Animal Symbolism: What’s It All About
Animals appear in many Tarot cards and they’ve got a message that can deepen your interpretation.
Different animals represent different things based on your culture of origin and in some cards it can be unclear exactly which creature is pictured. To add a little flavor, various decks have different animals based on the artistic interpretation.
For example, the Queen of Pentacles’ companion is likely a rabbit but it might be a hare. In the traditional King of Pentacles he might be accompanied by a turtle or a tortoise. The Moon might feature a wolf, a jackal or a coyote and it might have a crawfish or a troglodyte.
Animals In Various Tarot Card Decks
Bat: Initiation, Wings of a vampire in the wings of Baphomet, good luck, physical desire, energy drained, shadow self
Birds: freedom, travel by air, messenger of God
Bull: Taurus, stability, strength, stubbornness, physical power, sensuality
Butterfly: Gemini. air, transformation, travel by air, intellect, beauty, transgenderism
Cat: Magic, subconscious, mystery, sexuality, intuition, psychic ability
Crawfish/Shellfish/Troglodyte: Feeling, subconscious, unknown, females
Crow/Raven: Divine law, karma, shape-shifting
Dog: friend, loyalty, follower, peer pressure, messenger, work
Dolphin: Spiritual good fortune
Dove: Peace, love, the Holy Spirit
Dragon: Royalty, mysticism, ancient wisdom, travel by air
Dragonfly: Illusion, dreams, magic
Eagle: Scorpio, swiftness, freedom, travel by air, Great Spirit
Falcon: War
Fish: Pisces, faith, water, subconscious, emotions, creativity, symbol of God’s love, money
Goat: Capricorn, resourcefulness, symbol of Baphomet and Pan, trickster, sexuality
Heron: Self determination
Horse: Nobility, power, action, hard work, earnestness, travel by land, friends
Hummingbird: Bliss, joy, awakening
Jackal: passion, unrestricted desire, violence, Symbol of Anubis, Egyptian Lord of the Dead
Lion: Leo, strength, honor, power
Rabbit: Fertility, sex, reproduction, good luck, messenger
Ram: Aries, power, leadership, authority, war, virility
Salamander/Lizard: Fire, wish fulfillment, Djinn
Snail: eternal life, femininity, cosmic cycles
Snake: Sex, awakening, temptation, psychic power, female power, the snake swallowing its tail (Ouroboros) is the symbol of eternity
Sphinx: Guardian, hidden mysteries, kno
Spider: Fate, achievement
Turtle/Tortoise: Earth, wisdom, achievement, slow travel on foot
Wolf/Coyote: wild nature, trickster
