Deer is a magnificent animal. This is not only because of its crown-like antlers, but also because through centuries he has been a symbol of magic and mystery. There is something in this beautiful animal that fascinated people for years.
Deer lives on almost all continents around the world. There are different species of deer and they all look-alike. Deer feed of grass this is why they inhabit mostly warmer parts of our planet.
Deer is best known for its antlers that resemble a crown. Unlike other species similar to deer, that have horns, this animal has been gifted with a beautiful creation on its head.
Deer has a strong position in symbolism. They are used as symbols and as spiritual animals in many cultures, and people highly respect this animal both for his symbolism and skin and meat. Male deer are called stags and females are deer.
We will introduce you to the mystery behind this magnificent animal and tell you more about what does a deer symbolize. We will also teach you a little bit more about stag meaning and antlers meaning.
Deer characteristics and traits
Getting to know traits and characteristics of an animal is important so that you can understand the meaning behind symbolism. So, here are few deer characteristics that are important.
Resilient – Even though deer seems like a fragile animal and not very strong, deer is extremely resilient. They often inhabit cold and secluded places so they need to be resilient to survive winter and cold. In this time they usually go off to warmer places and for moving across several hundred miles, you need to be very strong and in shape.
Fast – Deer can’t run as fast as some of his relatives in Africa, but it can surely escape his predator. He needs to be fast in order to survive, so he very much relies on this ability.
Fearsome – Deer is extremely fearsome. They react to even the smallest sign of danger and they will run away fast. This is their defend mechanism because, if they weren’t this way, they would soon become someone’s food. Deer is a very gentle animal and you need to be careful with it. They love being around people, once they get used to them and they rarely attack.
Deer as a totem
Now that we know more about deer’s traits, we will dive into the symbolism behind it. So what does a deer mean? What does a stag mean? These are all questions we will answer to you in the following text.
Deer totem represents gentleness. They represent exactly what they are in real life, and that is fearsome behavior combined with kindness of the heart. People born under this totem are very gentle and kind to others, and they expect the same in return.
It is sometimes hard to understand how someone can be that nice and that loving, even though the same is not returned to them.
Deer meaning is something special. Unconditional love is what drives them in life. They love everything and everyone around them, and always try to spread positivity wherever they go. This feminine energy in a deer is very important.
They represent mothers, caretakers and all people who genuinely love helping others.
In relationships, these people give all they have in order to make their partner happy and peaceful. Deer totem also represents grace under fire. No matter what you tell them or do to them, they will always remain calm and graceful. Patience is their biggest trait, and no one can deny that.
They are kind people deep down inside and their true self can’t be repressed. Another interesting characteristic behind deer totem is that they are able to use their power of regeneration. This symbolism is actually linked to the antlers meaning.
Every year their antlers fall away and grow again or regenerate. Just like a deer is able to regenerate his body, people born under this totem are able to stand back up after they have been pushed to the ground.
Even though, they seem weak, their ability to cease victory when everybody has forgotten about them, is extraordinary.
They are also childish by nature. There is something inside their soul that resembles one of a child’s. they have a naïve approach to life that can sometimes cost them a lot. People often use their naïve nature and their will to help others, to trick them and hurt them in different ways.
Deer represents the power of family. As we all know, deer travel in herds and they always stick out for each other. Deer symbolizes good family relationships and helping each other when it gets difficult. Linked to that is again a feminine energy that deer reflects. Motherhood is important to these people and their children are their biggest reward.
Biggest problem, that someone who is born under this totem might have, is the danger of other people using its kindness as a chance to trick them and hurt them. This is why they need to be more careful who they trust and what they say to others, because not everybody is the way it presents himself.
Deer as a symbol in a dream
Deer is a very powerful symbol in a dream. Meaning of a deer in a dream depends, of course, on the situation we were inside a dream.
A deer in general, in a dream, represents a boring lifestyle or family life without any turbulence. This dream can have a good or a bad connotation, depending on your own opinion.
If you like having things be the same all the time, then this dream is a positive one for you, but if you feel like your life is a little bit stale, then you should bring in some changes.
You can start doing something you really enjoy to shake things up a little, or maybe think about the reason behind this current situation.
Hunting a deer in a dream represents failures you will soon experience. They might be related to your job or perhaps to your love life, but in any case you won’t be satisfied. This goes out especially if you hurt the deer in a dream.
To see a deer running is a positive sign. You will resolve all problems that you have and everything will be going according to plan. This is the right period to start exploring new areas of life and finishing projects you have already started.
See several deer in a dream represents a positive sign. You are gaining trust from someone who is going to be very important to you later on in life, and you want this relationship to last as long as possible.
Dear with big antlers in a dream is a positive sign because it represents a man who will soon enter their lives. For those women who are married, it represents a lover that might come into their life and change everything for them.
Deer as a symbol in different cultures
Deer has been mentioned as a symbol in many cultures all around the world. People used animals and perceived them as deities in the past, and every one of them had a special meaning and symbolism.
Deer in the Native American history was highly worshiped. They lived of venison. If you are wondering what is the meaning of venison, it is actually a deer meat. They prayed before going into the hunt and they never hunted more than they needed, because the nature was sacred to them.
In old tales of Native American people, it has been said that people were once deer and in the South West, deer was considered to be sacred. They were the ancient guardians of the Mother Nature. In the north of America, deer was a symbol of fertility and a messenger of peace.
In Celtic symbolism, deer has an important role. Deer represents males and females. Deer teaches people about spirituality and kindness, if they ever forget about it. Stags represented connection to the Mother Earth and he was presented as the protector of the forest and nature.
In modern history we have a deer symbol in many movies and cartoons. Probably the first association with a deer is Bambi. This popular Disney cartoon became something dear to all of us. Story about a small deer losing its mother after being killed by people, is a cruel reminder that in real life we do underestimate the importance of nature and creatures in it.
Deer symbol is now very popular, especially the stag image. The new growing Hipster scene of young people, uses symbols of antlers and deer as their trademark or a sign.
Deer tattoos are also very popular. There are many meanings to deer tattoos but some of them are nobility, peace, family, love and rebirth. These symbols describe deer in a true sense of its inner being. Deer tattoo meaning can vary, but these are the most common symbols that are linked to a deer as a totem.
White stag is another phenomenon that survived hundreds of years. Mythical deer or stag was often confused with a symbol for a unicorn, and the story behind the white stag is also very interesting.
White stag is a mythical creature that roams around the forest and our distant past. In Celtic culture, the white stag represents the Otherworld or the world of dead, and as a symbol it has been used in cultures all around the world.
One of the most interesting things is that stories about the white stag come from different parts of the world. This makes us think if there is something more to this story and whether this mythical animal really exists somewhere deep down in the forest.
The white stag was the guardian of all animals in the forest and of anyone who enters forest grounds.
Arthurian legend says that the pursuit for the white stag is a humanity’s quest that will never be over. It represents our desire to find out what happens to us after we cross over into the Otherworld and whether it actually exists.
As a Christian symbol, white stag was often a symbol for Jesus. Guardian of all people and a soul that never stops watching over us, making sure we are okay.
There are many so called proofs of existence of this magnificent animal, but none of them capture the essence of the story and none of the are real. The true essence is that we all keep on searching for a meaning in life and no matter how hard we try, we might never find it.
The white stag is exactly a representation of that quest that might never end for us, but we have no other choice then to keep on searching.
