Anthropomorphism or personification is projecting human characteristics onto something non-human. It is a literary tool, as we understand it today; I actually first picked up this term in a children's literature class. For the ancient world, however, anthropomorphism was not a function of fiction but rather a fluidity of nature, something we simply don't understand in the same way. I argue that, the more society progresses, the further it digresses from nature. This isn't so hard to believe considering that much of our modern society was built upon the premise that man must conquer the natural world instead of coexisting with it. In this great quest that coincides with evolution, we have created physical and theoretical dimensions separating us. Even within the realm of science, the biosphere encompasses plants and animals while the anthroposphere contains humans and our related technology. This separation suggests a hierarchy where humans are on the top and plants and animals are at varying levels below. What struck me about the Ancient Egyptian society is that animals can assume the roles of God's (such as Horus the sky God, most often depicted as a falcon or human combined with a falcon). They are feared, respected and meaningful parts of life and death. The image below depicts Hunefer on his day of judgement. Once his heart is weighed which validates his goodness, he is escorted by Horus who presents him to Osiris. The intermingling of humans, animals and hybrids of the two is creepy to say the least. There is nothing light-hearted or playful about this image. Adversely, most modern examples of anthropomorphism are quite the opposite. In fact, Pixar built and empire on a cutesy, anthropomorphic model. While we may have maintained a certain degree of fear from the animal world, it is safe to say that we don't respect it in quite the same way. My final post will examine ancient and contemporary relationships with nature through anthropomorphic artwork and how these relationships reflect their respective societies.