Theriocephaly

The Theriokephalie (also Theriocephalie ) or Tierköpfigkeit (Greek θηρίον Therion: wild animal and κεφαλή kephale: head) called in archeology, the combination of a human body with an animal head ( cross-species ). Theriokephalie is commonly found especially in the ancient Egyptian gods and has its origin possibly in shamanism, because in some rock art and cave paintings such figures are shown in which one does not know whether it is true hybrids or to mask carrier. Examples of this are the "magician " of Trois Frères (Ariège), a human figure with bison head and a long tail in Le Gabillou (Dordogne ) and the famous lion figure, a statuette from the Hohlenstein Stadel in the Lone Valley. Even though in the much younger rock art of the Sahara (eg rock engravings in the Wadi Mathendous of Fezzan ) found similar representations. However, here is debatable whether it is shamans with masks or outright theriokephale hybrid. One of the earliest such figures is the goat demon, the potential origin of the god Pan. The reverse combination of an animal body with a human head, however, is missing in both the Paleolithic as glacial rock art, however, is how adjacent figure with the soul bird shows, which was a familiar idea in shamanism, was common in ancient Egypt (for example, the sphinxes ), similar in Greece, Mesopotamia and Persia, usually as a power symbolism of rulers. Whether it is to the animal-headed gods of Ancient Egypt is a direct link, however, of the theriokephalen demons of the Neolithic, is controversial. In contrast, this compound is fairly conclusive in Mesopotamia. Suspected theriokephale early forms have been found on the border with Syria on Gobekli Tepe in the extreme southeast Turkey ..