Kimberley Patton (Harvard Divinity School)
First-Year Seminar 66E (Spring Term) Enrollment limited to 12
Wednesday, 3:00-5:00 PM CANVAS SITE
In the early 20th century, an Inuit elder said, “In the very earliest time, when both people and animals lived on earth, a person could become an animal if he wanted to and an animal could become a human being. Sometimes they were people and sometimes animals and there was no difference. All spoke the same language.” What has happened since that “very earliest time”? Is that time closer today or further away? Together we will encounter some of the symbolism, ritual, and beliefs involving animals in world religions and mythologies. We will study the role of animals in “global” as well as Indigenous religions and sacred histories, as well as consider some relevant research in animal behavior, cognition, language, and consciousness. Some topics include the role of animals in sacred art and storytelling, the creation of the world and the apocalypse, magic, metamorphosis, prophecy, ethics, hunting, sacrifice, vegan and vegetarian eating, and fantastic creatures.