Over the course of centuries, the tiger is now immortalized in a variety of myths, stories, traditions and aspects of popular culture throughout the world. Predatory large cats have fascinated humanity for centuries, and tigers are in the forefront of the trend, as a result of their distinctive look and the symbolic associations made together since time immemorial. While a tiger safari can empower individuals to observe these animals in their natural habitat in the wild, the sign of the tiger could be understood in many legends and stories throughout the world. Here are some of the most interesting looks of tigers, from ancient myths to the contemporary media.
- Chinese Kings
Though many African American myths and Stories center on the lion, in China, the tiger takes its position as foremost among the large cats, symbolizing royalty, fearlessness, and anger. In graphic depictions, the Chinese tiger frequently includes a marking on its forehead that is the Chinese character for king, and echoes the stripes of the tiger. Many contemporary cartoon depictions of tigers in China and Korea are attracted with this mark in their forehead, as a nod to those mythical associations.
- The Zodiac
The tiger takes its place one of the 12 animals of the Zodiac, where it has institutions of pride, pride, and skills as a hunter are emphasized. In the age of Imperial China, a tiger was regarded as the personification of war and warfare, and has been frequently used as a symbol to represent the maximum military general a tradition which continues to this day, because it is also utilized to symbolize the defense secretary at the Chinese government. In various Chinese martial arts, the tiger tours is used as a metaphor for competitive movements and stances, and one southern Chinese martial art, Hung Ga, is reported to be based on the movements of tigers and cranes. Even outside of a conventional tiger safari, the creature can be observed in many areas within Chinese culture.
- Legends of the Tiger
There are many legends and Tales about tiger’s different cultures. In Buddhism, the tiger is known as one of the 3 Senseless Creatures or creatures ruled by a baser human emotion in which it symbolizes anger and anger, together with the fighter that represents greed, and the deer that represents lovesickness. The Tungusic people considered the Siberian tiger as something close to a deity, and called it Grandfather, or old guy. The widely-worshipped Roman goddess, Durga, is a ten-armed warrior who rides a tigress called Damon into battle. A ten-armed goddess riding a tiger could surely be a strange sight to behold on a tiger safari, but sadly, none you are most likely to encounter in this era.
Rajan Jolly is the Operations Supervisor for Naturetrek, a tour operator specializing in expert-led natural history and tiger safari tours globally. Naturetrek bring over 25 years of expertise to their tiger safari tours in some of the most spectacular regions on Earth.