Abstract

SUSSEKIND, Felipe. Jaguar as a sign of life and death. Rev. bras. psicanál [online]. 2018, vol.52, n.1, pp. 82-95. ISSN 0486-641X.

In different social and cultural contexts, there is a direct association between the jaguar and the transformative energy associated with life cycles. Affective, cognitive, and symbolic features of felines relate to indigenous configurations of life and death, as well as with fertility and cycles of rain. The modern conservative thinking may reveal similar associations as we deal with terms of mythical practice. The paper starts from this premise in order to explore different and possible configurations of life and death. We use as reference the intrinsically related processes of the extinction of animal species and the extinction of peoples and cultures. These processes are the starting point for our reflections on the possibility of a comparative mythology that involves distinct cosmologic systems.

Keywords : Ecology; extinction; jaguar; Anthropology; ritual.

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