S P I R I T U A L
FOREST ANIMALS
APE
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The term ape is used to descreibe the tailless anthropoids. The great apes
of the world include the gorilla, chimpanzee, orangutan, the long-armed gibbons and the siamang. Ancient Egyptians considered the baboon to be sacred to the gods Thorth (deity of wisdom) and Hapi (god of the Nile). In Hindu cultures of India, apes and monkeys represent benevolence and gentleness. Hindu people consider these creatures sacred. However, in Buddhism the monkey signifies greed. Several ancient writers of the Mediterranean cultures, such as Pliny and Aesop, used the ape to symbolize foolishness and the kind of mother love that smothers. |
