History Main / AnimalMotifs

!!Subtropes:

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!!Other examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Art]]
* In Art/NorthAmericaPortraitOfAContinent, national and state animals appear readily in their appropriate locations, totaling well over 400. Just a handful of examples include a polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba (and several other places in the Arctic tundra), a lobster off the coast of Maine, sled-dogs headed for Nome, a clay-coloured thrush in Costa Rica, a white raven in Haida Gwaii, a bighorn sheep (among several other creatures) in Nevada...
* ''Art/ThePersistenceOfMemory'': Ants are gnawing away at the leftmost, orange watch while a fly sits on another, symbolizing rot and decay of memory.
* The Weimaraner is the trademark of William Wegman's works.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', the Black Hammers' robots are all shaped like animals, such as a gorilla, a frog, a kangaroo, and a dog.
* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': It's not touched upon much, but based on part of his hood forming a beak-like shape and him owning a pet owl, Huo Haha seems to be associated with owls.
* ''Animation/WhiteSnake2019'': The General and his forces are associated with cranes, he even makes a giant magical crane [[PaperMaster made of paper]] during the FinalBattle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* PlayedForLaughs in [[http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/3330408877_99ec3e1fe3.jpg this strip]] by Creator/{{Quino}}.
* Besides having a tiger for a best friend, Calvin from ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' frequently visualizes himself as animals. His favorites are dinosaurs, with him usually as an ''Allosaurus'' or a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', and those around him as herbivores.
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[[folder:Game Books]]
* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': Lone Wolf has a wolf motif, unsurprisingly.
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[[folder:Manhua]]
* ''Manhua/RavagesOfTime'' leans on the same Shu = Dragon and Wu = Tiger motifs that they usually get in popular lore, while Sima Yi is the titular phoenix in the series' Chinese title[[note]]''Fiery Phoenix Scorches the Plains'', the rest being the translated/reordered name of Liaoyuan Huo[[/note]], although at least twice the infamous "''wolf neck''" comes into play.
* ''Manhua/SchoolShock'' has SuperSoldier {{Cyborg}}s named Vanguards. They are themed on bees, praying mantises, ants, moths and spiders.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* In the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Small Magic'', the royal family is connected to birds. They tend to listen to them and those assisting the family.
* The main cast of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' all have animal associations, laid out explicitly with their disguises in ''Petals to the Metal'' and elaborated later on.
** Magnus is associated with bears; it's later revealed that [[spoiler: a bear taught him the meaning of bravery.]] He's also associated with dogs, as he repeatedly asks for a dog as a pet, [[spoiler: his first heroic act was rescuing a dog from bullies, and after the world is saved he opens a dog training school.]]
** Merle is associated with owls; later, [[spoiler: when he loses an eye, he gets an eyepatch with an owl on it.]]
** Taako is associated with mongooses; it's later revealed that [[spoiler: a family of mongooses taught him how to speak "animal".]]
* Brian Davis of ''True Geordie'' has a liking towards to lions. He has a massive lion tattoo on his upper right bicep and there is a lion poster in his studio. In the interview with Logan Paul, there is a lion figure in the background. He also wore a t-shirt of a lion.
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[[folder:Sports]]
* [[TheSixties 1960s]] Portuguese [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]] player Eusebio was also known as "The Black Panther" because of his speed, his powerful strike, and [[TokenBlack the fact that he was black]].
** Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin was "The Black Spider" for its impressive saves and an all-black uniform.
* Quite a few national soccer teams have animals on the logo (France has a rooster, England has three lions), or as a nickname (Brazil are the "Little Canary team", Nigeria the "Super Eagles", Cameroon "The Indomitable Lions").
** Common for domestic clubs as well. The Premier League currently includes The Tigers (Hull), The Black Cats (Sunderland), The Eagles (Crystal Palace), The Foxes (Leicester), The Magpies (Newcastle), The Swans (Swansea) and The Throstles (West Bromwich Albion, though largely out of use).
* Many American sports teams--too many to count, really. A decent estimate is that about a quarter to half the sports teams in the US and Canada are named for animals, and all of those will exploit this in their advertising.
* Kobe Bryant is known as "The Black Mumba".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Most of the Creator/CirqueDuSoleil shows directed by Franco Dragone from ''Saltimbanco'' through ''Theatre/LaNouba'' invoke bird imagery, usually through one or more characters and their costume(s).
** ''Saltimbanco'': The Songbird (the lead singer).
** ''Mystere'': The Red Bird, the Birds of Prey, and the bungee trapeze artists.
** ''Alegria'': The evil nobles are known as the Nostalgic Old Birds, and wear masks that appear a cross between human and bird faces.
** ''Quidam'': Zoe has a pet bird in a cage in the opening scene.
** ''La Nouba'': The Green Bird.
* ''Theatre/ALittleNightMusic'':
-->'''Carl-Magnus''': Watch him, Charlotte. Watch them both like a...\\
'''Charlotte''': Hawk, I know, dear. You're a tiger, I'm a hawk. We're our own zoo.
* Birds are strongly associated with ''Theatre/{{Lizzie}}''. Lizzie is fascinated by the pigeons in her family's barn, even talking to them sometimes, and is distraught when they are killed. She's described early on as "not the brightest bird," and the song "The Soul of the White Bird" is used as a metaphor for her mental state. She also makes lots of references to "flying away," and the last sound of the show is a flock of birds taking off -- symbolizing Lizzie's freedom.
* ''Theatre/PrimaFacie'': In the opening lines Tessa compares herself to a thoroughbred horse — a well-trained powerhouse with killer instincts — in her legal career.
* In {{Theatre/Trifles}}, Minnie is represented by birds and this is given more details in the book ''A Jury of Her Peers'', where, it's mentioned that, before her marriage, Minnie was a free spirit, who loved to sing and wore pretty clothes. Before and during her marriage, she kept a canary to which John killed, said canary representing herself from years ago and the the Minnie that was "killed" by her marriage. Likewise, the caged bird is meant to represent a woman's place in 19th/early 20th century society.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* Franchise/{{LEGO}}:
** Numerous ''Toys/LEGOCastle'' and ''Toys/{{Aquazone}}'' factions.
** The animal tribes of ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfChima'' utilize motifs based, of course, on themselves.
** ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'':
*** Vastus has a snake motif, with snake ornaments on his shoulders, a helmet based off a snake, and a snake-like staff with the fangs forming a blade that injects venom.
*** Although the '08 Makuta and Shadow Matoran respectively shapeshifted or were mutated into bat or insect-looking forms, it seems the masks that some wore had been vaguely animal-like to begin with.
** ''Toys/HeroFactory'''s ''Jungle Planet'' line had the Heroes adopting various animal motifs for their new armor.
* ''Toys/MermaidHigh'': Mari sports an octopus motif in her outfit.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Bumblebee has a bug/insect motif that varies in strength between incarnations. Obviously, there's his name and yellow coloration evoking a bee, but his original vehicle mode is a Volkswagen ''Beetle''. Some incarnations give him "wings" and/or "stingers" to play up the bee aspect.
[[/folder]]

* In Art/NorthAmericaPortraitOfAContinent, national and state animals appear readily in their appropriate locations, totaling well over 400. Just a handful of examples include a polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba (and several other places in the Arctic tundra), a lobster off the coast of Maine, sled-dogs headed for Nome, a clay-coloured thrush in Costa Rica, a white raven in Haida Gwaii, a bighorn sheep (among several other creatures) in Nevada...

* AnimalThemedSuperbeing (which, despite the ambiguity of "superbeing", is specific to {{superhero}}(ine)s/{{supervillain}}(esse)s.)

A SuperTrope to:

Usually overlaps with AnimalStereotypes and NationalAnimalStereotypes. WildlifeCommentarySpoof is this trope [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] and PlayedForLaughs.

Some animals can be used as a motif for either sex but the sex of that character can affect the image of the invoked animal: For example, horses are usually associated with women or little girls as a reflection of their innocent and supportive side. For men and the elderly, [[VirileStallion the horse is a symbol of their virility]], [[{{Workaholic}} work ethic]], and determination. Bears are another example: If they are a man, then they either physically resemble [[TheBear a bear]], or [[BearsAreBadNews they are as strong and brutal as one]]. If the motif is given to a woman: then they are characterised as [[BearyFriendly sweet and innocent]] until [[MamaBear someone harms or upsets their children]] whereupon they will bring hell on Earth to protect them.

Some animals can be used as a motif for either sex but the sex of that character can affect the image of the invoked animal: For example, horses are usually associated with women or little girls as a reflection of their innocent and supportive side. For men and the elderly, the horse is a symbol of their virility, [[{{Workaholic}} work ethic]], and determination. Bears are another example: If they are a man, then they either physically resemble [[TheBear a bear]], or [[BearsAreBadNews they are as strong and brutal as one]]. If the motif is given to a woman: then they are characterised as [[BearyFriendly sweet and innocent]] until [[MamaBear someone harms or upsets their children]] whereupon they will bring hell on Earth to protect them.

The important thing is that motif should correlate with the character and be displayed appropriately; for example, a [[ThreateningShark shark motif]] would indicate the character is either; [[VillainProtagonist a villain]], a [[LoanShark greedy moneylender]], or [[BloodKnight a combative]], [[SociopathicHero sociopathic antihero]]. Therefore, a shark motif wouldn't apply to an [[AllLovingHero altruistic]], [[FunPersonified cheerful]] [[TheParagon paragon]] who favors [[{{Forgiveness}} clemency]] over [[MurderIsTheBestSolution brutality]]. The motif must make sense to the character and allow the audience to understand the story you want to tell, if you use the wrong motif for the character then the audience won't know [[EvilHero who to root for in the story]].

A SuperTrope:

* Besides having a tiger for a best friend, [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Calvin]] frequently visualizes himself as animals. His favorites are dinosaurs, with him usually as an ''Allosaurus'' or a ''T. rex'', and those around him as herbivores.

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Babymetal}} has taken to using foxes as their motif coming from when their manager, Koba-metal, tried to teach the girls the metal horns, but they came up with the fox sign instead. In the band's backstory, they're chosen by the Fox God to unite the world through music. It's also become a CatchPhrase for the group, "Only the Fox God Knows."
* Music/ArianaGrande originally held cats as her motif, likely stemming from her work as [[Series/{{Victorious}} Cat Valentine]], but has adopted rabbits in her work, especially as of the music video of "Dangerous Woman". The bunny-ears mask is particularly associated with her.
* Music/ClazziquaiProject has pigs in all of its artwork, and they are also seen extensively in the video for "Sweety"; additionally, their debut album was named ''Instant Pig''.
* Singer Christopher Cross has a flamingo featured in the artwork for all of his albums in some form. His logo also depicts a flamingo indented in the "O" in "Cross".
* Music/{{Cormorant}} (unsurprisingly) have a lot of bird imagery, although serpents occasionally pop into their lyrics. The album ''Metazoa'' also mentions at least one animal in each song, but this was unintentional on their end.
* Swedish group Music/{{Katatonia}} has a lot of bird imagery in their album artwork and music videos.
* Each of the twelve {{Music/LOONA}} members is assigned a representative animal that appears in her own solo music video. A map appears in the ''Girl Front'' music video decorated with animal stickers to represent the members and foreshadow unrevealed members. Yves plays with a claw machine in ''New'' that is filled with animal plushies, with the most focus on her own swan and [=YeoJin's=] frog. Go Won's animal is a butterfly, which reappears in the group's 2019 single, ''Butterfly,'' in various forms.
* The music video of [[Music/{{PSY}} Gangnam Style]] has horses in it, most likely [[RuleOfFunny because it's funny]].
* {{Music/Suede}} had quite a bit of animal imagery in their lyrics and music videos, with songs like "Animal Lover", "Animal Nitrate", "We are the Pigs", "Where the Pigs Don't Fly", etc.
* As of her ''reputation'' album, Music/TaylorSwift seems to have adopted snakes as her animal of choice.
* ''Blue Butterfly'' by Music/VioletUK uses TheButterflyOfLifeAndDeath as its symbolism. An ''insect'' motif, but as there's no separate trope for insects yet...
** Speaking of insect motifs, Papa Roach was known for its use of cockroaches in the cover for Infest, as well as their music videos, most notably "Between Angels and Insects", in which cockroaches [[Main/{{OrificeEvacuation}} come out of Jacoby Shaddix's mouth]].
* YUP's 1994 story album Music/ToppatakkejaJaToledonTerasta has a main character detective Henri Blavatsky with a mole motif, presenting the character as an one-man underground army on the second song of the album, Minä olen myyrä (I am a mole).
* Music/{{Radiohead}} came to adopt a stylized "Modified Bear" character as their mascot with the promotion for and release of ''Music/KidA'' in 2000; the character would reappear throughout the rest of the band's lifetime and act as a constant visual motif for them.
* Music/{{Lovebites}} has a wolf that appears on all their album covers as their MetalBandMascot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
* Myth/NorseMythology:
** Loki is associated with fish. In the Faroese ballad ''Loka Táttur'', he transforms a boy into a grain in the middle of a flounder's roe to hide him from a jötunn who wanted to murder the child, and Loki uses fishing as part of his ruse against the giant.[[note]]Fish is the main staple of the Faroese diet, and it's deemed to be Loki's domain (in the story, Odin's sphere of influence is grain/crops, while Hœnir's is swans/seabirds). The vital importance of fish in Faroese life is most likely the reason why Loki is the HeroProtagonist.[[/note]] He's also the inventor of the fishing net, and he once shape-shifted into a salmon to evade the [=Æ=]sir.
** Odin is associated with ravens. He has two ravens called Huginn and Muninn. [[note]] Both names are old Norse. Huginn means "thought" and Muninn means "memory" or "mind" [[/note]] He's also titled "Raven-God" by The Prose Edda. He's also associated with wolves, he has two wolves by his side called Geri and Freki. [[note]] Old Norse for "the ravenous" or "greedy one" [[/note]] In The Prose Edda he's destined to be killed by Fenrir, a colossal wolf. Odin is also the one who set the wolves Hati and Skoll on the sun and moon when they refused to move. [[note]] Both names are old Norse. Hati means “One Who Hates” or "Hater" and Skoll means “One Who Mocks” or "treachery" [[/note]]
** Heimdall is associated with sheep, specifically rams. His hearing is said to be so acute that he could hear the wool on sheep growing. His horn is depicted as a large ram horn and he is often depicted wearing a helmet with ram horns [[note]] a common myth with Vikings is that they wore helmets decorated with horns, something that didn't really exist in the modern world.[[/note]].
* Myth/GreekMythology
** Heracles (popularly known by the Roman name Hercules) is associated with lions. His most famous act was slaying The Nemean Lion by strangulation and then wearing its hide as a cloak. He's also famous for his divine strength and courage. Heracles is also responsible for the creation of the Leo constellation as Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky. In the mythology of Theseus, Heracles and Theseus met and befriended each other after a young Theseus mistook his cloak for an actual lion and bravely attacked it, earning Heracles's respect.
** The Greek pantheon is filled with these.
*** Zeus, the king of the heavens, is heavily associated with eagles, as well as bulls to represent his virility.
*** Hera's sacred animal was the peacock, though she was also given the epithet [[WhatBeautifulEyes "cow-eyed"]], giving her an association with cows as well--both complimenting her husband's eagle and bull motifs
*** Poseidon, the god of the sea, was heavily associated with horses and even fathered the winged horse Pegasus with Medusa.
*** Hades, lord of the Underworld and ruler of the dead was associated with dogs, tawny owls, and serpents.
*** Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, was strongly associated with lizards and snakes.
*** Hestia, goddess of the hearth, home, and family was associated with pigs.
*** Aphrodite, the goddess of love, sex, and beauty, was associated with doves and swans.
*** Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, had an obvious [[TheOwlKnowingOne owl]] motif that, unlike most of the others listed here, has persisted even now.
*** Ares, the god of war, was associated with vultures, dragons, and [[OminousOwl much more sinister owls]].
*** Hephaestus, the god of the forge, was associated with donkeys.
*** Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, had deer while her brother Apollo, god of music and art, had swans.
*** Hermes, the god of trickery and messenger to the Olympians, had many animal motifs, but his most notable were hawks, hares, and tortoises.
*** Dionysus, the god of hedonistic madness, had bulls (sometimes to the point of being depicted [[HornedHumanoid with horns]]), leopards and dolphins.
** ‘’Literature/TheThebaid’’: Prophecy tells the Argives that their princes will come in the guise of a lion and a boar. It is no coincidence that Polynices and Tydeus are fighting while wearing the skins of those two beasts. Even when they ditch the skins for armor, the two are still consistently compared to a carnivorous lion and a wild boar and sometimes the comparisons are swapped to show the new brothers influence on each other.
* In Myth/CelticMythology, [[BloodKnight the Morrigan]] has crows, which is her preferred animal form. Badb, a goddess whose name means "crow," is either one of her titles, her sister, or an aspect of her, depending on the source.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': The Clans are all are named after various animals, many of which are extraterrestrial or genetically engineered (i.e. the sea fox was an aquatic predator native to Strana Mechty, while the diamond shark was engineered by Clan Snow Raven to wipe out sea foxes after a dispute with Clan Sea Fox, who later changed their name to Clan Diamond Shark in defiance). Except for Clan Blood Spirit. [[InvertedTrope They had an animal named after them]]. Reinforced by Clan warriors sometimes wearing full-head masks patterned after their Clan's respective animal for ceremonial purposes. While this is seen most frequently in the fiction when the Khans assemble for council, it's not actually limited to them; similar occasions involving lower-ranking warriors [[LawOfConservationOfDetail are simply not shown as often]].
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': In 3rd and 4th Edition, the familiars of wizards, sorcerers, and adepts bestow minor skill bonuses to their masters, which vary with the familiar's animal type. While some grant bonuses derived from their genuine aptitudes (e.g. Move Silently for a cat), other bonuses reflect the animal's anthropomorphized reputation (Bluff for snakes, Appraise for ravens).
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Many Exalts take an animal for their character motifs. Lunars take it one step further, in that they can turn into any animals, provided they ritually hunt the animal first. Infernals on the other hand, takes some characteristics of their [[DealWithTheDevil Coadjutors]], which tends to be demonic version of certain animals. (Erymanthoi are demon-gorilla, Theodozjia are demon-cats, etc.)
* ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'': The various clans are each named for an animal, and each draws on the symbolism of that animal as inspiration for their clan's nature.
* ''Franchise/{{Warhammer}}'':
** The Chaos Gods are each associated with a type of animal, and in the background lore it's said that Chaos cults often disguise themselves as unassuming animal totemists.
*** Khorne is associated with SavageWolves and hounds. He is referred to by epithets such as the Bloodwolf or the Hound, and his daemons include the savage, doglike Flesh Hounds.
*** Tzeentch is strongly tied with birds, especially corvids. He is often referred to as the Raven or the Crow, and his daemons include the Lords of Change, who resemble giant humanoid birds, and Pink Horrors, who often sport avian beaks.
*** Nurgle is typically associated with insects, especially ones attracted to carrion and disease, and especially flies and maggots. His followers are always accompanied by swarming clouds of droning insects, and his more bestial daemons resembles immense flies and their giant, bloated larvae.
** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
*** The Imperium of Man is symbolized by a double-headed eagle, in homage of various great empires through human history.
*** Many SpaceMarine chapters have animals they closely associate with and often use in their heraldry, usually ones with some thematic link to their outlook and traditions or which have an important presence on their homeworld.
*** The Space Wolves have wolves, referencing the SavageWolves that roam their homeworld of Fenris and the themes of ferocious Germanic barbarism the chapter evokes.
*** The Raven Guard uses ravens and other corvid birds. Many of their successor chapters continue this trend and sometimes expand it to other birds, such as the Iron Ravens, the Knights of the Raven, the Necropolis Hawks and the Raptors.
*** The Iron Snakes have serpents, especially the SeaSerpents that swim in their seas of their homeworld and which they revere as holy.
*** The Hawk Lords and the Solar Hawks, chapters heavily focused on piloting and aerial warfare, use hawks and general birds of prey in their heraldry.
*** The Sons of the Phoenix use phoenix symbology to represent their willingness to throw themselves into the fiercest flames of battle.
*** The Mantis Warriors make heavy use of insect imagery and naming themes.
*** The Celestial Lions, as part of their subsaharan African FantasyCounterpartCulture, use a lot of lion imagery.
*** The Alpha Legion's use of the hydra, the many-headed serpent of Myth/GreekMythology, alludes to their command structure and immunity to DecapitatedArmy: cut off one head, and two more will sprout out from its place.
** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': The Blood Dragon vampires make heavy use of dragon imagery in their heraldry and armor, in order to remind themselves of their founder's slaying of a dragon and of their own ultimate goal to do the same.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}'': Mrs. Peacock, as her name implies, is associated with peacocks. Though this is likely intended more as a ColorMotif, since all of the ''Clue'' characters are named after colors, the motif fits Mrs. Peacock being frequently portrayed as a vain and ditzy aristocrat. Some releases of the game reinforce the motif by adorning her attire with peacock feathers, while the film adaptation gave her a pin in the shape of a peacock.
[[/folder]]

Subtropes include:

Usually overlaps with AnimalStereotypes and NationalAnimalStereotypes. WildlifeCommentarySpoof is this trope lampshaded and played for laughs.

!!Examples:

* AnimalMotifs/{{Film}}

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Arawn}}'': Arawn and Engus resemble wolves; Math and Kern resemble lions.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' decided to take up [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing bat-themed crimefighting]] after a bat crashed through his window, which he interpreted as an omen. He strikes from the shadows, wears a costume that makes him look like a giant bat, and has a variety of occasionally-used gadgets that can simulate things like sonar. The similarities pretty much end there, since bats don't punch things very often.
** [[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]] is a ClassyCatBurglar, and dresses the part too. She's clever, elusive, pulls of heists wearing a mask that resembles cat ears, and is associated with black cats in particular. She also literally keeps cats around her apartment like a old lady.
** Dick Grayson and every other character whose taken up the mantle of ComicBook/{{Robin}} is generally associated with birds.
** The Creator/ScottSnyder run on the comics attempted to give the Joker a motif of his own; [[FliesEqualsEvil Flies.]]
* Cottontail from ''ComicBook/{{Burlap}}'' wears a bunny mask that covers his whole head.
* Psychic operatives in ''[[ComicBook/{{Casanova}} Matt Fraction's Casanova]]'' all seem to have differing animal totems that manifest when they use their powers. The protagonist had spiders then upgraded to crows and his villainous sister had snakes.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Judges' uniforms have a distinctive eagle motif to them, in keeping with the Big Meg's {{Eagleland}} origins. Other cities have this too, usually referencing the locale. For example, Brit Cit has a lion motif to its judge uniforms, and the judges in Africa has a lion and a gazelle. Some of the Dark Judges have extinct pterodactyls on their right shoulders as a hint to what their job is. {{Averted}} by East Meg judges, who wear shoulder pads decorated with red stars.
* ''Loki'' developed certain associations with magpies in [[Comicbook/JourneyIntoMystery some]] [[Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard stories]], maybe not surprisingly for someone who is generally [[MagpiesAsPortents trouble and bad news]], not to mention [[ThievingMagpie a thief]] and [[CleverCrows conman]].
* ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'': In one story, Frank partners with a HighClassCallGirl to infiltrate a criminal's party (well, not so much partners as blackmail her into it by taking the notebook where she writes down her connections). The story is told from her perspective, and she recalls her youth raising dogs from which she learned to fit people into two categories: dogs and wolves. At the end of the story, she puts Frank in the "lions" category.
* Mr. Dig in ''ComicBook/{{Sink}}'' wears a fox mask.
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' is arguably the TropeCodifier since many of his villains are distinctly patterned on animals:
** Spiders appear as a motif in ''ComicBook/{{Marvel 1602}}'', usually around Peter Parquagh. Given who his [[Comicbook/SpiderMan modern counterpart]] is, spiders seem to be a symbol for destiny (perhaps a reference to the web of Fate).
** Many Franchise/SpiderMan foes also have animal motifs. Creator/JMichaelStraczynski's [[ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan run]] posited that Spidey is being assaulted by envious pretenders who subconsciously realize that he is a true totemic champion. ''Literature/SpiderManTheDarkestHours'', a book by Creator/JimButcher based on this run, introduces the siblings of Morlun, an ImplacableMan and [[VampiricDraining Energy Vampire]] who feeds on this type, and it turns out that ''every'' AnimalThemedSuperbeing has this connection even if it's not obvious. Black Cat is a BadassNormal; she wasn't bitten by a radioactive cat and given feline powers. Yet, if she wasn't cat enough to be delicious and nutritious to the likes of Morlun, she'd never have chosen the name. That's why Spidey, Cat, and [[EnemyMine even the Rhino]] must team up when [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Mortia, Thanis, and Malos]] come to town.
** ''ComicBook/{{Hunted}}'', the first story event from ''ComicBook/NickSpencersSpiderMan'' {{Lampshades}} this when Spider-Man points out that it's "not hard to see the theme here" among the many animal-themed rogues being rounded for Kraven the Hunter's latest evil scheme. Two of the bad guys doing the rounding up, Taskmaster and Black Ant actually discuss in a dark comedic way whether Hammerhead, the mob-boss with a metal plate in his skull fits given the shark name but they decide that he hadn't committed, i.e. actually dress up and use gadgets which fit his animal gimmick. When all the rounding up is done, [[spoiler:Taskmaster gloats to Black Ant, when he betrays him, that hey an ant is also an animal]].
* Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}, a short, stocky, violent, foul-smelling Canadian with a talent for surviving tough conditions.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': The Greek pantheon keeps some of their ties to their sacred animals, usually whittled down to one animal to correlate to each deity, and some gods with no sacred animals in the original mythology gain animal motifs in the comics:
** Aphrodite wears an oversized shirt with a dove on it in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'', and is accompanied by other dove related imagery when she wants to make a big entrance.
** Apollo's ravens show up with less frequency than many of the other god's related animals but they are there.
** Ares maintains his tie to both serpents and dogs, mostly visible through his sons Phobos and Deimos who accompany him on the battlefield in the guise of monstrous dogs, and Phobos sometimes manifesting his head as writhing cobras.
** Artemis will occasionally manifest with slender deer antlers.
** Athea is almost always seen with her owl, except for that time she was an anthropomorphic owl herself.
** Dionysus is tied to foxes in ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman2011 The New 52]]'', unusual as his sacred animals in mythology were panthers, bulls and serpents.
** Hades remains fond of dogs, and is often accompanied by Cerberus.
** Hera has multiple articles of clothing heavily decorated with peacock feathers, and her diadem has a very simplified peacock centerpiece.
** [[ComicBook/HerculesUnbound Heracles]] is usually wearing the Nemean Lion skin, and even when he's not his girdle and greaves are engraved with lions.
** Hermes is still connected to hawks, and even takes on hawk like attributes like talons in some manifestations.
** Zeus is tied to eagles, best seen in ComicBook/TheNew52 with his feathered cape.
** In the Elseworld ''ComicBook/WonderWomanWarbringer'' Phobos's helmet is adorned with a relief of Medusa's head with the serpents arched and ready to strike, his chariot also has a snake motif and his teeth are like many thin curved viper fangs. His twin Deimos has a helmet adorned with a relief of a roaring lion, chariot with a lion motif and lion-like teeth and lips.
** Wonder Woman has an eagle motif. Her "W" insignia resembles and eagle, she uses a golden eagle-shaped armor, and she's known to be brave and inspirational like the animal.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': During the Golden and Silver Ages Diana herself had an eagle motif, with an eagle embroidered in gold across her chest in her superhero costume and an eagle even showing up to help her fight [[DemBones Artemis]].
** ''ComicBook/WonderWomanHistoriaTheAmazons'' double downs on the trope with the Gods having their signature animals accompany them, wears clothing that evokes them, but also in some cases are part-animal themselves thanks to [[VoluntaryShapeshifter voluntaty shapeshifting]]. Demeter has snakes on her person, Athena, naturally, has a giant owl that accompanies her, Artemis is seen with both stags and boars while Hera is accompanied by and wears clothing that evokes peacocks. As for the male gods, Ares is accompanied by vulture and his cape can turn into vulture-like wings, Zeus has ram horns growing out of his head along with a giant pet eagle at his side, Poseidon has the lower body of a Pegasus, and Dionysus rests with panthers by his side.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology]]

[[folder:Theater]]

* Birds are strongly associated with ''{{Theatre/Lizzie}}''. Lizzie is fascinated by the pigeons in her family's barn, even talking to them sometimes, and is distraught when they are killed. She's described early on as "not the brightest bird," and the song "The Soul of the White Bird" is used as a metaphor for her mental state. She also makes lots of references to "flying away," and the last sound of the show is a flock of birds taking off -- symbolizing Lizzie's freedom.

* {{AnimalMotifs/Film}}

* {{AnimalMotifs/Webcomics}}

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': The Blood Dragon vampires make heavy use of dragon imagery in their heraldry and armor, in order to remind themselves of their founder's slaying of a dragon and of their own ultimate goal to do the same.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** The Imperium of Man is symbolized by a double-headed eagle, in homage of various great empires through human history.
** Many SpaceMarine chapters have animals they closely associate with and often use in their heraldry, usually ones with some thematic link to their outlook and traditions or which have an important presence on their homeworld.

** The Alpha Legion's use of the hydra, the many-headed serpent of Myth/GreekMythology, alludes to their command structure and immunity to DecapitatedArmy: cut off one head, and two more will sprout out from its place.
** The Chaos Gods have their own: SavageWolves for [[WarGod Khorne]], CreepyCrows for [[MadGod Tzeentch]], and FliesEqualsEvil for [[PlagueMaster Nurgle]]. These are just to the most easily recognised motifs, however, and there are many animals that befit the Chaos Gods. For example, snakes can be symbols of Slaanesh and of Tzeentch, bulls of Khorne or Slaanesh, and toads and slugs of Nurgle, etc. In the background lore, it's said that Chaos cults will often disguise themselves as unassuming animal totemists.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': Bumblebee has a bug/insect motif that varies in strength between incarnations. Obviously, there's his name and yellow coloration evoking a bee, but his original vehicle mode is a Volkswagen ''Beetle''. Some incarnations give him "stingers" to play up the bee aspect.

*** Vastus had a snake motif, with snake ornaments on his shoulders, a helmet based off a snake, and a snake-like staff with the fangs forming a blade that injects venom (in the story, not on the toy, duh).
*** Although the '08 Makuta and Shadow Matoran respectively shapeshifted or were mutated into bat or insect-looking forms, it seems the mask that some wore had been vaguely animal-like to begin with.

Some animals can be used as a motif for either sex but the sex of that character can affect the image of the invoked animal: For example, horses are usually associated with women or little girls as a reflection of their innocent and supportive side. For men and the elderly, the horse is a symbol of their virility and determination. Bears are another example: If they are a man, then they either physically resemble [[TheBear a bear]], or [[BearsAreBadNews they are as strong and brutal as one]]. If the motif is given to a woman: then they are characterised as [[BearyFriendly sweet and innocent]] until [[MamaBear someone harms or upsets their children]] whereupon they will bring hell on Earth to protect them.

* In Myth/CelticMythology, [[BloodKnight the Morrigan]] has crows, which is her preferred animal form. Badb, a goddess whose name means "crow," is either one of her titles, her sister or an aspect of her, depending on the source.

* In Myth/CelticMythology Prophecy tells the Argives that their princes will come in the guise of a lion and a boar. It is no coincidence that Polynices and Tydeus are fighting while wearing the skins of those two beasts. Even when they ditch the skins for armor, the two are still consistently compared to a carnivorous lion and a wild boar and sometimes the comparisons are swapped to show the new brothers influence on each other., [[BloodKnight the Morrigan]] has crows, which is her preferred animal form. Badb, a goddess whose name means "crow," is either one of her titles, her sister or an aspect of her, depending on the source.