00:00Long before humans built skyscrapers or named themselves kings of the world,
00:04we were already kneeling.
00:05Kneeling before creatures with feathers, fur, scales and claws.
00:08From crocodiles that were worshipped in temples to falcons mummified like pharaohs.
00:12These are 14 animals our ancestors treated like royalty or straight-up gods.
00:17Cats.
00:18In ancient Egypt, cats were not just pets curled up on the windowsill.
00:22They were sacred embodiments of the goddess Bastet,
00:24who ruled over protection, fertility and joy.
00:27Imagine that.
00:28The same little furball knocking your cup off the table today
00:31was once treated like a walking, breathing piece of heaven.
00:34Egyptians took this so seriously that killing a cat, even by accident, could be punished by death.
00:39And when these cats finally passed on, they were not tossed in the backyard.
00:42Many of them were carefully mummified, wrapped in linen and buried with honour,
00:46the same way royalty got sent off.
00:48And just like cats, these next creatures were also treated with divine respect.
00:52Bulls.
00:53Especially the apies bull.
00:54If you think cats had it good, wait until you hear about the bulls.
00:58The apies bull in ancient Egypt was not just a strong animal in a field.
01:01It was believed to be the living embodiment of gods like Tar and later Osiris and Serapis.
01:06Specific bulls were carefully selected based on sacred markings on their bodies.
01:11Once chosen, that bull was moved into a temple, fed the finest food and worshipped daily.
01:16People travelled long distances, just a bow before it, and when the apies bull died, the whole nation mourned.
01:21Its body was mummified, sealed in a giant stone sarcophagus, and given a funeral so grand it could rival any
01:27pharaohs.
01:28Like bulls, this next animal also inspired deep devotion.
01:32Crocodiles.
01:32Now picture this, a massive crocodile, jaws wide open, teeth sharp enough to snap bone and people lining up to
01:39feed it.
01:39That was real life in ancient Egypt.
01:42Crocodiles were linked to Sobek, the god of fertility, power, and pharaonic might.
01:46Entire temples were built in honor of Sobek, and inside those temples, live sacred crocodiles were kept, pampered, and protected.
01:53Priests adorned them with jewelry, gold bracelets, and even painted their scales.
01:57These were not random reptiles.
01:59They were considered divine creatures walking the earth.
02:01But while crocodiles ruled the waters, another animal came to represent power and dominance on land.
02:07Lions.
02:08Lions have always carried a certain weight.
02:10The roar, the mane, the stare, in ancient Egypt.
02:14That energy was not lost on the pharaohs.
02:16Lions, along with cheetahs and other large cats, were strong symbols of royalty and kingship.
02:21Some pharaohs reportedly kept them as pets, walking around with lions by their side as emblems of power and divine
02:27protection.
02:27These animals were also tied to powerful goddesses like Sekhmet, the fierce warrior goddess often shown with the head of
02:33a lioness.
02:34To stand next to a lion was to stand next to a god.
02:36That is the kind of respect these big cats commanded back then, and they were not the only ones closely
02:41linked to rulers and gods.
02:42These next animals commanded the skies instead of the earth.
02:46Falcons and hawks.
02:47Look up at the sky in ancient Egypt, and a falcon was not just a bird, it was a king.
02:52Falcons and hawks represented Horus, the god of kingship in the sky, and here is the wild part.
02:57The pharaoh himself was often called the living Horus.
02:59That means whenever a falcon flew overhead, people believed they were watching divinity in motion.
03:04Temples were built.
03:05Statues were carved.
03:06Falcons were mummified.
03:07The sharp eyes, the speed, the way they ruled the sky, all of it lined up perfectly with how Egyptians
03:13saw their rulers.
03:14Powerful, watchful, untouchable.
03:16The falcon was not just admired, it was worshipped.
03:19And just like it, these next animals were also important symbols in ancient times.
03:23Ibises and baboons.
03:25This pairing might sound strange at first, a long-beaked bird and a loud, busy primate.
03:30But in ancient Egypt, they shared one very important master.
03:33Both ibises and baboons were sacred to Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing, and the moon.
03:38Thoth was the record keeper of the gods, the one who weighed truth itself.
03:42So these animals were not seen as ordinary creatures, they were seen as walking symbols of knowledge.
03:46Millions of ibises have been found mummified in underground tombs, stacked carefully, offered as gifts to Thoth.
03:52Baboons were also depicted in temple art with their hands raised toward the sun.
03:57Similar to these sacred creatures, this next animal was honoured for its important role in everyday life.
04:02Cows.
04:03Before we get to India, cows had already earned their crown in Egypt.
04:07Cows were linked to Hathor, the goddess of fertility and motherhood, along with other bovine goddesses.
04:11Hathor was one of the most beloved deities in all of Egypt.
04:15She represented love, music, joy, and the deep nurturing power of motherhood.
04:19So cows were not seen as just farm animals giving milk.
04:22They were seen as gentle reflections of a goddess who held the world together with kindness.
04:27Temples honoured her, songs were sung for her, and the cow, calm and steady, became the symbol of that warm,
04:32sacred energy.
04:33But the opposite is true for these next animals.
04:35Jackals and dogs.
04:37Jackals and dogs in ancient Egypt were associated with Anubis, the god of mummification and the afterlife.
04:43Picture that famous image.
04:44A figure with a human body and the head of a jackal, standing over a mummy, weighing the heart of
04:49the deceased.
04:49That was Anubis.
04:51And every jackal seen wandering near the tombs at night was believed to be a quiet messenger of his.
04:55These animals guarded the dead.
04:57They guided souls.
04:58They held the line between this world and whatever came next.
05:01But they were not the only animals with a special place in ancient beliefs and traditions.
05:05Monkeys.
05:06In Hindu mythology, monkeys are tied to one of the most beloved figures of all, Hanuman.
05:11Hanuman is the monkey god of strength, loyalty, and devotion.
05:14His story is told and retold across generations.
05:18The bravery.
05:18The leaps across oceans.
05:20The unshakable love for Lord Rama.
05:22Because of him, monkeys carry a sacred weight in many parts of India.
05:25Temples dedicated to Hanuman are everywhere.
05:28And the monkeys that gather around these temples, they are not chased away.
05:31They are fed and respected.
05:33And just like them, another animal was also seen as a sacred symbol.
05:37Eagles.
05:38In ancient Greece, the eagle was the personal bird of Zeus himself, the king of the gods.
05:42The eagle was sacred to Zeus in Greek mythology.
05:45And also a symbol of power and sovereignty in Roman and other cultures.
05:49The Romans took that same energy and made the eagle the symbol of their empire.
05:53Carrying it on their banners into battle.
05:55Even today, you see eagles on flags, on coins, on the seals of nations.
05:59That is not a coincidence.
06:00It is a thread that stretches all the way back to a time when people genuinely believed the eagle was
06:05the messenger of the highest god in the sky.
06:07Like eagles, the next bird also held great importance.
06:09But for reasons far more mysterious.
06:12Owls.
06:13While the eagle ruled the daytime, the owl ruled the night and the mind.
06:17Owls were sacred to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
06:21The city of Athens named after her even put the owl on its coins.
06:25Imagine that.
06:25A bird so respected, it ended up on the money.
06:28In Greek culture, seeing an owl was often taken as a sign that Athena herself was watching over you.
06:33The quiet stare.
06:34The way it turns its head.
06:35The way it sees in the dark.
06:37Everything about the owl felt like wisdom in animal form.
06:40And the Greeks honored it deeply for that.
06:42But while owls were linked to wisdom, another animal was regarded as a symbol of prestige.
06:47Horses.
06:48Horses carried gods, kings, and warriors.
06:51In Greek mythology, horses were sacred to Poseidon, the god of the sea, who was also believed to have created
06:57them.
06:57Beyond Greece, horses were revered in various warrior and royal contexts across cultures.
07:02Kings rode them into battle.
07:04Conquerors were buried with them.
07:06Empires rose and fell on their backs.
07:08A horse was not just transportation, it was status.
07:11And in many ancient societies, owning a fine horse meant you were touched by something divine, something bigger than yourself.
07:17Like horses, this next animal was also closely associated with royalty and beauty.
07:22Peacocks.
07:22Few birds command attention like the peacock.
07:25With those long, jeweled feathers fanning out like a crown, it is no wonder the peacock was associated with royalty
07:31and divinity in various Asian and Persian contexts and linked to Hera in Greek myth.
07:36Hera, the queen of the Greek gods, was said to have placed the eyes of her servant onto the peacock's
07:41tail, which is why those feathers look the way they do today.
07:43In Persia, peacocks decorated palaces and thrones.
07:46Royalty saw themselves in the peacock.
07:48Bold, bright, impossible to ignore.
07:51This was a bird that did not just exist.
07:53It announced itself.
07:54And just as it captured attention with its appearance, another bird became famous for its connection to myths, omens, and
07:59the supernatural, ravens.
08:01In Norse mythology, ravens were associated with Odin, representing thought and memory.
08:07Odin, the All-Father, had two ravens named Huginn and Muninn, which translate to thought and memory.
08:13Every morning, they would fly out into the world, gather information, and return to whisper everything they had seen into
08:18Odin's ear.
08:19So while most people saw a black bird perched on a branch, the Vikings saw something else entirely.
08:24They saw the eyes and ears of a god.
08:26Which of these animals surprised you the most?
08:27Let me know in the comments.
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