What Do Bears Represent in Spirituality & Mythology?

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Plus, learn how to connect to your bear spirit guide

Co-authored by Maryana Lucia Vestic, MFA, M.Phil. Reviewed by Jason Zuk

Last Updated: January 13, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Symbolic Meanings of a Bear
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• Mythological & Cultural Meanings
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• Different Types of Bears & Their Meanings
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• Bear Symbolism in Astrology
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• In Psychology
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• In Dreams
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• As a Spirit Animal
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• FAQs

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Bears are a bold spiritual symbol of strength, courage, protection, and healing. They can represent family and motherhood, in addition to renewal and solitude. Bears have appeared in mythological traditions worldwide, from Native American and Norse to Celtic and Slavic tales. Read ahead to find out all about what makes bears special as symbolic creatures across cultures and belief systems.

Bear Symbol Meaning: At a Glance

• Strength: Bears are traditionally associated with strength, self-knowledge, and courage.
• Healing: They are seen as healing and nurturing guides (often with supernatural powers) in Native American-Navajo traditions.
• Protection: Bears are symbols of protection, especially where the natural world is concerned.

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Section 1 of 8:

Symbolic Meanings of a Bear

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   Strength and courage From their massive size to their powerful limbs, bears are a symbol of strength and toughness in the animal kingdom. They can help you find your inner strength, especially when you’re in a situation where you have to use your own courage to power through. It may involve a difficult person at work or an aspect of your personal relationship that needs figuring out when you channel your inner bear.

   • When getting in touch with the bear as a spiritual guide, make sure your courageous spirit doesn’t give in to being overly aggressive or react to external challenges with fear. Courage is about sticking to your guns without making life harder for anyone else, which is how the noble bear gets things done.
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   Healing Bears are often linked to shamans, who are known for their healing abilities in multiple cultural traditions. Like the shaman, bears assume the role of a spiritual healer who can help unlock the divine side of you to find a transcendent experience. This may mean interpreting a bear dream, connecting to a healing practice like meditation or prayer, or welcoming the spiritual world into your everyday life.
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   Intelligence and instinct Bears can inspire you to trust your instincts and believe in your own intellectual capabilities. Be more open-minded in connection with your goals and know that you’re the reason behind making them a reality. Stay true to your own beliefs as you try to bring projects to fruition, and look to the bear as a guide to help get you there.
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   Protection Bears are mighty examples of creatures who protect the ones they love. They serve as a reminder for you to be protective of your family, loved ones, and friends. In addition, bears can inspire you to also protect and mind your convictions and ideals, as well as whatever vision for the future you hold dear. If you have big dreams, keep them well-guarded as you figure out the best way to make them come true.
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   Nurturing Along with protection, bears are nurturing creatures who take care of their family and little ones. They do this by providing comfort and safety to their clan and by staying in tune with the natural world around them. A mother bear or “mama bear” is a modern term used to describe any mother who loves her children fiercely enough to protect them at all costs.

   • Bears are also linked to nurturing and comfort so much that the teddy bear has grown into an iconic symbol of a child’s favorite stuffed animal.
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   Solitude Bears are known for protecting their own personal space. Grizzly bears cherish their solitude most of all, while most bears are less comfortable around people. They feel the need to defend themselves whenever they are crowded in and overwhelmed by others. You can also embrace your alone time and make sure to take care of yourself spiritually to avoid getting burned out.

   • Bears stand for introspection by the way they hibernate every winter. They retreat from the world and, by doing so, show you how you, too, can look within to examine who you really are. Take a walk by yourself in nature or spend a winter evening next to the fire listening to your favorite music. You’ll feel more energized to meet the world again once you recharge.
   • Similarly, it’s important to find a balance between being alone and interacting with others. Being friendly and connecting to others in life has its place while taking time for yourself is equally important.
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   Grounding Bears are symbols of grounding power that’s deeply rooted in the earth. They can encourage you to harness the power of nature to meet any challenge you face. When you understand how vast the world is, it’s easier to focus on ways to improve yourself. This power can give you the confidence to find that great job, a new career path, or a more fulfilling field of study.
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   Resourcefulness Bears represent great resourcefulness. Not only are they well-known for their survival instincts, but bears are masters of protecting their own resources when they go dormant and hibernate through the winter months. Bears can tell you how best to keep your reserves full in connection with your emotional and intellectual well-being. They may be known for living in the wild, but you too can learn from their habits and remain quiet and thoughtful within your inner core.
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Section 2 of 8:

Cultural & Mythological Meanings of a Bear

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   Native American Traditions Among Native American symbols and meanings, bears are revered as healers with special powers. The Miwok people of California thought of bears as protectors of the people, while the Inuit clan considered them a totem animal. If an Inuit hunter is killed by a bear, they're reincarnated as a shaman that possesses the bear spirit. Pueblo Native Americans call bears one of 6 directional guardians, while the southwestern Zunis carved bear fetishes in stone for protection and good luck.

   • The Ute of Colorado are known for performing bear dances that celebrate new life in springtime when bears come out of hibernation.
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   Slavic Traditions Slavic peoples associated bears with the god Volos, who ruled over domesticated animals. In addition, the indigenous Nivkh people in Russia were known to capture bear cubs and raise them as a child only to take part in a ceremony that culminated in killing and eating the bear. The purpose of the ceremony is to allow the bear’s spirit to return to the mountains.

   • The Russian legend of St. Seraphim is about an 18th-century monk who lived in nature and was seen feeding a wild bear by hand. His face looked famously angelic as he fed this bear, along with other animals.
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   Chinese & Japanese Traditions During the Chinese Han dynasty, objects, including artwork and pottery, were often decorated with bears. The dynasty’s Yellow Emperor (Xuanyuan Huangdi) is also known as the “Bear Emperor.”

   • In the 4th-century B.C. Chinese myth Shan Hai Ching, meaning “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” when the doors of a cave called Bear Mountain were open during winter, it was considered a bad omen.
   • The Indigenous Ainu of Japan called bears “Kamui,” meaning “god,” and saw them as the king of all the gods.
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   Norse Traditions In Norse traditions, berserkers are warriors who go into battle adorned in bear skins, called “bear coats.” Among Viking symbols and meanings, the Nordic god Thor is symbolized by a bear; bears are also considered great protectors.

   • The Nordic Sami people believed that the bear is a spiritual messenger who moves between material and spiritual worlds. They used every part of the bears they hunted, from the meat to the fur, in order to make peace with the bear’s spirit.
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   Finnish Traditions In Finnish mythology, the bear Otso was raised by a forest goddess and was not supposed to use his teeth and claws. Because he did, Finnish people were allowed to hunt bears. Otso is also called The Honey Eater, The Forest Apply, and The Pride of the Thicket.
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   Celtic Traditions In Celtic mythology, St. Brigid is known as the great bear mother who was worshipped by a Celtic bear cult. She is associated with Imbolc, or St. Brigid’s Day, a Gaelic festival at the beginning of spring that is represented by a bear coming out of hibernation. Brigid and her Imbolc festival represent renewal, sacrifice, and ritual.

   • Additionally, King Arthur’s name derives from the Roman-Celtic bear god Mercurius Artaius, which links kings to bears in Celtic storytelling myths.
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   Greek Traditions In Greek mythology, the constellation of Ursa Major is a symbol of Callisto, who had a child with Zeus. Out of jealousy, the goddess Hera turned Callisto into a bear. After Callisto’s son nearly hunted the bear not knowing it was his mother, Zeus put Callisto and her son into the sky as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, respectively.
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   Christian Traditions In the Bible, bears appear as positive and negative symbols. They are seen as an example of God’s will when they maul those who mock God’s prophets. Bears are also symbols of evil and the devil when they threaten the flock. They are fierce protectors in the Book of Samuel and compared to the mother bear who protects her cubs.
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Section 3 of 8:

Symbolism Of Different Color Bears

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   Brown bears Brown bears are known for being grounded and are associated with the earth. They let you know how important it is to stay connected to the natural world. Take a hike in nature or spend time in the greenery of a park to feel more grounded. Brown bears are also known as grizzly bears, one of the fiercest species in North America.
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   Black bears Black bears represent mystery and facing your fears. Their purpose is to show you that exploring the unknown is a noble journey, especially when it involves the lesser-known parts of you. In life, they are smaller than grizzly bears and are thought of as less dangerous.
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   White bears Polar bears represent purity and clear thinking. They can remind you to see things clearly and stay focused on what’s important to you. In the natural world, the most famous white bears are polar bears, who are able to withstand the harsh cold found in the Arctic Circle.
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   Black and white bears Black and white bears are called Pandas and remind you to stay balanced in any situation. Embrace both the good and bad aspects of life so you stay on a path of equilibrium. Panda bears are the only vegetarians among their bear brethren, as they love eating bamboo.
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   Red bears Red bears aren’t represented in nature, but when they appear in a spiritual vision or dream, they stand for love or anger. They are letting you know to stay focused on your emotions and give them the attention they deserve.
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Section 4 of 8:

Bear Symbolism in Astrology

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   The bear is associated with the astrological sign of Virgo. In astrology, bears are linked to patience, solitude, and introspection to stay balanced. As the Virgo spirit animal, the bear symbolizes strength, courage, and leadership. It can be self-critical but uses its pragmatic nature not to tolerate waste of any kind.

Section 5 of 8:

Bear Symbolism in Psychology

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   Bears typically symbolize danger in certain branches of psychology. In Jungian psychology, specifically, bears are thought to symbolize the danger caused by uncontrollable parts of the unconscious. Bears are often psychologically associated with a cruel or crude type of man, which gives us the word “berserk” (meaning “bear coat”). This term originally referred to Norse warriors who acted fiercely when they wore bear fur into battle.
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Section 6 of 8:

Dreaming about Bears

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   Bear dream meanings include not getting what you want in life. It can also indicate that you’re not comfortable accepting what you want most. Bear dreams are also associated with both boundaries and getting in touch with your inner strength and courage wherever it’s needed.

   • Friendly bear: Focus on using an aspect of your personality to get what you want.
   • Talking bear: A reminder to pay attention to and reconnect with nature.
   • Bear outside your home: Someone in your household is very difficult to bear at the moment.
   • Hunting a bear: Represents something you’re hunting in life: a partner, job, or new opportunity.
   • Waking up a bear: Bring back a now dormant part of your life or personality that needs waking up.
   • Caring for a sick or injured bear: You or someone close to you needs to be freed and allowed to roam.

Section 7 of 8:

The Bear as a Spirit Animal

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   Bears can make for a courageous and grounding spirit animal. If you’re attracted to bear imagery, have bear dreams, or are drawn to stories about bears, it’s time to embrace bears when you connect to your spirit guide.

   • Bears are a reminder for you to find courage when you don’t have it and use it whenever life throws you an obstacle or a challenge.
   • Let bears inspire you and learn to meditate on what they represent, including protection, grounding, healing, and solitude.
   • Get inspired by the power of bears by reflecting on your inner strength, fearlessness, and confidence in yourself.
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Section 8 of 8:

Bear Symbolic Meaning FAQs

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   What do bears symbolize in literature? Bears appear as different kinds of characters in children's stories. Winnie the Pooh is a lovable character who links back to the idea of the Finnish Otso, also called the “honey bear.” The well-behaved Paddington Bear is a good example of how the theme of comfort is associated with bears. Additionally, Baloo is the name of a sloth bear in The Jungle Book who teaches the laws of the jungle to Mowgli.
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   What is the significant meaning of bear? Bears mostly signify bravery, resourcefulness, and confidence. Other significant associations with bears include their inquisitive nature, humor, and self-reliance. Bears represent protection and security most of all, which makes them a powerful symbol in the animal world.
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   Which country are bears a symbol of? Bears are a symbol of Russia because they were regarded as a totem animal in Russian-Slavic cultures. In addition, the city of Madrid considers the bear and the strawberry tree to be the symbol for its city. The grizzly bear has also been the state animal of California since 1953 and currently appears on the California state flag.
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