I once dated a gal who told me that one of her friends told her to "find" her totem, and she found out that hers was the Great Blue Heron. I didn't know much about totems or why a person would want to find his/hers, but I thought it was cool to find out what hers was back then, 'cuz I kinda appreciated those birds and happened to see 'em often on my commute... But that's about all I knew or heard about totems for a while. Back then, if I were to just pick an animal or two (or more) that I thought could be my totem, animals that I like are the peregrine falcon, big horn sheep, king cheetah, and sea otter, among others, but I think there's more to it to finding one's totem than choosing your fave animal…

Well, then we find out that Matt's totem is a tortoise, or, more specifically, the African Sulcata Tortoise, named Elvis. And I got to thinking more about totems.

From one of the Insider's Interactive SMS deals, we could find out that the idea of a totem is known worldwide ("The word Totem comes from the Aboriginal language Ojibwa, and is a form of kinship organization found in almost all parts of the world."), but since I'm no expert about totems, I decided to look at various sites online to find out more about them.

And there's a bunch of sites out there which talk about a person's totem! I don't know if any of them could be called the definitive site about totems, and you could probably find some better resources out there, however, for now, I decided to cite this source about Native American totems and their meanings…

So, from the info below (or any other sources or insight you have, which would be cool if you share, too), what's your totem? What's interesting is that "cheetah" and "coyote" are listed twice... I also noticed the number 9, which somehow figures into the HEROES 'verse mythology, fwiw:

(I think I still like the peregrine falcon, big horn sheep, king cheetah and sea otter equivalents' meanings in the list...)

Most of mine would boil down to cheetah. (I love to face-paint my son as one.) Luckily, I've never been bitten by one. As for what animal you most frequently see, most city-dwellers' totem would be a pigeon, eh?


What does a vulture stand for? My son was bitten by one once. O_o

I've always felt drawn to big cats, but lots of people who know me think of a badger when they think of me. I'm not sure whether to be complimented or offended by that. XD

The second meaning for the cheetah works better for you than me...
Cheetah Nourishment and mother figureI found another site with a dictionary of totems, and here's the page on (New World) vultures, if you're interested...Well, a badger's meaning, seems to have its pluses (though the "having problems relating to others" deal might be misdiagnosed):
Badger Courage, aggressive, healer, having problems relating to others, and energy conduit

I think it's more your interpretation, so you can have a big cat totem, I suppose (not an expert, here, though...).

Interesting that a big cat's mentioned from 3 of us so far...

I should be more specific. I've always loved panthers and leopards. I have a tonne of stuffed animal leopards and panthers.

As for animals in my house, I have a lot of parrots, but I think that has more to do with me being a Buffett fan than anything else.

Well it's a bit hard to explain and now that I read the explanation it kinda freaks me out...

But before any major life changing event in my life I always see a hawk. Every single time I have lost a loved one I had seen one and it seems to calm me. It is odd because I never see one any other time except major chaotic events.

The oddest was when I was walking up my long drive way from school and I saw one staring at me from on top of the light pole. I stopped and watched and it just looked back at me unafraid. Then as it flew off I saw the cop car coming up my drive way. That's when I found out my father had died. Kinda crazy...

Then I read this: Hawk Messenger, intuition, victory, healing, nobility, recollection, cleansing, visionary power, and guardianship

Of the leopards, I like the snow leopard, or "ounce"...

And, found a page for the leopards and panthers.

Nice topic, HERΟ! Gives some good insight what a totem is about. The turtle seems to fit well for the direction Matt is going, at least for the nurturer and protector part. Pretty cool.

For me, I think the cheetah fits best. As far back as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the cheetah. It's been my favorite animal. Speed and going fast are things that really appeal to me, and the cheetah is an animal that really makes great use of that. The first characteristics for cheetah also seem to be a really good fit for me as well. Cheetah Swiftness, insight, focus. That sounds like me to me.

Looking on the recurrent animal in my life, the squirrel would probably be the most recurring (outside pets). I notice them a good deal whenever I walk somewhere or even look out a window. I find them relatively interesting to watch, rather than just glancing over them. Squirrel Planner and gatherer. The characteristics aren't as spot-on as the cheetah to me, but I do see myself as a planner. Dunno so much about the gatherer part. Maybe a gatherer of information

So, a few here like cheetahs! Cool.

And bhero, with your stories, the hawk sure sounds like your totem! Wild.

This was such a good idea for a topic!

I think I would be a panther, crow or a bunny. I just have dreams about Panthers a lot, ever since I was a kid. When I'm full of confidence in my waking life I have dreams where a panther helps me escape something and when I'm not so full of confidence in my waking life I have dreams where the panther eats me lol.

Crows and bunnies are just animals I see often and I feel an affinity to.

Characters on the show:

I would say Daphne is a cheetah not just because of her ability but also the connection to motherhood, she also seemed close to her grandmother since she named (or will name?) her daughter after her.

Peter is definitly a dog. Didn't Claude compare him to a puppy for an entire episod lol?

I'll post more links to totem websites.

Never believed much in totems, but this is, interestingly enough, not only the best one I can find to describe me (sort of) but also my favorite animal:

Wolf Loyalty, perseverance, success, intuition, and spirit

Very interesting topic indeed!

My totem guide is definitely the Dolphin.

From as early as I could remember, I have always dreamed of swimming and living in the ocean or just water, and most of the time, dolphins are in these dreams. I had also dreamed of myself as one, as well as, of all things, a blue whale... LOL

As kids, my younger brother and I used to make a kind of sharp "clicking" sound with our throats that could travel very far, and we were able to signal each other over a long distance. We lost this ability after our voices changed in our teens.

The description of the Dolphin totem in the above list goes:

Dolphin: Kind, salvation, wisdom, happiness, playfulness, prudent, capable of deep emotion, and happy

Some other sites also listed "intuitive", "calm" and "spiritual" as the attributes of the Dolphin, and I can certainly identify with all that...

Picking "Merman" as my nickname was purely subconscious, but definitely apt...

Another animal that feature rather prominently in my life is, like bhero2all, the Hawk...

There aren't many hawks in the city I live in, but my house is very near a coastal nature reserve, so sea hawks are not a strange phenomena here. However, like bhero2all, many times these birds appear to me during moments when I needed to feel confident or calm, and to remind me that I could see things from a higher, bigger picture...

There are a couple more animals I have identified throughout the years as my guides, and they are the Horse, and the Moth...

I suppose the Horse could be a symbol of my inner desire for freedom, but Moths (of varying beautiful species and in big quantities) tend to appear during funeral rituals of close family members, or when I thought of my late parents...

Anyway, for Matt Parkman, I could see how the "shy, protecting nurturer" Turtle could be his guide. Also, it's as if the slow-moving turtle is serving as a counterpoint to Matt's destiny with the hyper-speed Daphne...

I'm sure everyone is just shocked by this, but I've always been fascinated with wolves.
Wolf: Loyalty, perseverance, success, intuition, and spirit

Also, Polar Bears have long been a favorite animal of mine.
Bear: Industrious, instinctive, healing, power, sovereignty, guardian of the world, watcher, courage, will power, self-preservation, introspection, and great strength


Heroes related, I think bee fits with Angela.
Bee: Organized, industrial, productive, wise, community, celebration, fertility, defensiveness, obsessive nature, and enjoys life

Slyar's totem might be shark (gee, ya think?)
Shark: Hunter, survival, and adaptability


This is one of those iffy topics upon where it should be in the forum. For now, I'll move it to GD, but I think BTD might be more appropriate.

O_o I think I'll just have Timo parading in front of the big mean turkey next time we're in the Mönchengladback petting zoo, and hope he gets bitten by that one instead.

I think my totem is definitely a Dog

Dog: Noble, faithful, loyal, teaching, protection, and guidance

Most people I know have said there is something vaguely doggish about me, maybe its that I like being in wide open spaces where I can move around a lot, hate being confined, have a sixth sense of immediately telling when dinner is done, or it might be that I get a leg twitch if someone scratches behind my ears

Might be why when I'm round them they instinctively trust me and listen to what I tell them. I can make the maddest dog in the world come and fall asleep by my feet!

Maybe I'm like their messiah... who will lead them gloriously to the land of Toilet-bowls and Bones

So, I might be a cat...but I'm not sure. I love domestic cats. I've always loved a pet kitty...but the sad twist in this tale is that I am allergic! Woe is I, for 'me' would be grammatically incorrect!

But, to those who know me on here...does the below sound like me?

Cat Guardianship, detachment, sensuality, mystery, magic, and independence

And if not, do you have some suggestions? The only other animal I love nearly as much as a cat is a turtle. Recently I've grown an obsession for them (and not the operable kind*) but I don't see them all around or something.

Thanks.

*This is a joke implying that 'obsession' is like a cyst.

Answer from this quiz.

Wolf--92%--You are the Wolf. When you are with someone, your allegience never falters. Your family is very important to you and you will protect that family with all you have, no matter what.

Bear--92%
Dragon--92%
Crow--92%

I figured maybe a bear since I have always been fascinated with them at the zoo. Not sure why. Don't really like them. Just like to watch them. I kinda wanted Cougar--they are terrifying!

lets see..

Have you ever felt drawn to one animal or another without being able to explain why? This could be animal, including birds and insects.- Bats and snakes mostly. Bat's because when people think of them they thinkof blindness and i'm blind. and i just think snakes are cool.

Does a certain kind of animal consistently appear in your life? This doesn't necessarily have to be a physical appearance, it could be represented in other ways such as receiving card and letters with the same animal pictured over and over, unexplainable dreams of a particular animal, watching television and seeing the same animal featured time and time again, or, actually having the animal show up.- snkes, bats and falcons. snakes at the zoo always seem attracted to me. i'll walk up to the glass ansthey all comeout andstareat me. Bats and falcons lived around my house for 7 years. use to hear the falcon whenever i went outside.

When you go to the zoo, a park, wildlife area, or forest, what are you most interested in seeing?- snakes bats and any bird of prey

Are there any animals that you find to be extremely frightening or intriguing?- bats i think are cool and i'm terrified of bees.
Is there a particular animal that you see frequently when you're out in nature?- snakes falcons and bats.

Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?- i was attacked by bees when i was three.

Have you ever had a recurring dream about a certain animal, or a dream from childhood that you have never been able to forget?- not with an animal. theres acertin guythat hasalwaysappearedin my dreams. nevercanremeber his face but he did have black hair. now i'm off topic.

Are you drawn to figurines or paintings of a specific animal?- have a few things. wolves, foxes. i use to have a bat but i don't know where it is.



sooooo..after talling them up i think i said bats thensnakes then falcon the most. that means...

Bat Rebirth, longevity, secrecy, initiation, good listener, and long life

Snake Impulsive, shrewdness, rebirth, transformation, initiation, and wisdom

Falcon New beginnings, adventure, passionate, and leadership


ooo snake and bat have afew of the same charteristics.

I found a different site with animal totems, if you're interested in more info (and just some things I noticed - not that it matters - however, "feathers" aren't animals, and "scorpions" and "spiders" are not insects, though arachnids and insects fit in the Arthropods category - just a pet peeve):
Also, if you don't exactly know what your totem is, it seems there is also an animal which you are assigned at birth, so that could take some of the guesswork outta the whole deal. The following are the Native American Zodiac Animals (or you can find some more info about the various zodiac totems here, too):I thought it was fun/wild to find out that my animal totem, based on the Native American Zodiac animals, was the falcon!



That's cool that some people have thought about the totems for characters on HEROES, too!

I haven't attempted to figure out ones for all of the characters, but I think that Hiro's totem could be a hummingbird (excerpt):Whaddya think?

If you were to figure out the totems for other HEROES characters, what would they be?

Oh, interesting Native American Zodiac. I'm an otter there. Hermione Granger's Patronus is an otter.

Interesting how in both our Zodiac and the Native American, people born in late January/early February are always the unorthodox ones. There must be something to that.

Using the quiz Novnelson linked to I got:
Eagle 83%
Horse 75%
Snake 75%
Salmon 75%
Bull 75%
Dragon 67%
Deer 58%
Dog 58%
Wolf 58%
Ram 58%
Bear 58%
Fox 33%
Stag 25%
Crow 25%

But I actually think turtle suits me better......

I got a crow, which I have always felt an affinity for and is also my zodiac totem animal (I'm a Libra.)

Here is a great website I found on totems: http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm

Whoever said Hiro was a hummingbird I think that is a very good choice




I noticed that as well! The same thing for Libras: people born in late September to October are always categorized as charming.

http://www.sayahda.com/cycle.htm


Characters on the show:
(quoted from the link above)

* Peter as a dog: "The domesticated dog is a faithful companion to humans and has a strong willingness to serve. Their sense of spirit and the ability to love even when abused is incredible. The dog teaches those with this totem how to give and receive love unconditionally. It also carries the energy of forgiveness. People with dog medicine would do well in service oriented jobs."

*Mohinder S1 as a Lizard: "Through myth and legend the Lizard is associated with the Dream time. Dreams contain some of the subtlest perceptions of the mind of which we may not be conscious. The lizard reveals hidden messages through the dream state. If lizard is your totem pay attention to the symbolic messages received in your dreams."

in the Native American one i'm an otter

In the Native American one, I'm a Salmon, but Wolf describes me better, and it's the animal I've always attuned to/been drawn towards.

I even consider my dreamcatcher a wolf-thing, because of the colors of the feathers on it.

Weird... One of my friends likes and collects all things wolves, and her birthday's Aug. 3rd, indicating that her Native American Zodiac animal's a Salmon, too.

And thanks, BluEyedGrl, for the url to more animal totem info...

I'm a wolf on the Native American one, I'm cool with that. Wolves are cool.

With the quiz I had 100% on Eagle, Crow and Stag. But my zodiac sign based on the info would be Beaver and I think that one suits me best.