SACRED DRUID ANIMALS
Horses
Several deities have attributes or connections with horses, including the Irish Macha (after whom the fortress Emain Macha is named) the welsh Rhiannon, and the gaulish Epona. In fact, the horse goddesses Macha and Rhiannon were married to mortal kings, so perhaps they were Goddess to whom the Sacred King were married. Horses are an earth animal, and a symbol of soverenty.
Salmon
Appear fairly frequently in Fianna myth, and usually represent Wisdom. Fionn MacCumhall gained supernatural wisdom when he accidentally burned his thumb on a magical salmon cooking on a spit, for example.
Crows
Were sacred to the Goddess Morrigan, and typically appeared in the myths to foreshadow battle or death. They are not necessarily birds of bad omen, however; they can indicate simply that otherworldly beings are present at the time of death, for better or worse. A crow landed on Cu Chullain's shoulder as he was dying, for example.
Deer
Were a hunting animal, and probably represented the honor that the hunters and warriors were obliged to maintain. Appearances of deer sometimes indicate the presence of an entrance into the Otherworld.
Boars
Were also a hunting animal, but a far more dangerous prey than deer. Boars probably stood for war and death, but also heroic skill because of the effort needed to kill one. The ritual of the Champion's Portion required a Boar for a feast.
Serpents
As we have seen before, the Gaulish Druids used a special "druid egg" supposedly made from the spittle of serpents. When Saint Padraig banished the serpents from Ireland, perhaps this is a metaphor for the banishing of the Druids. T he Serpent in myths appear to represent the earth powers.
Cattle
Were the primary economic unit of the Iron Age Celtic people. The larger your herd, the more influential and powerful you could be among the nobility. Cattle therefore represent temporal or political power. cattle also represent bounty and fertility; indeed the river Boine is said to spring from the udder of a mythic cow owned by the river goddess Boann
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