The Leopard in the Sky

The figure of the leopard was often used to describe the sky or the celestial sphere. The reason is simple: the animal’s spotted fur evokes the star-filled night sky, with each spot perceived as a star. The leopard therefore came to represent the moving heavens, and many ancient deities were depicted wearing its skin.

The goddess Seshat wore a leopard-skin garment. She presided over the ritual known as the “stretching of the cord,” a foundation ceremony in the Early Dynastic tradition, in which the ground plan of temples was measured and aligned according to astronomical principles. She is sometimes described as the consort of Thoth.
Osiris, ruler of the underworld in ancient Egypt, was served by priests who wore leopard skins during funerary rites. Since the leopard symbolized the highest realm—the sky—it conferred power upon those who wore its skin.
In the Greek world, Dionysus is commonly portrayed wearing a leopard skin. In his case, the leopard symbolized ecstasy and possibly altered states of consciousness or forms of astral experience.

Other deities, such as Durga or Tezcatlipoca, are also associated with large spotted felines.

Earthly power – but more importantly, universal or divine power, strength, and authority -was thus expressed through this symbolism. Among earthly representatives, who would not wish to embody such attributes?

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