Mountain Gazelle
Gazella gazella
Status: Endangered. They were once hunted throughout their range for food, because they were thought of as pests. Population was decimated, and recovery has further been impeded by habitat destruction and fragmentation.
In Persian and India, the deity of the wind is named Vayu. He has a dual nature. He is a great martial protector embodied as the chaotic but benevolent Wind, and he is also as a feared and evil god of death, depending on the circumstances. His strength is unmatched, and the other elements bend to him.
Vayu is a god of life, for the wind is the harbinger of rain and monsoons, and is a good omen to farmers. Life is breath, and so he is the cosmic essence and embodiment of it. His mount is a white, fleet-footed gazelle, and he rides while wielding bow and arrows. The creature's swiftness and agility are a match for Vayu's powers.
References:
van der Geer, A. (2008). Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time. Netherlands: Brill. 278-279
Julien, N. (2012). The Mammoth Book of Lost Symbols: A Dictionary of the Hidden Language of Symbolism. United Kingdom: Little, Brown Book Group.
Danielou, A. (1991). The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series (Princeton Bollingen). United States: Inner Traditions/Bear. 90-92.