The bear is one of the most ancient symbols of divinity, dating as for back as 75,000 years and perhaps earlier. Hundreds of figures from as early as 5000 B.C.E. show the Bear Goddess as a protector of children, nursing her young. In fact in many languages, the root word for bear shows up in phrases such as "to bear children", the Scottish word for "child" is bairn. Throughout all of Celtic Gaul and Britain, Artio, the goddess of wildlife, appears as a bear. The Greek goddess Artemis has a bear form. The Ainu of Japan, the Haida of North America, and many peoples of central Asia regard the Bear Mother as their ancestress. The Great She Bear, Ursa Major, watches over us from the sky.

     The Bear Goddess shows us how to be fiercely protective of ourselves and of all helpless growing things