Animal Symbolism Quiz Explanations

1. C. Fish. The following table provides an explanation.

	*Buddhism Symbolism*	*Native American culture*	*Christian Symbolism*
Crane	Symbol of longevity and immortality.		Symbol of happiness, justice, diligence, purity, loyalty, piety, filial gratitude, beauty, and love. [ CRANE]
Deer	Symbol of longevity.	Gracefulness, and sensitivity.	Symbol of Christ and the Christian in their battle against the evil one; a symbol of the soul's longing for God [DEER OR STAG ]
Fish	Symbol of freedom, harmony, abundance. [ Chinese Food Symbolism: Meat]	Symbol of determination, persistence. Electric, focused, intuitive, and wholly creative.	They represent Christians [Meaning of the Christian Fish Symbol]

2. A. Donkey. The following table provides an explanation.

	*Chinese culture*	*Christian Symbolism*
Donkey	Symbol of stupidity. [ Chinese Food Symbolism: Meat]	Symbol of patience, courage, gentleness, peace, and humility. [DONKEY or ASS]
Fish	Symbol of freedom, harmony, abundance. [ Chinese Food Symbolism: Meat]	They represent Christians. It is an initial anagram for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior".
Duck	The two mandarin ducks are traditional Chinese symbols for a loving couple. They are symbols of a happy life ever after.

3. B. Boar. The other animal symbols have a positive meaning in one culture while having a negative meaning in another.

	*Western culture*	*Chinese Culture*
Bat	Demon and spirits	Good Luck
Owl	Wisdom, vision and insight	A death messenger
Dragon	Trouble (strife and infertility), evil, mean and bloody thirsty	Wisdom, strength and goodness and protector of the weak.

4. B. No. But it works in Chinese culture because dragons are the symbol of the emperor. The image below shows part of an emperor's clothing decorated with dragon and cloud patterns.

Emperor's robe with dragon

	*Christian symbolism*	*Chinese culture*	*Ancient Egypt*
Lion	The lion, as King of the Beasts, is a animal symbol for Jesus Christ.	Symbol of power and grandeur.	It was associated with solar deities.
Dragon	It has negative and positive associations. Its blood is used by Christ for healing. It is also regarded as a symbol of God's word. [ Beastly Confirmation: Christ & Animal as Symbol & Meaning]	Wisdom, strength and goodness, and protector of the weak.	Symbol of evil.
Cobra	Symbol of the Devil, the creator of temptation. Lies, slander, and words of malice are symbolized by snake's venom or the "viper's tongue." [The Devil]	Observant, quick to anger, usually possesses great physical beauty, and is not necessarily venomous except when protecting the family.	Symbol of royalty, the guardian of Lower. Egypt

5. C. The symbol represent the renewal of life and immortality. The symbolic meaning of the phoenix is summerized in the following table. For more detailed information, please refer to "The role of Phoenix"

	*Chinese culture*	*Japanese culture*	*Egyptian/Roman/Christian beliefs*
Phoenix	A. The symbol represents empress, imperial power in feminine aspect.	B. The symbol represents the sun, rectitude; fidelity; justice; obedience.	C. The symbol represents the renewal of life and immortality.

6. A. Pig. Different cultures use different animals to represent fertility. The table below provides a sample of the animals in specific cultures. If you are interested in the animal symbolism in Celtic mythology, please refer to the paper "Animal Symbolism in Celtic Mythology".

	*Celtic Mythology*	*Native American Culture*	*Ancient Egypt*
Pig	Herd animals (such as horses, pigs, and cattle) represent fertility.		Form of the god Seth.
Frog		Frog, dragonfly, and cricket symbolize fertility and Spring.	Symbol of fertility and resurrection.
Bat		Symbol of death and rebirth on personal, spiritual level.	Symbol of fertility.