Great read. It's really good to see how our understanding of Neanderthals is changing and improving to the point that calling someone a Neanderthal is actually unfair to Neanderthals. They were complex human beings, able to produce abstract art, music and complex ideas.
very interesting! i’ve also heard of recent speculations about the significance of birds and feathers for neanderthals since they’ve been found at various burial sites
Caves did not *represent* thresholds. They *were* thresholds into the Underworld. Initiatory practices weren’t a dive into symbols which *represented* the continuity of tribal wisdom and life-way, they *were* portals into deep encounter with the more-than-human cosmic and ecological animate forces which always already had governance over the tribe and were in deep relationship with it.
I wonder if another aspect to bear veneration was an insight into the bear's omnivorous nature, having a diet and GI tract most similar to humans of all the other animals. Combine this with the bear's ability to stand upright, and the symbolism of this would make them a natural choice as progenitor ancestor relation. Neanderthals would have recognized the bear as the man who came before them and made the way for our own subsistence needs. By eating what the bear eats, and hibernating like the bear does, we as humans can live and build culture. It's biomimicry.
23andMe said that I have 303 Neanderthal variants — more Neanderthal variants than 88% of their customers! (They added that my Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 4% of my overall DNA.)
Great read. It's really good to see how our understanding of Neanderthals is changing and improving to the point that calling someone a Neanderthal is actually unfair to Neanderthals. They were complex human beings, able to produce abstract art, music and complex ideas.
In reality it would be a compliment 🙂
very interesting! i’ve also heard of recent speculations about the significance of birds and feathers for neanderthals since they’ve been found at various burial sites
There is a magic the Neanderthals knew, thanks for capturing it in words.
I have just discovered your work and it is a fantastic look on an often overlooked topic.I look forward to reading more of your posts.
This is a fascinating read, I immediately started to think about midsommer and their cult rituals with bears.
Animism.
What a cool ass account lol
Brilliant
Caves did not *represent* thresholds. They *were* thresholds into the Underworld. Initiatory practices weren’t a dive into symbols which *represented* the continuity of tribal wisdom and life-way, they *were* portals into deep encounter with the more-than-human cosmic and ecological animate forces which always already had governance over the tribe and were in deep relationship with it.
Indeed.
I wonder if another aspect to bear veneration was an insight into the bear's omnivorous nature, having a diet and GI tract most similar to humans of all the other animals. Combine this with the bear's ability to stand upright, and the symbolism of this would make them a natural choice as progenitor ancestor relation. Neanderthals would have recognized the bear as the man who came before them and made the way for our own subsistence needs. By eating what the bear eats, and hibernating like the bear does, we as humans can live and build culture. It's biomimicry.
Definitely.
One of my favorita found in substack🦴
Loving your stuff.
Thank you so much for bringing honour to our people.
🫡
Fascinating. I will be thinking about this for a long time. Many thanks
23andMe said that I have 303 Neanderthal variants — more Neanderthal variants than 88% of their customers! (They added that my Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 4% of my overall DNA.)
This is cool (cave/rebirth).
Wonder if this may have been the felt source of the Christian story of arising after four days in the cave.
Powerful.
I tought it was something like Totemism.
Definitely an aspect