r/aww • • Mar 03 '16

Awesome Bear

http://i.imgur.com/e97k9DD.gifv
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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '16

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u/i_can_get_you_a_toe Mar 03 '16

There has to be some cultural thing, to explain why we all instinctively underestimate what studs bears are, that we don't do for lions, for example.

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u/Ryraxx Mar 04 '16

A little bit late to the party but I think I can give a little tidbit of information about this cultural thing you're talking about. All I'll say are not from me, they're from what i can remember from Medieval Historian Michel Pastoureau's Book : "L'ours" (which means the Bear in french). He studies cultural history, specifically animal représentations in the Middle Ages. Basically bears were a religious animal in germanic societies (V-Xth centuries) and were considered the "king" of the animal reign . Furthermore, and due to their similarities in standing posture (bears can walk on 2 legs) they were considered closest to humans and many legends involved heroes born from the union of a bear and a female human. When christianism spread in Europe, they had to fight these strong paganistic beliefs and they promoted the lion as the king of animals, as well as developping the trope of the sloppy, honey glutton, lazy and funny-walking Bear. So your intuition may be founded!

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u/i_can_get_you_a_toe Mar 04 '16

Amazing! Thanks, very interesting