Antelope Symbolism & Meaning

Are you hesitant about taking action in a situation? Are you looking to sharpen negotiation skills? Antelope, as a Spirit, Totem, and Power Animal, can help! Antelope teaches you how to free yourself from emotional blocks and choose words with care. Delve deeply in Antelope symbolism and meaning to find out how this Animal Spirit Guide can motivate, educate, and encourage you.

Antelope Table of Contents

• Antelope Symbolism & Meaning
• Spirit Animal
• Totem Animal
• Power Animal
• Africa Symbolism
• Legend of Unumbotte Symbolism
• Antelope Dreams
• Far Eastern Symbolism
• Back to all Mammals
• Back to all Spirit Animal Meanings

Antelope Symbolism & Meaning

“Never lose sight of an Antelope for a dashing squirrel.” – PLO Lumumba

Antelope belong to the species of animals with cloven feet such as goat, deer, gazelle, and oxen. The only true example of them come from Asia or Africa. What’s most interesting about observations of Antelope over time is that these animals were never really tamed even though they lived close to humans all the time. Talk about a stubborn streak of individuality!

Antelopes have many sizes and personalities. Most have brownish fur, but variants exist that include black, white, and striped coats. The Royal Antelope is the smallest of the lot, weighing only about six pounds. Nonetheless, this small creature has a huge following in African lore being acclaimed for its speed and wisdom.

Various cultures and societies used Antelope horns for Medicine, feeling that the horn was the center of magical Power. For example, although endangered, the Saiga Antelope horns are highly desired for Chinese Medicine. The horns are said to act as a curative for any “hot” sicknesses like a fever. There are some who also believe this horn works as an aphrodisiac.

In India, the Vedas mention Antelopes in connection with Deities. The Antelope is the vehicle of the Moon God Chandra. This is also true for Vayu, Lord of the Winds (see Divine Antelopes).

There is also Shiva, the Lord of Animals, one of whose manifestations is an Antelope. One story tells of Shiva as a handsome man. The wives of hermits in the Forest nearly forgot their vows to run after them. In retaliation, the husbands threw both a tiger and an Antelope toward him. When the Antelope leaped, Shiva caught it and held it still in the air, showing his Power over nature.

Keywords and characteristics of Antelope include protection, perception, olfactory impressions, movement, keen mindedness, instinct, grace, flexibility, endurance, defender, communication, awareness, attentiveness, quickness, and atonement.

Antelopes eat plants and are fairly gentle animals. Their sense of vision, smell, and hearing is well developed. In fact, the Antelope’s eyes reside on the side of their head. These give them a better view of potential danger both in front of and behind them.

Antelope in Heraldry: Antelope periodically appears in heraldry. It sometimes represents a pure heart and fleetness of foot. Another assigned value is someone who loves music, has a quick mind and the gift of prophecy. The depictions of Antelope were drawn from depictions, so they really didn’t look much like the real deal.

Divine Depictions of Antelope: Satis, an Upper Egyptian Goddess, had an Antelope as her symbol. She oversaw matters of war. It is believed she was part of a triad that included Khnum (who guards the source of the Nile) and Anuket (who oversees the Nile itself). Her images often include the crown of Upper Egypt that bears Antelope horns. Satis could also shapeshift into an Antelope at will.

In Babylon Marduk and Ea, both have Antelope aspects. Ea was a bit of a trickster who oversaw magic and wisdom. Marduk was the son of Ea and the national God of Babylon. Both were sometimes depicted as having an Antelope head or horns.

Hindu mythology has Soma, a moon God associated with Antelope. This was an important Deity in the Rigveda and has some parallels to Bacchus due to the sacred drink bearing his name. There is also Varuna, the God of Day, whose depictions include him riding a grand Antelope (or Gazelle).

Antelope Spirit Animal

One of the central messages from Antelope Spirit Animal is “take action.” You have a door in front of you. Trust your instincts here. There will be some decisions along the way to the new opportunity that you really can’t put off. Antelope Spirit provides the energy for this endeavor.

The second reason Antelope Spirit Helper may have run down your path is as a messenger. Your guardian angel is telling you that you are loved. You may not always perceive that and feel rather left by the wayside. That need not be so. Reach out, open your arms, and let someone in.

Antelope is a very watchful animal. What is it that you are not seeing? Step back and get a complete view of everything around you. Extend all your senses until you find that missing part of the puzzle; this is important before moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, if you have a defined goal, Antelope has come supporting just that. This Spirit Guide has an immense amount of vitality and stamina from which you can draw. Be aware, however, that Antelope expects self-confidence: No being wishy-washy.

The Antelope Spirit Animal sometimes comes to students who are struggling. Here Antelope offers you better focus and quick-mindedness to grasp concepts clearly and retain that knowledge.

For the time when you are walking with Antelope as a Spirit Helper, be aware that you will be on the move. Where some Animal Spirits show you how to think, Antelope tells you how to “do.” If you have been waffling or dragging your feet in some aspect of your life, that behavior is about to get shaken up.

In the workplace, the Antelope Spirit Animal assists in evaluating your situation if you are feeling unsure. It is hard to deceive Antelope, and truth be told he has no patience for lies or duplicity. If manipulation is afoot, you will see it clearly. Better still, Antelope gives you effective strategies for fixing things.

For communication, Antelope gives you a dash of charm and charisma, which never hurts when you are trying to get your point across.

Antelope Totem Animal

Those born with an Antelope Totem Animal are smart cookies. They learn very quickly and often become perpetual students thanks to an immense amount of curiosity. As children, these are the kids that had never-ending questions streaming out of their back pockets, received by exasperated parents.

If Antelope is your Birth Totem, you sometimes give up your own well-being because you try so hard to please. You need a pin that says: stop me before I volunteer again. Adding the word “no” to your vocabulary is essential.

Antelope Medicine includes a refined sense of smell. You could spend days at the perfume or cologne counter, or may even try making some of your own. Another aspect of this ability is “sniffing out” problems. When danger is in the air, you know it.

Friends to the Antelope Totem find it hard to keep up. You move fast, constantly – one wonders if you ever sit down. Why walk when running gets you there more quickly? By the way, running or jogging are great hobbies for the Antelope.

Your Antelope Totem gives you finesse and elegance. Good manners and etiquette matter to you, as does beauty. The line of a painting, the curve of an apple, you see the world through cultured eyes. Dull and drab simply won’t do.

Last but not least, your journey with Antelope embraces independence and freedom. You may love someone, but they will never tame all of your primal nature. Don’t let anything or anyone squash that.

Antelope Power Animal

Call on Antelope as a Power Animal when you need help moving on an idea or opportunity. Antelope’s energy vibrations sharpen your communication skills, ensuring you’re at your best during negotiations. Antelope heightens your awareness of subtle shifts in surrounding energies. The creature also shows you how to be more attentive and watchful, allowing you to master methods for reading people’s body language and intentions.

If you don’t trust intuition, petition Antelope for help; the creature helps you attune with your innate skills and instincts. Also, invoke Antelope when you want to protect secrets; the Animal helps you make the best use of your defenses, ensuring everyone respects your personal space.

Africa Antelope Symbolic Meanings

Among the Plains Indians, Antelope is a messenger from Spirits or the Ancestors. Pueblo Tribes have an Antelope clan. The Hopi take that idea one step further by having an entire Antelope Society that’s religious. In this setting, the Antelope Katsina dances for other Antelopes brings rain and helps the crops grow.

A Blackfoot legend explains why Antelope stays on the plains. It begins with the creation of the world that was wrought with mistakes. One thing the Creator did wrong was putting Big Horns on the plains. They simply could not run there. So, Creator took the Big Horn up to the mountains and set him free, pleased to see him run easily on the cliffs.

While being entertained by Big Horn, Creator made the Antelope. Already being in the mountains, that’s where Creator let Antelope loose. Sadly, Antelope couldn’t navigate the rocks at all. Seeing his error, Creator brought Antelope to the prairie, where he was happy. To this day, the Big Horn remains in the mountains and Antelope in the prairie.

Symbolic Meanings in the Legend of Unumbotte

Another Kootenai tale tells us of clever Frogs who outwit the Antelope through planning. The Antelope had great pride in his running abilities. When boasting about his swiftness among all the animals to a Frog, the Frog decided to challenge him. The two were to race beside the creek.

The Antelope agreed, betting on his success, but the Frog had a plan. He asked his relatives to hide along the creek bed in the reeds. Each Frog jumped in front of the Antelope, so there was no risk of tiring. An exhausted and surprised Antelope lost the race. Frog told him of his ruse, explaining that while Antelope can run fast, the Frog was a faster thinker.

The following is the tale of The Antelope and the Deer (or why Deer stay in the Brush). Tachi Yokut tribe in California has a legend about the Deer and the Antelope. The two were walking one day when Antelope challenged Deer to a running race. They move to the south of a nearby lake seeing open plains to the west and brushlands to the east.

Antelope told the Deer to take the east side since he boasted of being able to leap and bound easily. Deer agreed. The bet they had was that the winner would have open countryside and the loser must forever hide in the bushes. Of course, Antelope won since Deer jumped right into a dense bit of brush. So, it is that you find Deer hiding in the bushes and Antelope on the open plains.

The Bassari tribe in West Africa have a Creator God named Unumbotte. Unumbotte came down from his place in the sky making three things: humans, Antelope, and a Snake. At this point, the earth was rather rocky. Unumbotte commanded the three to pound the ground smooth and then sow the seeds given to them.

They didn’t follow the whole mandate, sowing the seeds only. The result was a tree that grew very tall, bearing red fruit. Unumbotte decided he would come down from the sky once a week and gathered fruit unto himself. Meanwhile, the animals were hungry. The humans, however, grabbed fruit from the tree.

Of course, Unumbotte noticed asking who did this and why. The humans said they were hungry. Unumbotte asked the other two creatures if they, too, were hungry. Antelope said yes and that he liked grass, so Umunbotte put him in the grasslands where he lives in the wild.

As for humans? They were gathered into groups. Each group ate from the same bowl, never the other groups. Eventually, different languages developed, and people continue ruling the land in different groups. As for Snake? Unumbotte gave Snake a special venom with which he could bite people from now on.

Antelope Dreams

Dreaming of Antelopes suggests you should monitor your energy resources. Don’t scatter your attention. Antelope dream imagery also implies you are looking at something with skewed perception. Ask yourself if you’re overthinking an issue.

If the Antelope is running from you, it symbolizes a need to retreat. A temporary getaway might refresh your mind, body, and spirit. An Antelope laying down in your dream warns against being lackadaisical; remain alert, so you don’t miss opportunities.

Far Eastern Antelope Symbolic Meanings

In the Far East, there is a myth about the unicorn: A benevolent creature that has the body of an Antelope with but one horn. This Animal of myth only came into the land only during the reign of benevolent people. Confucius mentioned this but said that it was killed in a ducal hunt.

There is also the Japanese Serow, a goat-Antelope. It lives in northern woodlands near Honshu. This is considered a national symbol in Japan. This creature is about 32 inches tall, weighing, on average, 70 pounds. They are either black or white, with backward-curving horns. The Sero gather in small herds for safety, marking their territory with glandular secretions. There are specific conservation regions specifically for this creature.

Antelope Symbolic Meanings Key

• Attentiveness
• Awareness
• Communication
• Defense
• Endurance
• Flexibility
• Instinct
• Olfactory Impressions
• Perception
• Protection