Gazelle

"Look at these wall reliefs that we discovered during the excavations at Uruk. Gazelles keep popping up as motifs.

Henrietta von Amnitz, 1934 AD

How astonished the first arrivals from Elaqitan must have been when they discovered that in their new home there were gazelles that populated the land in large numbers. Actually, it was her symbol of freedom from magic and oppression and newfound strength in her new world of Naharin.

Gazelles are graceful, slender and graceful. But they are also fast, persistent and difficult to catch due to their turning maneuvers and jumps. Because of this, a black gazelle fleeing through a shattering yellow mirror became the identifying mark of the magicless people of Idaka on Elaqitan. Although the gazelles of Earth differed in color and size from those of Idaka, the Nahari saw it as a benevolent sign to settle in Mesopotamia.

by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney

The gazelle as a symbol of human strength
(and weakness?) on Idaka and Naharin

The Idacians associated the gazelle with escape from their oppressive lives. Within their community of mirror rebels there was protection as within the herds of gazelles that grazed peacefully on the Idacian savannahs. On the other hand, the magicless had a desire for independence. They wanted to rely on their own powers and the abilities given by creation without magic.

After the settlement of Naharin, the original image slowly changed and the gazelle became more and more a symbol of grace, love, spiritual knowledge and elegance, which had to be achieved. Gazelles were kept as pets and buried with rulers. They were companions of the goddess of love and battle Inanna (Ishtar, Astarte). Even in the Holy Scriptures there are some passages in which homage is paid to the gazelle.

Because of their tasty meat and their supposed purity, they were also popular hunted and sacrificial animals. Because they were difficult to catch, miles of stone walls were built along their migration routes. Entire herds of dogs were cornered and killed or shot with arrows. Unfortunately, this led to a severe endangerment and almost complete extinction of the stocks in Mesopotamia. Many scientists now assume that the animals were sacrificed to worship the gods. But what if the Nahari were just trying to erase the memory of another world?

Like twin young gazelles that graze among the lilies are the breasts of the beloved, and the beloved is like a gazelle (Song of Love 4:5; 2:9)

Hunt of Gazelles by Blue Fairy 74 via Midjourney