Map

animal

Ox

Beings · Nature

Ox as an animal people have named and used. Strength, Enlightenment, Devotion — one living kind, not a single symbol.

  • Ox is used in Medicine.

    Pliny’s Natural History treats the ox among cattle whose gall, fat, and other parts enter Roman pharmacological speech. A named ox in that encyclopedia, not bull as the fighting beast alone and not a Vedic cow flatten.

    from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE

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  • Ox is associated with Patience.

    In Twining’s Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art, the qualities of the ox especially embodied were those of patience and strength — the ox carries that patience reading.

    from Louisa Twining · Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediaeval Christian Art, 1852 (new ed. 1885)

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  • Ox is associated with Strength.

    In Twining’s Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art, the qualities of the ox especially embodied were those of patience and strength — the ox carries that strength reading.

    from Louisa Twining · Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediaeval Christian Art, 1852 (new ed. 1885)

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  • Ox is associated with Yoke.

    In Twining’s Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art, Christians in general are typed by the ox as those who bear willingly the yoke of Christ and labour for others — the ox figures that yoke-bearing.

    from Louisa Twining · Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediaeval Christian Art, 1852 (new ed. 1885)

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  • Ox is associated with Kindness.

    In Beeton’s Book of Household Management, the sheep’s value amply repays whatever care and kindness man bestows, for like the ox scarcely a part cannot be converted to useful purpose — the ox sits in that kindness economy.

    from Isabella Beeton · Book of Household Management, 1861

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  • Ox is historically related to Lion.

    In Twining’s Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art, plate 82 groups the ox with the stag, the ass, and the lion among early Christian animal symbols.

    from Louisa Twining · Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediaeval Christian Art, 1852 (new ed. 1885)

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  • Ox is historically related to Bull.

    In Watson’s Biblical and Theological Dictionary, Israelite sacrifices of the beeve kind admit a cow, bull, or calf, but an ox could not be offered because it was mutilated; when Scripture says oxen were sacrificed, bulls are meant.

    from Richard Watson · A Biblical and Theological Dictionary, 1831–32 (Gutenberg #53884)

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  • Manger is associated with Ox.

    In Twining’s Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediæval Christian Art, the most frequent position of the ox in Christian art is by the manger in which the Infant Jesus was laid, side by side with the ass — the manger seats that ox.

    from Louisa Twining · Symbols and Emblems of Early and Mediaeval Christian Art, 1852 (new ed. 1885)

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  • Sheep is associated with Ox.

    In Beeton’s Book of Household Management, like the ox, scarcely a part of the sheep cannot be converted to some useful purpose — the sheep is paired with that ox use.

    from Isabella Beeton · Book of Household Management, 1861

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  • Horn is associated with Ox.

    In Theophilus’s Divers Arts, burn the horn of an ox in the fire, scrape it, mix with a third part salt, and grind it strongly for file tempering — the horn is taken from that ox.

    from Theophilus Presbyter · On Divers Arts, c. early 12th century

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Hellenic religion

  • Ox appears in Hellenic religion.

    The Iliad names oxen among sacrificial cattle and yoke-beasts in camp and simile. A named ox in that epic, not bull as the breeding male alone and not a zodiac dump.

    from Homer · Iliad, c. 8th–7th century BCE (this form)

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Buddhist traditions

  • Ox appears in Buddhist traditions.

    Watson’s Lotus Sūtra names the great white ox-cart among the three burning-house vehicles — the Buddha-vehicle figure. A named ox in that parable, not a generic cattle dump and not a zodiac Taurus flatten.

    from Burton Watson (translation) · The Lotus Sutra, 1993 (this translation); Sanskrit/Chinese recensions much older

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Vedic tradition

Chinese tradition

sources