Hyenas in Folklore
Generally, Hyenas (regardless of the type) in African,Middle Eastern, and Asian Folklore were feared, since primitive man associated them with witchcraft, either as the familiars of supposed witches and other undesirables, or the witches themselves in animal form. Often the body-parts of hyena were used for cult/magical/medical beliefs. A backdrop to this fear can certainly be linked to the understanding that hyenas of all types are dangerous to man, though as I’ve already noted, the spotted and brown hyenas are more apt to attack man than the striped hyena.
Hyenas were believed to dig up graves, and in rocky regions of deserts/mountains where bedouins would bury their dead, they would pile up stones upon the burial site to thwart these scavengers. Here we have a folk anxiety that is likely based upon truth. Since the hyena derives nourishment from bones, I believe there is probably validity to this claim. Furthermore, one can understand the superstitious fear of a backward person to attribute willful malice against the dead. To be fair though, even a rational individual would get upset to see an animal unearth and fress upon his beloved Aunt Bertha.
The Hyena in the Torah
“ The raiders came out of the Philistine camp in three columns: One column headed for the Ophrah road that leads to the district of Shual, another column headed for the Beth-horon road, and the third column headed for the border road that overlooks the valley of Zeboim (tzavoim, hyena) toward the desert.” (Samuel I 13:18:) (JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh)
The Talmud has several interesting if not perplexing discussions pertaining to the hyena, yet here I will defer to the expertise of Rabbi Natan Slifkin, the “Zoo Rabbi,” who addresses the Talmud’s referencing of the hyena on his blog rationalistjudaism.com. It would be a disservice to try to summarize his impeccable research. (The reader will bear in mind that these Talmudic discussions were based upon the science and beliefs of the age, and they do not cast any negative reflection on chazal’s knowledge. As genuine chachomim, they were simply using the tools of their age that were at their disposal. In short, don’t try any of these remedies at home.) Rabbi Slifkin addresses the following:
A discussion pertaining to the Mishnah’s referring to a creature called the “bardelas,” which the Bavli associated with the hyena. The Bavli’s subsequent statement explains that hyenas turn into bats, thorns and then demons. Talk about evolution!
The Yerushalmi’s discussion of hyenas changing their gender, and a folk remedy for rabies that should be avoided today.
As an aside, I eagerly await the release of Rabbi Slifkin’s upcoming “The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom”, which promises to be a virtual compendium of Torah knowledge relating to fauna. By following the link above, you can get a sampling of his upcoming work by downloading completed sections on the leopard and the hyrax, which Rabbi Slifkin has been kind enough to share.
Israel’s Wild Places
I will close this article by recounting my personal first sighting of a striped hyena in the Negev. It occurred several years back on a Motzei Shabbat, about a year after I made Aliyah. When I returned, I typed this quick synopsis of my encounter.
“A stroll at this late hour reminded me why I love the desert. The mystery and serenity of a desert night is like nothing else in nature. I spotted my first striped hyena tonight since making aliyah. I don’t even know if it saw me. It was just wandering around for awhile on the periphery of town, until finally it headed out into the desert night and was gone. An incredible sighting. I still have its distinctive black and white pattern in my mind’s eye. The classical hump standing out against the desert night. Beautiful. Somewhere out there in the darkness of the Negev, wild things with fur and teeth still roam about.
Fortunately, Israel still has some wild places left that haven’t been destroyed entirely by the land plowers. Places where Bedouins haven’t set up their illegal shanty towns which become havens for criminal activity. Thank G-d. We need such places to reflect and think, to get lost, and to try to find ourselves. To test ourselves against the elements and become men, or perhaps die trying. Places where the risks of falling off a cliff (due to wind or personal carelessness), collapsing from dehydration, or stepping on a horned viper, are very real. Hidden haunts of creation where we can sleep under the stars and reflect on the natural beauty of the Holy Land that the Almighty created.
Edward Abbey, the great American writer and “voice of the American wilderness” had a love affair with the deserts of the American West. Abbey noted that the desert’s hidden charms are lost on most people, who are turned off by the nasty things one finds there. Crawling, creeping, and slithering things like snakes, spiders, and scorpions. That’s why deserts are easier to protect. Most people don’t want to live there. If they come to visit it’s usually from the confines of an air-conditioned SUV or charter bus that graciously leaves as fast as it arrived. I recommend Abbey’s classic work, “Desert Solitaire,” which is a genuine masterpiece of nature writing.
I believe it was Edward Abbey who defined wilderness as ‘any ecosystem that has at least one animal species that can eat you’. I agree. Hiking and camping isn’t the same without the concern, (unlikely as it may be) that something with teeth and powerful jaws might clamp down on your neck or skull while you slumber. Here’s to the striped hyena and the few remaining leopards that still haunt this country’s wild deserts. The Almighty put them on this earth for a reason. May they live long and prosper.”
The natural world is a gift from Hakadosh Baruch, one which is imbued with both the allure of mystery, (and for those scientifically pre-disposed) genuine chochmah of the natural world. It is a way for the thinking man to reflect on the Creator’s majestic works, and it offers a respite from modern man’s concrete world which detaches us from the earth. To those whose emotional inclinations turn them toward unJewish notions of mysticism and magic, the natural world can redirect oneself towards the majesty of Hashem’s flora and fauna, which contain more splendor and wonder than anything man-made. King David would surely agree.