Dream symbols · Animal · The Great Mother

Bear

The Great Mother in her strong form, and the hibernating animal that is read as a withdrawal doing work rather than avoiding it. Protective at close range and dangerous for the same reason.

Where the reading comes from

The bear stands upright, uses its hands, and mothers its young for years, which is why so many traditions treat it as a person of another kind. The hibernation reading follows the observable fact that the animal returns.