The Strange Rituals of Siberian Bear Cults

[@Crecganford]

Do you want to hear more about the different Bear Cults? Or would you like to hear about other cults?

[@argumentfoireux1660]

As the hunt takes place when the bear goes in hibernation, can the den be a cave? Can the painted caves might have been bear's den? In some caves, there are bear scratchs or bear skulls.

[@christopherellis2663]

​@argumentfoireux1660 We don't know what people were doing those myriads of years ago. It was cave bears, anyway

[@Goosebear77]

Great video. I would love to see more videos on Bear Cults. Hence my nickname. I'm sitting with my back against a Bear Bear fur as I type 😄 I've been looking up Bear traditions and myths for a few years since being given the nickname. The traditions recounted here remind me of the work of a Russian researcher from the early 1900's. I can't remember his name now. There are similar Bear traditions in Sámi folklore of Northern Sweden. Some shapeshifting between man and bear occurs. The themes and motifs are very similar. The marriage/union between a human woman and a male Bear, the woman's male family searching for her, brass jewellery (rings) being used to identify the man in Bear form upon death. In later Icelandic sagas the motifs of shape shifting and a ring reoccur. I find the seven cups of tea described in the video very interesting as the Ursa Major constellation usually depicted in short hand with 7 stars. Thanks for the video.

[@TheMysticTable]

I would like you to talk about the Arkteia bear cult.

[@HangrySaturn]

How about the Lykaia, that ancient werewolf cult based in Greece? That could be fun.

[@rikulappi9664]

Bear cults! I am from Finland. In Finnish culture bear was a sacred animal.

[@ToreMix7400]

"The Strength of 7 men, but the Wisdom of Ten", was the saying as late as me growing up in the 1960s and being a youth in the 70s, although bears were preserved and hunting for them was illegal in my childhood in Northern Norway..

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

And Ainus...

[@sirseigan]

And Sami. And the Germanic spraking Scandinavinans.

[@gtgodbear6320]

Yes they are.

[@aleisterlavey9716]

Isn't Karhu still significant in Finland? 😂🍻🤣

[@DolphinRichTuna]

Just gotta say how great your voice/speaking style is. It has this careful, controlled calmness to it and it's super enjoyable.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@ndahiya3730]

@@Crecganford Sorry to say, but even at full volume of my laptop, I could not really listen the voice. Had to rely on the auto caption. Still, learnt something from history and enjoyed it.

[@loriannepresnell7951]

The Lakota tribe honored ALL that shared Earth however they only bestowed the honor of "warrior" status to the bear. They revered the bear nation as a relative who taught the nation of men many valuable lessons such as what plants were medicinal and/ or good for food. Truly a meaningful podcast and presented in scholarly and respectful manner...heartfelt thx!🌎🌬🔥💦

[@Bbq7272]

Well at some point these north American people crossed the Bering Strait from Siberia

[@stephennelson4964]

not all, that one tract way of thinking has been falling out of favor in past years based on the size of the ice walls they would face in Beringia (its late idk how to spell the land there) they believe some people becoming the inuit may have occupied the land there for tens of thousands of years it was more than a bridge also the dna of plains first people and other first nations haplo group point to a closer relation to CentralAmerican's people.

[@DarkSaber-1111]

​@@stephennelson4964is there any information if any tribes migrated from the Pacific Islands? If people made it as far as Hawaii and the Scandinavian ezpolrers made it thru the northern Atlantic with their open/exposed boats then i would think it should be possible though very dangerous.

[@dwijgurram5490]

They are one of the three tribes of Atlantis.

[@AngeloWilliams-b5y]

All the old world people respected feared and loved the natural world we swoped it for money and technology and look where we find ourselves today

[@javikus]

In Slavic mythology, and especially in Russia, the image of the bear and the bear cult is in contact with the cult of the chthonic god Veles, Veles is the god of livestock, but at the same time the god of the underworld. In Slavic mythology, the bear is a model of strength and power of nature over man, and this connection confirms that Veles is also connected with nature. He is a chthonic god, often depicted as a serpent (especially it is seen in the correlation of St. George with Perun and the Serpent with Veles), but at the same time with a bear. This is confirmed by written sources in the territory of Rus', where pagan priests of Veles wore, in addition to ceremonial clothes, the skin of a bear to confirm the closeness with the beyond, especially with their God.

[@jennodine]

My dad, an avid deer hunter, tried hunting bear once, but it freaked him out because he said it looked just like a man after it was skinned and he never did it again.

[@jennymalmiola324]

This gives me so much perspective on Finnish bear myths. It is mindboggling to think how old these beliefs are. And to compare them to Finnish less than 10 000 year old myths and how they have changed along the way. Thank you for the video and all the work behind it!

[@ndahiya3730]

these are not 10,000 yrs but around 10,00,000 yrs, as per Ramayan - gods took birth in the form of bears & monkeys. Even some 5-6000 years ago, Lord Krishna married the daughter of Jambvant (the bear).

[@nnonotnow]

You had me in your opening statement. " If we could go back in time we would find that the line between humans and animals was blurred our ancestors formed spiritual connections with nature and animals and considered them an essential aspect of life." Humans were nature not separate from it. As we lost our respect for nature our beliefs changed to the point where nature is just a resource to exploit. There's wisdom in the old ways.

[@kathywolf4558]

yes, exactly

[@JJ-fq4nl]

That was lost when cities were built thousands of years ago.

[@jasoninthehood9726]

I know you’re trying to be profound but what is the wisdom?

[@jonnybarnard8578]

@@jasoninthehood9726 how to live in harmony with nature instead of using it only when we need something from it. It's a way of life, not just words.

[@ndahiya3730]

probably crusades killed the people, the wisdom and the traditions.

[@rikulappi9664]

The Siberian gran-pa cult feels heart warminly similar to the Finno-Ugric King of Animals I am familiar with as a Finn. Note that I did not write His real name...

[@ArnavSharma-bj4ct]

In the rigveda the king divodasa was from the rksa(bear) clan of the bharata tribe. Not only that there was also a major tribe known as lichhavi or better known as rksavi or bear clan which was a prominent tribe until the gupta era. Not only that but the rksa has been considered as a pitri(ancestor spirit) and is said in the ayurveda to be served food during sraddha(the hindu month for remembering the ancestors). In rigveda 1.24.10 for example bear has been mentioned as a constellation in association with varuna another primordial god

[@dwijgurram5490]

You forgot to mention jambavan

[@ArnavSharma-bj4ct]

@@dwijgurram5490 It is dravid not arya

[@dwijgurram5490]

@@ArnavSharma-bj4ct you left it out Just because it's Dravidian?

[@dwijgurram5490]

Then you'll definitely get the shock of your life when you get to know the truth

[@ArnavSharma-bj4ct]

@@dwijgurram5490 No I left it out because it does not cognate with other cultures. Rather it is its own isolate

[@djquinn11]

There’s still a pretty large Bears cult in Chicago.

[@Crecganford]

I'm surprised it took someone this long to say that.... :)

[@aariley2]

It makes complete sense that they would think bears were humans in fur. Many a forensic worker has confused by bear front paws bones thinking them as human hand bones. They look nearly identical!

[@benwinter2420]

Big foot

[@catnotpat3693]

Long ago, I had a dream that I was being hunted by wolves. They completely surrounded me, and were howling like crazy. Suddenly I saw this enormous, and I mean huge, she bear standing in front of me. And I ran headlong towards her, and threw myself at her, and her giant paws closed around me. I buried myself as deeply as I could in her fur , and then I realized the wolves were no longer howling. I stayed there for a minute because I felt incredibly safe.

[@TheUrsophile]

Stay in her paws !

[@adwiggins1]

As an avid self guided student of the Paleolithic societies and their art, I would absolutely love to hear more, as well as deep dive into how far these myths may have travelled. I was able to visit Font de Gaume last March, and among my first thoughts as I looked at the paintings was “these are gifts- this was an act of giving.” It wasn’t until I saw your video about the name we can’t speak that I remembered the guide saying that particular cave had evidence of cave bear habitation. That sort of clicked an idea in my head of possible correlation. Most painted caves have evidence of cave bear habitation, and in Chauvet cave there is the chamber of cave bear skeletons which features a bear skull having been placed on a large rock in a way that I can only say was reverential at the very least. Claw marks that have been proven to be cave bear’s are mimicked and nearly hidden by human made ones. If the idea of drawn or painted representations being a shadow of the spirit is a truly ancient one, I can envision (without the ability to ever truly know, alas) Paleolithic tribes offering the shades of the local herbivore population to this king of animals. Merely conjecture on my part, but it does send the artist imagination off and running- thank you for a truly thought provoking and inspirational video. I’m headed to your patron page now!

[@josephwarra5043]

Until very recently, bears were kept as members of the family in many parts of Lithuania and worked with people in the fields and in mills and factories performing heavy labor and lifting. During WW2, the Polish Army had a bear as a member of the army who was on the roster as a regular soldier, was paid a wage and fought in combat with his compatriots. Many "animal" are much smarter than they are giving credit for, just ask anyone with a dog or cat or even a parrot.

[@TheUrsophile]

Wojtek's first "military act" was to discover and terrorize a spy hiding in showers. Because Wojtek was allowed to take a shower whenever he wanted, and he knew how to activate the shower by pulling a cord - no soldier would go to a shower during the day - and so the hidden spy was discovered and, frightened by Wojtek's presence, he admitted and passed on all the information to the soldiers who had captured him. Wojtek helped carry heavy ammunition boxes - just to imitate what soldiers did, and that was a good help. Wojtek could sense moments of sadness or depression in those around him and came to comfort them. Intelligent and sensitive animals. Very touching story of this terrible war - you can read a book "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr Jean Jacques Annaud, filmmaker, said that the actor bear understands very quickly what is asked from him, the only problem is to decide this bear to do what is wanted - he had to "bribe" the bear with tasty food as a gratification. Smart beast ! How not to love bears ?... To see a wild undisturbed bear in nature is the highest mystical experience - at least for me. Hunters cults and myths translate and conjurate a fear and anxiety to eat and survive - brutal reality indeed.

[@DatterAfDanevang]

All hail wotjek ❤

[@donkfail1]

Very interesting as always.

[@wbrx76]

This is incredible. Human gaining bear strength and bear gaining human intelligence. Hybridization beliefs and conceptualizing utility gain in the process, possibly?

[@garondupree8165]

Always good to see a Crecganford video drop

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@thesamo-finnicviking6435]

these stories, rituals and general themes with the bear taking a young woman as wife, them having a bear-son, the bears explaing how to be treated after the hunt and the theme of burying the bones etc. are pretty much identical to how the Sámi and Finns did and told. Some aspects even exists in the Norse sagas as well! like how Thor slaughters his goats to eat and shares the meat with his host's family and then burys them, the next day they are alive again but one of them has a broken leg as the young son of the family broke the bone to get to the marrow, even though Thor told them not to... pretty sure he kills the father in anger. Although I'm pretty sure the Norse didn't see the bear in the same sacred way as their Finno-Ugric neighbours. It's so facinating to think of how far these storys traveled and over what enormus spans of time they pressist.

[@violenceislife1987]

The bear cult in 13th warrior came to mind; and ancient north Eurasians. You are such a fantastic content creator! So grateful for your work. In areas around here, bears are being displaced from their habitats by urban sprawl 😢. In ww2 a bear named Woitek was raised by an army and guven his own ration card, and worked loading the artillery.

[@TheUrsophile]

Could you please elaborate on 13th warrior ? Wojtek is famous - do you know "Wojtek the Bear, Polish War Hero" by Aileen Orr ? Arthur means Bear. King Arthur = Ursa Major in the middle of the round table zodiac - what about that ?

[@Mattiniord]

The similarities in bear rituals and myths over the entire circumpolar region is really interesting. In the museum we got a statue of a polar bear to illustrate an arctic expedition a helicopter we have was part of. I then decided to theme my childrens guided tour around the bears instead of aircrafts. I used our mobile plantery to create a cave, placed a flame lamp and created a fake fire with some firewood around it. Then I told them a variant of the legend of The woman who married a bear. I was a bit trepidated about the sad parts, not least when the bear is killed. But in the end it was a success. I prepared them ahead that all old stories contain both happiness and sadness, because life is both happiness and sadness. It really worked.

[@MaddoxLightning]

This makes me wonder about Coyotes. A book that changed my life is Coyote America by Dan Flores. He speaks of Coyote as a central animal spirit in many many cultures, globally. He delves lightly into spiritual practices and stories regarding coyotes in the America’s. Seeing a video regarding other information, either specific rituals, stories, constellations, or coyote teachings from elsewhere would be amazing! I’ve also wondered deeply about the horse… worldwide, however especially in North America where horses originally came from and have returned so many generations later.

[@shanegooding4839]

Knowing more about the Ket was cool! I know scholars have linked Yeniseyan speakers like them to Na-Dene folks of North America, but also to Altaic peoples like the Mongols. But I know almost nothing about the Ket. Thankyou.

[@Crecganford]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

Bears tend to enjoy aesthetics experiences in seemingly exact way we do.

[@andriesscheper2022]

A skull of a cave bear was found on what might represent some kind of altar in the Cave of Chauvet in the Ardèche in France. The skull is facing beautiful art of all kinds of animals, even rhino's, that populated the region.

[@elizabethtowers3321]

Yes, pleas more about the different bear cults. I was always fascinated by the 'children's' story of Bearskin.; where it came from, how it came about. My take on the Bearskin stories I have read is that it appears to be a shamanic altering of the soldiers being/soul. I have read a few versions of the germanic bearskin stories and am looking for them across other cultures. Ainu, North American, etc.

[@johnsteiner3417]

Michael Crichton wrote _Eaters of the Dead_ to include a sort of bear cult of berserkers [bear skins] to serve as antagonists. I'd be interested in hearing if there were a bear cult tied to Norse traditions.

[@elizabethtowers3321]

My knowledge of actual Bearskins is that they were soldiers come back from wars who were required to wear the bearskin for approximately 7 years without bathing or shaving, no clipping of finger nails etc. as if to put the bearskin wearer thru a type of shamanic/wisdom or upgrading of their knowledge of what really matters in life. /each story/version I have read differs.

[@thesamo-finnicviking6435]

@@elizabethtowers3321 I've read that berserkers were crazed murderers that were banished from scosiaty, "more beast than man". but they were hired as murcinarys from time to time.

[@elizabethtowers3321]

@@thesamo-finnicviking6435 Berserkers vs Bearskins. One is a soldier and the other , from what I have read, is a retired soldier going thru a shamanistic change for a number of years, as if to cleanse his soul of war.

[@benwinter2420]

@@elizabethtowers3321 That sounds similar to Genghis Khan society practice of a ritual absolution of their soldiers from guilt of war crimes

[@heckusay5703]

This is really great information about the traditional stories , thank you for all the research! And l did a bit on how animals are said to be Spirt guides! Well l guess mine is the Bear , as to accordance to the month l was born ! So far in my walks in the woods l have had Bears follow me but not close but one day one came to my tent and was no more then 5 feet from me and then left after smelling me ! Man tends to need to be important with nature , it must be a ego thing to show how important one is ! The thing is to respect the wild and nature .

[@Crecganford]

I'm certainly not keen to be that close to a bear in the wild!

[@heckusay5703]

Me neither , but l got to go out and explore, it’s in me . Cub Scouts, Eagle Scout , Explorer Scout . Police Cadet , Marine Corps! Was a good education on the wilderness! So l got to walk forward and just have the kind animals and people around me but we know there is rogue ones too ! So be prepared

[@TheUrsophile]

Oh, yes ! We must be prepared - prepared to not provoke... they say that bears sense and avoid poeple in general. Beware of exceptions ! Bear spray is known as an efficient deterrent in case of a nasty bear. @@heckusay5703

[@Benni777]

I absolutely love what the bear spirit animal symbolizes: loyalty, strength, protective and nurturing qualities, wisdom, amongst other things that I can’t think of on the top of my head. Elephants also resemble these traits as well, which I also love. I have been seeing bear symbolism everywhere, like in media, in dreams, and overall “feeling” the Bear’s presence with me. I find it comforting, as I’ve been pretty anxious recently. Thank you so much for doing a video all about the bear and this interesting cult. If you haven’t already, can you do a video on elephants, if there are any myths or legends about these incredible animals? 🙏🏼

[@jasonreisenberger1285]

I just hit play, but I also have to let you know that a strong IPA is my preferred beverage when watching your videos. I do drink tea in the morning. Earl Grey with honey, and sometimes a thyme infusion I make.

[@KedgeDragon]

A skinned bear, with head and paws cut off, looks VERY like a skinned human with head, hands and feet cut off. VERY LIKE.

[@Crecganford]

Yes, I guess it would. Interesting.

[@ArnavSharma-bj4ct]

Hmm maybe someone known as ymir/Yama. Oh wait according to Mahabharata Shanti parva dvita(second man) aka Yama and ekata(first man) aka manu were both condemned to become wolves. So maybe some correlation is there

[@chaznonya4]

! Yokut Native American tribe from the west coast look like them, and is also a bear tribe! I would love to see a DNA done between the two.

[@Skolotoi]

So, these men absolutely destroyed bears and called it "Visiting the Old Man."

[@markstuber4731]

Reminds of the Movie "The Thirteen Warrior." It was based on a book I didn't read.😊

[@rotorairgroup8409]

I read it. It was about a creature more like a Yeti than a bear.

[@thfkmnIII]

Didnt even bring up Ainu and Korean bear worship when they're much more similar to Siberian bear cults than anything in Europe

[@Crecganford]

There was not enough time, I could have talked for about six hours on this. And so I will make more videos diving into other cultures when time allows.

[@bruanlokisson8615]

The Ainu and Koreans have very little in common with Siberians or Saami, whilst Saami and Siberians are practically cousins, so no, Northern Europe has far more in common with Siberia than merely having myths about bears like Korea.

[@benwinter2420]

@@bruanlokisson8615 The Finnish & etc Saami Laps are an Slav/Siberian tribe old . . you notice it quick

[@bruanlokisson8615]

@@benwinter2420 that is because I am half Saami.

[@Timer-Diegon1111]

@@bruanlokisson8615 the ainu are old Indo Europeans that lived there, I'd say it definitely links up.

[@heraclito3114]

In ancient Hispania, where the celts lived there was the belief that drinking a bear's head (related to berserkers?). There was a bear god/goddes we don't know much about, Arconi. Also apparently the most common surname in Spain, García, means bear

[@YukiTombo]

According to the _Kojiki_ (Japanese Record of Ancient Matters), there are several mentions of the emerging noble families putting down rebellions in regions dominated by the "bear people." The name of the city Kumamoto could be interpreted as "origin of the bear," and its mascot is a cute (but slightly creepy in my opinion) stylised bear named Kumamon. Funny enough, Kumamon was voted the most beloved mascot in Japan a few years ago. And if you go north to Hokkaido on the other side of the country, you can see that the bear is still revered.

[@AliBaba769]

Jamie Sams, half French/half Native American who co-wrote the Animal Medicine cards subscribes Bear to the West; it's medicine an ally with which to 'Enter The Silence', in order to find our own answers and the courage to meet our tomorrows. I resonate with this central theme in your wonderful presentation of the symbiosis between Human and Bear. Thank you.

[@keegandecker4080]

Slavs believed that the great bear lived in the roots of trees, and that he battled with the storm god, which explained lightning.

[@benwinter2420]

Satanna & Jumala fights caused thunder & lighting . . Sun swap times Kalevala Finn . . Saturn old brown cow Sun from the purple dawn & current Sun no name . . war in heaven/marriage made in heaven , long story

[@eg_manifest510]

I love how the bear story goes from classic fable antics to a full how-to recipe book on eating bears and practicing divination before jumping right back

[@perlefisker]

This is very interesting. It certainly makes animals in folklore easy to understand. Japanese Ainu - close to Siberia, interestingly - had women living together with a dog-man or horse-man as a partner, as if that wasn't anything special - and that husband WAS an actual dog or a horse. It's also interesting, how the man-of-the-forest in many cultures, WAS an actual animal, like the orangutan, but seen as a human, whereas cultures departed from nature, would regard actual humans as animals - even long before social-darwinism - as in the case brought to court in Madrid concerning the genocide of Mesoamerican populations.

[@BinroWasRight]

This is superb as always, thank you! For a culture that still has a special relationship with bears, the Ainu of Japan, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, etc. are a wonderful example. They also have had both mercantile and familial relations with the eastern tribes of Siberia for millennia.

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

The indigenous people of Kamchatka Alaska has a being called the God bear and its supposed to resemble the short faced bear of ancient times 😮🤯😵😱 that's one scary bear it was twice the size of the living polar bear on its hind legs but here's the scary parts twice its been runored to be 😮 in the 1920's a hunter named bergerman there shot a huge bear and sent the hide to Moscow and never heard a reply back on what he killed it was huge, and another sighting was in the 1980's what is exactly going on?

[@forgedoutcomes]

Loved this video. While I don't personally believe in these myths, as a modern hunter these beliefs do make perfect sense to me.

[@akulagepard9510]

it’s s fascinating to hear these tales, thank you so much, Crecganford! From Finland and Estonia, passing through Siberia and going all the way to Japan with the Ainu you can find the sacred Bear, really amazing.

[@EmL-kg5gn]

I’ve always wanted to pat a bear. They’re so cute!!! Maybe growing up in Australia so far away from them has removed the fear I’m supposed to feel towards them? They’re so fluffy and their little ears make them look so adorable 🐻 Thank you for explaining this history

[@kittykat6421]

May of 2024 this video is 2 months old, has 67,000 views, and 187k subscribers. How ia this not viewed more??

[@tkc1129]

So what did they do before copper pots? Cook it in an animal skin like Native Americans did to make succotash? BTW This video gave me an idea for something to pursue in designing a TTRPG. So, thanks for that.

[@ToreMix7400]

I think the cults of bears (and wolves), even predate the shamanic cults of Europe and Asia, even though they are all evolving from a basic totemic animism..

[@Crecganford]

I think snake or “dragon” cults were probably the oldest of the cults, but whether they predate shamanism is a difficult question to answer with confidence.

[@Moss_196]

I've always found it interesting that the original slavic word for bear has been lost. This is because it was believed that saying the bears name would summon him, so everyone started calling bears "honey-eaters" and now that is the slavic word for bear

[@taiyoqun]

I love doing crazy rites and having religious trips, to learn more about our ancestors way of seeing the world. I've come to lots of realisations I later confirmed with historical experts about the mystical fabric of our world. But sometimes, you unlock unholy knowledge that screws you up. Realising furries are a force of nature intrinsic to humanity was one of those realisations I wasn't ready for. So I hate that you're confirming what I found. In case anyone is wondering what I mean, it's exactly as it sounds. Furries were the first humans to taste ice.

[@HangrySaturn]

Great vid! I love learning about the earliest forms of religious thought!

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@davidgough3512]

that face on the artwork is straight from a character in the movie Jeremiah Johnson: "elk don't know how many legs a horse has!"

[@hekatoncheiros208]

Watch yer topknot.

[@voksende-halvmane]

*Turumism* - A Siberian religion, which believes the world we live in is vertical & equal. That every animal species exists as an intelligent feudalistic Race, instead of plain wild animals.

[@richardokeefe7410]

The idea that Western cultures had this terrible separation between humans and animals while ancient cultures had this wonderful spiritual connection to Nature is exploded when you remember that the last trial of an animal in a European court of law (that is, treating an animal as if it had a mind like a human and similar rights in and obligations to human society) took place in the 18th century. The Great Separation is very much a consequence of the Enlightenment, not of classical or mediaeval civilisation. Nor, when you reflect for a while, is bears being caged, killed with many spears, and eaten the kind of treatment one hands out to a being one genuinely respects and admires. The simplest hypothesis seems to be that, on quite rational grounds, ancient humans regarded bears as powerful enemies, with victory over a bear celebrated and commemorated much as one would celebrate and commemorate victory over a demon or a dragon.

[@chocoquark4831]

Are there bear storys in north america? The myth seems to be very old. And bears native in america as well.

[@loriannepresnell7951]

Many tribes revered the bear and much regarding the rites and ceremonies can be found thru literature written to preserve the history of first nations. I'm particularly fond of the Lakota legends. There were bands who called themselves MAHTO in reverence of the bear.🌎🌬🔥💦

[@Crecganford]

Yes there are many, and I shall share some soon.

[@flamingdonut9456]

Do you think the Scottish worn for child, bern, has any link to the adoption of bear cubs?

[@Crecganford]

An interesting question, in effect whether bjorn and bern are cognate? I shall try and find out.

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@Crecganford thank you for I was thinking more along the lines of the Swiss town Bern, and Germanic words for brown/bear. If I'm remembering correctly. Cheers. 👍

[@Goosebear77]

The Swedish, Norwegian and Danish word for child is Barn. Pronounced Baarn in Swedish. I was born in London and grew up with a few of Scots. I live in Sweden now and I'm learning Swedish so when I heard the Scandi word for child my ears pricked up. A lot of words in the British languages derive from Germanic languages going back to the Angle, Saxon and Jute migration/invasions. There's also the later Viking Era Norse influence in Scotland and the Orkneys. My great Grandfather's name was Bernard. He was Dutch. Bernard translates to Hard/Strong Bear in English. Good spot with the Scots word Bairn for child 🙂

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@Goosebear77 it's all very interesting, how European words and myths interact. And thanks for the spelling of bairn. 👍

[@Goosebear77]

@@flamingdonut9456 As a species we take our stories with us. You are very welcome.

[@davydacounsellor]

As humans take over the threat of wild animals and lose sight of themselves in nature, this indeed is a loss in holistic spirituality that encompasses the world around us. Great story, one with great metaphysical attributes. 👍

[@suzannerance2006]

Thank you Jon, I thoroughly enjoyed this. We have a group of people (uk countrywide) who hold a Bearfeast rituals in honour of our guest, honeypaw, and put together by our friends over ten years ago.

[@henriettanovember4733]

The bear also very special in Sami culture here in the far north. My ancestors believed they could understand human language and many othet things

[@jeffdumpster1470]

If the bear boy had the agility to kill that many small rodents surly he could jump 8 paces.

[@travhammer]

My den was the Bear in cub scouts. Eagle Claw for boy scouts explorer

[@kylemacarthur9863]

There may be a new Finland bear myth soon since they just joined NATO to go to war with Russia, the Greatest bear of all!

[@samluke8121]

The tiniest bear of all*.

[@itisawonderfulworld5573]

We always knew we were sleeping next to a bear but we just didn't recognize it's behaviour anymore and found it too unpredictable, even we thought we knew it well.

[@goldilocks913]

Hey it’s really cold there and a long winter. You need some bear love I’m not gonna judge

[@N_Ukestar-z9k]

Scandinavia's Sami people buried the bones of the bears they killed in a respectful and ritualistic way until the 17th century when they became christianized.

[@Bjorn_Algiz]

Love this topic brother ❤ hail and thank you for this beautiful video!

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@Bjorn_Algiz]

The bear is so revered in many cultures...it's so beautiful and amazing

[@cataphractus9800]

Thanks for yet another wonderful video!! Of course I always love the animal stories and appreciate always learning from you!

[@Crecganford]

Thank you, and I hope all is well with the animals at the zoo.

[@Heavilymoderated]

A bear ritual in a sparsely populated area is infinitely superior to going to walmart and buying meat.

[@soupbonep]

I don't know if the Goldi people of Siberia are a bear cult, but I was reminded of the great film by Akira Kurosawa "Dersu Uzala" where some Russian men use a Goldi hunter named Dersu to guide them through the forest for doing a topographic survey. I would be interested in hearing about Dersu's culture. By the way, I miss your intro music of the drumming.

[@Crecganford]

I'm just trying something different, I'm in two minds myself on what is best.

[@soupbonep]

@@Crecganford Do you mean the music? I can always hear it by goin to an old video. Have you seen Dersu Uzala? It is based on a memoir of the Russian serveyer who befriended Dersu. I don't know if the Goldi were a bear cult ,but I would like to read the memoir.

[@benwinter2420]

Finnish French 'horror' movie . . Sauna , about guilt . . starts off with a survey along a border long ago

[@theomnisthour6400]

The first past life I experienced was as a female bear. I can vouch for the traditions being based in spiritual truths of how previous chosen species passed the torch of creative evolution to humanity and were sacrificed for their efforts by servants of the adversary

[@teresawarnke999]

You were very blessed to have experienced this ✨🪄

[@teyanuputorti7927]

Very fascinating I’m Iroquois and we have bear clans and those of the bear clan can’t harm a bear.

[@Crecganford]

I’m slowly learning about early American cultures, and so soon hope to read about this.

[@GutsTheStoner]

Bear should have hidden behind his wife, and then they both can explain the situation. lol id be cool with a bear deity son in law

[@demoncore5342]

Such a foreign concept in this day and age. We go to visit a bear, feast on his flesh and feed his spirit in return as our guest. That's the type of a story I'm here for.

[@Sarah-said]

If you read fiction you might check out "The Clan of the Cave Bear". It's the first book of the "Earth's Children" series by Jean M. Auel. It's one of my favorite series and is based on scientific and historical findings.

[@KedgeDragon]

Curious about similar clans like wolf, snake and jaguar. Also berserkers.

[@Crecganford]

Yes, I'll see what I can cover in a future video.

[@adramalech3385]

The 13'th warrior, anybody? Or the book, eaters of the dead?

[@susannechinn647]

Very interesting Jon, these people respected the bear, even though they hunted it.

[@Paolur]

In Norway we say the bear has the strength of ten men and the intelligence of twelve

[@dimitriwolfs9370]

It reminds me of the writings of Robert Holdstock!

[@kashmirknitter]

So excited the video dropped! ❤ 🐻

[@PanSzawu]

I need you to finally cover the Slavic deities Veles, Perun, Rod, Svarog, Mokosh, the creation story and the Baltic Pantheon, which actually has far more sources in their own language group than the Slavic groups. I know you probably won't see this comment, but I am probably going to comment it again LOL It's very hard to ignore the Slavic and Baltic Pantheons when researching about Indo-Europeans! Nobody else is really done a good job at presenting it in English

[@Crecganford]

I do want to cover these, and am aware of some books in Polish that I would love to read, but my Polish is very poor. But I will try and do this one day.

[@klingoncowboy4]

You ever see a bear up close? Yea no wonder they were so revered

[@Stroopwaffe1]

I have a white Japanese Akita and hes very like a polar bear, they were used to hunt bears in japan in male/female pairs, Akita are one of those dogs that are still quite close to wolves, well more so than any other dog.

[@Miguel_man]

I've heard of people crossing wolf with huskies

[@joshj4790]

I like the content a lot, but I'm really struggling to absorb it with the background music.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for the feedback, I will work on this.

[@GrimDarkHalfOff]

I LOVE BEARS!!!!

[@MatthewCaunsfield]

Its easy to see why humans saw bears as fellow people. Great stories, thanks!

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@lexiknight12]

Bear

[@aariley2]

This is so sad 😢! Cruel corpse abuse. Why not just hunt it for food and say gratitude to the Powers?

[@Crecganford]

Welcome to religion…

[@jefflippman2925]

I can get fat and hibernate. Does that count?

[@GroundbreakGames]

This was awesome. Thanks for the information!

[@itisawonderfulworld5573]

Planning to visit traditional hunting feast in November, don't know yet if it's elk or bear meat. You could ask hunting luck from the forest goddess but she also took care of the hurt forest animals. She also gave the bear it's teeth and claws. The pine tree goddess was the mother of all bears and the bear skull used to be placed on the sacred tree during these hunting feasts.

[@beasleydad]

I always love your videos, but something about the title put me off of this one for a few days. 😅

[@Crecganford]

I understand, not usually my type of title, but I wanted to see if it made a difference. I'll probably change it to something more normal next week.

[@teresawarnke999]

The black bear is like the teacher's pet of creation. They wander where they want munching on all they can and nap frequently until it gets too cold then they check out until spring. They feel no pain delivering cubs and don't even have to eliminate waste. A perfect existence. There is no such thing as a bear problem for people. People are problematic for bears 🐻‍❄️🐻🐻‍❄️🐻. 🐼? ✨🪄

[@heathenhammerfeld148]

I wonder if there's any correlation between the seven cups during the feast and the seven stars in the Big Dipper which is part of Ursa Major.

[@Crecganford]

We do see the number seven mentioned in various tales more than other numbers, and so it maybe linked to something within the environment.

[@pierrecarvalho8773]

Great work but sound levels are a bit low. Please boost it next time. Thanks!

[@Sarah-said]

Great video! It reminds me of "The Clan of the Cave Bear". It's the first book of the "Earth's Children" series by Jean M. Auel. It's one of my favorite series and is based on scientific and historical findings.

[@ShekinahGwaii]

I'm definitely rewatching this, so much to chew on. Awesome stuff, thank you for your hours of squinting 🤨😉

[@Crecganford]

Thank you, I hope you enjoy it as much the second time.

[@gtgodbear6320]

Yes their are cults. Even in the US.

[@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmoji]

Kindly do not call them cults-These are traditions of indigenous people - still to this day-Cree, Blackfoot, Mohawk Nations, Lakota Nations, etc…..We still perform our Sacred Micmac Traditions- Bear =Mawgha -The Bear is cousin to the Pig and the Pig is cousin to man! Mitakuye Oyasin Mita Kolas! Look it up!

[@Crecganford]

But they are, in the academic use of the word, cults. This isn’t a derogatory term, just a way of explaining a group of people believe in in something.

[@kathyborthwick6738LakotaEmoji]

@@Crecganford I see & assumed -Thank You for your correction! 👵🏽✌🏾✨☀️✨

[@alexivaschenko5567]

I'm Australia it's the koala bear

[@ShorteeDoWop7]

As a Native American, my clan is Bear