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Tibetan Antelope

Pantholops hodgsonii

Status: In 1980s they were endangered, but due to protective laws against poaching, they have recovered in the past decades. Even so they are still poached to make scarves from soft warm underfur. 3-5 of them must be killed to make one scarf.

Ancient Greek mythology:

Theophane was a beauty, a nymph, and grand-daughter of Helios, the sun god. Upon seeing her, Poseidon, god of the sea, was struck by her loveliness. He desired to have her for himself, and so he spirited her away to an island surrounded and protected by the cerulean swells of the ocean. Even there, her legendary beauty tempted suitors to come and seek her out. To keep the men at bay, Poseidon transformed Theophane into a sheep, hiding her among his flocks, and took on the form of a ram for himself.

The offspring of Poseidon and Theophane in these forms was a winged ram with fleece of gold. The golden ram was later sacrificed to Poseidon, and its Golden Fleece became an icon of power and kingship.

The ancient Greeks spun this tale around a creature of divine and distant origins. Possible inspirations for the winged and golden ram could have been the takin or Tibetan antelopes, who are even to this day sought out by poachers and killed for the golden fibers and woven into luxury shawls.

 

References:
Gupta, Saloni. (2018). Tibetan Antelope and Shahtoosh Shawl: A Brief History. 10.1007/978-3-319-72257-3_3.

Bacon, Janet Ruth (1925). The Voyage of the Argonauts. London: Methuen.