Animals of the underworld

[sagewhite]

I'm wanting to research the animals connected with the underworld and what their symbology/significance is.  So far I have:
raven, crow and other corvids
owl
spider
snake

Please add to my list.

Comments

[moonvoice]

jackal / dog (particularly black) / african painted hunting dog - all psychopomps.

vulture (upper/underworld specifically) - psychopomp, messenger of death.

earthworm, worm, wyrms - connected to making pathways between different underworld 'realms,' will carry negative energies and cleanse them, can be outright malicious (some wyrms).

horse - particularly wights, like the Each Uisge (also associated with Middleworld). connected to death and horror.

whippoorwill / cuckoo / nightjars - some are considered soul stealers (probably handy with soul extractions!) and generally connected to underworld.

um, that's all I can think of right now. will hopefully think of some more later!

[sagewhite]

Thank you. Some of these I'd never heard of considered with the underworld and some I kick myself for forgetting (I saw The Omen, how could I forget jackal?).

[moonvoice]

The night-callers tend to be the big ones in terms of birds (owls, nightjars, whippoorwills etc.)

I think moths too! Not that they call, just that they're underworld animals; though I've never seen them there, I haven't been looking.

Black cats too, probably.

[sagewhite]

Thanks, I can do some reseach on stoat as well.