
*The and or easily frightenedChicken
*The cock/rooster who hasdelusions of grandeur or is vain.
**The "Chanticleer and the Fox" tale from theCanterbury Tales .
*Thegossip ygoose
*The cool cat
**portrayed as sly and playingjazz notably in Disney's "The Aristocats ".
*Thecat
**Many syndicated comics feature lazy cats, perhaps most notably Jim Davis'Garfield .
*The evil/villianous cat
**Many cartoons portray cats as mischievous, crafty and antagonistic.
*The cutekitten
**The Garfield characterNermal is an ironic representation of this stereotype.
*The proud, brave, or noblelion
**From the assumed position at the "top" of thefood chain , the lion is often referred to as the "King of Beasts" or "King of the Jungle", (however Lions do not live in jungles) and is frequently portrayed as the literal ruler of the other animals in a given territory (eg. Disney's1994 movie, "The Lion King ").
*Themonkey .
**The expression "Monkey see, Monkey do"
**The phraseSee no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil .
*The slow-wittedmoose .
** The cartoon characterBullwinkle J. Moose is portrayed as slow-witted.
*Theostrich
**Ostriches are often portrayed as being nervous and are widely thought to bury their heads in the sand at the first sign of danger. In reality this is not true; the ostrich is more likely to respond by fleeing, or, failing in that, delivering powerful kicks, easily capable of killing a man or a lion. [Straight Dope .26 May 1999 ." [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mostrich.html Do ostriches really bury their heads in the sand?] ". Accessed15 September 2006 .]
*The wiseowl
**InGreek mythology ,Athena is the goddess of wisdom and is regularly associated with the owl. [Stebbins, Elinor. 1998. " [http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/papers/stebbinsathena/athena2.html Pallas Athena, Goddess of Wisdom] ". Accessed17 September 2006 .]
*The smellyskunk
**Chuck Jones 'Pepé Le Pew is one of the best-known animated skunks and propagates the idea that the animals emit their scent continuously.
*The lazysloth
**Sloth, one of theseven deadly sins , meaning spiritual apathy.
*The unforgettingelephant
**From the folk-saying "An elephant never forgets."
**Another popular misconception of elephants is that they fearmice , possibly thanks to cartoon depictions. [Elephant Encyclopedia ." [http://www.upali.ch/mouse_en.html Mice and Elephants] ". Accessed20 November 2006 .]
*The quietmouse
**Mice are frequently portrayed in animation as shy and physically-frail, often bookish,nerd y and/orglasses -wearing.
*The formalpenguin
**From the typical colouring which resembles a tuxedo orBlack tie suit--they are often portrayed as upper-class restaurantwaiter s, prime examples occurring in the Disney movies "Mary Poppins" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ".
*The curious / playfulotter
**From anyone who has ever watched one at an aquarium.
*The hornyrabbit - Following naturally from the phrase "(to) breed like rabbits".
*The patientturtle /tortoise (No distinctions are generally made between the two.)
*The hyperactive / fast-runningrabbit /hare (Again, generally not distinguished from each other.)
**Both preceding stereotypes are probably most widely known due mainly to thefable of "The Tortoise and the Hare ".
*The fast-runningcheetah is another animal noted for its speed
*The diligentant and the lazy / carefreegrasshopper
**Both of these stem mainly from anotherfable "The Ant and the Grasshopper " in which the former works hard to prepare for the winter while the latter wastes the summer and fall having fun, only to have to beg food from the ant or starve. For this reason, grasshoppers are also sometimes characterized as social parasites (as in thePixar movie "A Bug's Life ").
*The destructiveTermite
**Because of the termite's reputation of eating wood and wrecking homes and buildings.
*The comical / always-laughinghyena
**From the uncanny resemblance its call bears to a human laugh.
**Example the Hyenas fromLion King
*The andwasp
**Wasps are often portrayed as deliberate stingers of humans.
*The (or "bumbling")bumblebee
*Theworkaholic bumblebee
*Theevil snake
**From its depiction in theBook of Genesis as an incarnation ofSatan that deceivesAdam and Eve into the first sin.
**The Hebrew depiction ofSatan as a snake may have been influenced by the figure ofApep in manyAncient Egyptian religion s, an evil serpent also associated with darkness, and enemy of the sun godRa
*Thegreed y and/or filthypig
**Both aspects are due to the natural pig lifestyle (when raised on a farm rather than afeedlot )—"greedy" from the way they devour any food put in front of them, "filthy" from the fact that a pig-sty is generally a soup of mud andfeces which the pigs don't seem to mind at all (this also gives rise to the saying "Happy as a pig in shit").
**The stereotype may also derive in part fromJudeo-Islamic cultures, whose concepts of kosher/halal teach that pigs are "unclean" for various reasons.
**Pigs are also portrayed as straight men or sidekicks (for example porky pig (Looney tunes) and Orson (U.S.Acres))
*The criminalraccoon
**From the bandit-like black "mask" over its eyes. Also known for being notorious scavengers.
*The hyperactivesquirrel
**From their extreme speed.Common Eastern animal stereotypes
*The loyal / savage
dog
**While domesticated dogs were welcomed, wild dogs were dangerous to both humans and their cattle.
*The royalelephant
**Most notable inThailand andIndia , elephants are symbols of royalty.
*The proudhorse
*The thievingmouse
**As a mouse was a common pest, they were likened to thieves. However, in Japanese tradition, a mouse also guarantees a good harvest.
*The comical oroctopus
**InJapan ese culture, the octopus is sometimes used in sexual situations. One famous example is awoodcut entitledThe Dream of the Fisherman's Wife . A subset ofHentai makes use of octopus-like creatures inTentacle porn .
*The stupid / richpig
*The lucky /cat
**Cats are said to bring luck to business ventures. Many Japanese video games feature anthropomorphic cats ("neko") inmercantile roles (e.g. Squaresoft'sSecret of Mana ) as well.
*The cutekitten
**Catgirl s occupy a niche in Japaneseotaku culture, most often as females dressed to some degree as a humanoid with cat elements like cat ears and a tail.
*The devoted / trickyrabbit
**The former is from a Buddhist story where a rabbit offered itself as a gift to Buddha by leaping into a fire. InKojiki , a white rabbit appears as a trickster. This is also due to the mythology of the rabbit in the moon.
**In a Korean folktale, a wise rabbit rescues a man from a greedy, ungrateful tiger.
*The friendlysnake
*The proudtiger
*Thecruel tiger
** The folktales about man-devouring tigers appear frequently in Korea. At times tigers can be gullible or loyal.
*The wise and oldturtle /tortoise
*Theprotecting wolf The wolf protected Japanese farmers crops from raiders.
*The grateful/loyalmagpie
** In Korea, a magpie chirping near one's house indicates that long-anticipated guests are finally coming.
** In one Korean folktale, a magpie sacrifices herself to save the man who rescued her chicks from a serpent.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.