Theriocephaly

Ganesha, with Elephant's head

Theriocephaly (from Greek θηρίον therion 'beast' and κεφαλή kefalí 'head') is the anthropomorphic condition or quality of having the head of an animal – commonly used to refer the depiction in art of humans (or deities) with animal heads.

Examples

Many of the gods and goddesses worshipped by the ancient Egyptians, for example, were commonly depicted as being theriocephalic. Notable examples include:

• Horus, depicted as having the head of a falcon.
• Anubis, depicted with a jackal's head.
• The desert-god Set, often depicted with the head of an unknown creature, referred to as the Set animal by Egyptologists.
• The Horned God of Wicca.
• The Minotaur, from Greek mythology.
• In some Eastern Orthodox Church icon traditions, some saints, particularly St. Christopher, are depicted as having the head of a dog.
• In Hinduism, the wisdom god Ganesha is depicted with an elephant head.
• In Native American Abenaki mythology, the spirit Pamola was a being who possessed the head of a moose, and wings and taloned feet of an eagle.

See also

• Animal worship
• Cynocephaly
• Hybrid (mythology)
• Therianthropy
• Zoomorphism

References

• Agamben, Giorgio (2004). The Open. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4738-5.