CULTURAL ARCHETYPES: SHEEP

Ionuț Bogdan Alexandru Isdrariu, Daniela Vălușescu, Ana Gina Armaș, Maria Sauer, Ioan Petroman

Abstract


Sheep is a cultural archetype, i.e., it is a recurrent motif / symbol in art, literature, and mythology. This paper deals with sheep as a symbol of faith, forgiveness, humility, innocence, obedience, meekness, purity, righteousness, sacrifice, spiritual redemption, and submission in the fundamental book of Christianity – the Bible. Though sheep are stereotyped as docile, passive, timid, and unintelligent, recent research on their affect, behaviour, cognition, and personality reveals that they are emotionally complex (they can be both optimistic and pessimistic based on prior experiences), individualistic, intelligent, and highly sociable. The authors investigate similarities and dissimilarities between the two types of representation.

Keywords


sheep; cultural archetype; Bible; psychological approach; symbol.

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References


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Copyright (c) 2025 Ionuț Bogdan Alexandru Isdrariu, Daniela Vălușescu, Ana Gina Armaș, Maria Sauer, Ioan Petroman

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LUCRĂRI ȘTIINȚIFICE MANAGEMENT AGRICOL

ISSN print 1453-1410
ISSN online 2069-2307
(former ISSN 1453-1410, E-ISSN 2069-2307)

PUBLISHER: AGROPRINT Timisoara, Romania
PAPER ACCESS: Full text articles available for free
FREQUENCY: Annual
PUBLICATION LANGUAGE: English

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