As the Great Goddess is the origin of all things, and is our Natural Universe, it isn't surprising in the least, that animals of all kinds are closely associated with the many representations, or manifestations of Goddess.

Some Goddesses even appear as animals themselves occasionally, such as the Feline Goddess Bast, from Ancient Egypt; or as Sekhmet, the Lion-headed Goddess , who was known as the avenger of the God Ra when this awesome Goddess transforms into a Cobra and spits fire at those who threaten the natural balance of the Cosmos, or the enemies of the Gods.

The first sacred beast I will be introducing, is probably one of the most resilient and graceful predators ever created ` the magnificent Leopard.

 The Leopard

The Leopard has always been associated with Goddesses and in contemporary times, is still valued greatly as a symbol of Royalty.

It is especially in Africa in modern times that the great spotted cat is still incorporated in Royal symbolism and clothing

Queen Nandi of the Zulu people in the time of King Shaka

And this tradition, of identifying with the Leopard as a sign of divinity, or being associated with the Goddess, is a very long tradition, indeed.

This picture depicts a scene from Ancient Egypt, where a Shem, or spaceship rocket, is housed in an underground silo. The leopard skins alongside indicate who the makers and users of the craft were. 

Many Goddess statues and other works of art depicting the Goddess, include Leopards.

In the village of Catal Huyuk, many terracotta statues were found and are currently on display at the Ankara Architectural Museum in Turkey. The statues clearly show both men and women venerating the Goddess, and dressed in Leopard skins.

Please note that the use of a ritually-slain leopard was exclusively for the use of Queens, Kings and the Priestesses and Priests of the Old Religion, and no-where was it “fashion” in the ancient world, to slaughter every last remaining animal and mass produce fur coats, dripping with blood of endangered species, as is the case in today’s world, with it’s warped values and grossly unbalanced expectations.

High fashion

Often, Lions and Desert Lynx take the place of the Leopards, and the symbolism is the same overall. The large felines are fierce protectors of the Divine Feminine – especially during childbirth; and this protection extends to Her devotees.

The scientific name of the Leopard is Panthera pardus. Herein we have the first indication that the Leopard is a sacred beast, by virtue of the genus name , PAN thera. Pan is the Horned God of Nature, and His name means, “The All”. Accordingly, the Lion, Panthera leo, and the Tiger also bear his Name

The great cats, the fiercest of animals and some of the most efficient predators around, are as tame kittens laying at the feet of the Goddess, as SHE rules all of the natural world and all the wonderful creatures that share the living space of humankind on planet Earth.

It is a very sad fact of life, that although these great cats are voted by the majority of people as the most popular animals, they are on the verge of extinction in many areas.

Particularly the Tiger, as mankind continues with his relentless destruction of the natural environment, and living space is becoming even more scarce. Though the big cats are equipped with a very powerful anatomy, razor sharp claws and impressive fangs, with the  proportionate agility and speed of a common tabby;  they are completely defenceless against a modern high-powered sniper’s rifle and high-velocity ammunition.

The Leopard has adapted the best of all to the systematic invasion of humans of the natural world and the corresponding scarcity of habitat and resources, as this cat is by no means easy to eradicate. The leopard has a very wide-ranging natural distribution, from India to the Middle Orient and throughout the continent of Africa.

The leopard is hunted relentlessly for it’s beautiful coat, as despite the overabundance of synthetic furs available on the market nowadays, only the blood of innocent animals will do it for some who show their callous disregard for nature by creating the demand for wild animal products;  and because this natural predator will eat the odd sheep or cow that wanders into it’s age-old hunting grounds every now and again.

Leopards can even establish a hunting territory that includes semi-urban areas, as she hunts mainly at night and is almost totally invisible in the starlight and moon shadows. 

The Leopard is so powerful that it is child’s play to grab a large antelope by the scruff of the neck, and haul the dead prey high up in the brancehes of an Acacia (thorn?) tree, where the kill will be safe from the myriad of scavengers and other large carnivores such as Lions and Hyenas, who do not hesistate to steal a kill from it’s rightful ownerif given half a chance.

The leopard weighs up to around 180ib.(82kg) with a shoulder height of +- 26”(65cm); and lives for approximately 20 years. Prey varies from tortoises, scrub hares, snakes, rock rabbits and small deer, to fairly large antelope such as Impala and even Kudu or Waterbuck on occasion.

The Black panther is a Leopard that has an overabundance of melanin, or pigmentation in the fur. This is not a separate species at all, and in fact, Jaguars also display this form of melanism, although this is not very common.

Why is the Leopard a sacred Goddess animal? Well in fact, all felines are.

If you really want to know how a leopard behaves, just get to know your cat a little better.

Now imagine your cat, non-domesticated, in nature, and 40 times the weight…mm! Better make sure that she doesn’t mistake you for a potential snack ...

The earliest humans experienced the hunting powers of the great cats at night, and the stealth of this great feline and it’s extraordinary skill in stalking and hunting it’s prey , which includes primates, especially Baboon and, in the olden times, early hominids such as Homo erectus formed a substantial component of the daily diet.

Cats are practically invisible at night, and a fully grown leopard will be able to stalk a rodent in pitch darkness. The ferocity of a corned Leopard is beyond description; and tales are told of a single leopard cornered in a cave by a group of seven hunters and their assistants, and killing everyone in the circle in less than ten seconds by leaping from one to the other in a fluid motion.

The Leopard hunts primarily at night, as in common with most predators, and is generally speaking as lazy as, well, your tabby during the daytime, preferring to just hang out in trees on overhanging branches. Should a juicy baboon come along in the evening, the leopard will lazily drop off the branch onto the prey animal, simultaneously remove the skullcap with her canines, and disembowel the prey animal with it’s hind legs. (Much as a cat would do to a rodent).

So, Mother Nature created all of the animals, and some were created to be predatory, to maintain the natural balance, and keep the populations of herbivores and omnivores within natural limits. And for this – the ability to kill, even a human- the great cats have been hunted mercilessly for centuries. The decimation of the great cats began in earnest with the advent of colonialism and the Industrial Revolution, with the corresponding rise in global population levels, and the subsequent destruction of natural habitat, which decreased the range of these territorial cats and brought them into conflict with rapidly expanding populations .

Some get their own back every now and again...

A juvenile leopard defending her territory against builders at a new housing development