Vinca bear mask figurine
Throughout the northern hemisphere, the bear has symbolized strength and majesty as well as motherhood. Myth and folk stories tell of the bear as ancestress and mother life-giver. Ceremonies and rituals related to the mother bear have been enacted throughout the centuries. Some are still in existence today. Bear worship is also evident in ancient reliefs, figures, and vessels.
The Slavs held bear feasts up until the end of the 19th century. A meal was prepared on Saint Andrew’s Day (November 30). The meal consisted of grain, peas, corn, and beans. A portion was thrown into the fire while someone wished good health to the Grandmother Bear (Gimbutas, 1989, p. 116). The Belo Russians (east Slavic) believed a bear brought good luck to the village and would set out honey, cheese, and butter. Bulgarians lead bears into their homes to bring luck, healing, and to ensure fertility. Until the 20th century, newborns were laid on bearskin rugs near their grandmother.
“In contemporary Greece, vestiges of the worship of the Mother Bear can be found. In the cave of Acrotiri, near ancient Kydonia in western Crete, a festival in honor of Panagia Arkoudiotissa, 'Virgin Mary of the Bear’ is celebrated on the second day of February“ (Gimbutas p. 116). Greek myth tells of Artemis’ ability to shape-change into a bear. During festivals, Athenian girls danced as bears. In the sanctuary of Artemis, a frieze shows the lead female dancer with a bear mask. Indications of similar ceremonies appear on a limestone relief in Istanbul showing the figure of a bear-masked dancer.
Bear cult figures come in many forms. Evidence of bear worship is found in art from the Neolithic Vinca culture in southeastern Europe. Simple terracotta figures of women wearing bear masks and holding a cub or wearing pouches on their backs are believed to represent a mythical Bear Nurse and date from the 5th millennium B.C. Other artifacts related to bear worship, in the form of a bear-shaped vessels, were created from the 7th to the 3rd millennium B.C. These containers have four legs, a bowl, and ringed handles and are decorated with bands of short, triangular, line designs.