Know what the rat animal represents!

For most people, the rat is an unpleasant animal that does not bring back good memories. However, its symbolism is directly linked to the idea of being able to accomplish anything in life, whatever your conditions.

The rat is present in several myths and tales from different cultures. Therefore, it has both positive and negative connotations. According to the belief of Greek mythology, this animal is seen as a sacred being, due to its ability to adapt to different circumstances, similar to a powerful god.

Rats are also seen as weather prophets. In Europe, there is a belief that the rat is a messenger between Heaven and Earth, and its function is to carry the souls of the dead. Learn more about the symbolism of the rat in various cultures in this article!

Main meanings of the mouse

The mouse has several meanings, which vary among the cultures present around the world. There are people who treat mice as a symbolism of the gods, others consider it a messenger between heaven and earth. In addition, there are several other conceptions that you will have access to below!

Mouse in the Bible

There are some Bible verses that talk about rats. The rat is defined in the Holy Scriptures as an unclean animal, unfit for human consumption, although some regions of the world consume this animal. Also according to the Bible, the rat was sent by God to Egypt as one of the plagues.

With all these statements, it's possible to conclude that the vision the Holy Bible passes about this animal is a little bit negative. Even after God sent this animal to reach Egypt as a plague, the Egyptians still considered it as a creation of God and had respect for it.

Spiritual meaning of the rat

The Holy Bible considers the rat as an impure animal and improper for consumption. Throughout the biblical history, this animal appears in several reports, such as, for example, in the plagues of Egypt, which occurred during the time of Moses, in which they infected that entire region and were sent to destroy the crops.

Besides this story, rats are also present in the biblical narrative that tells the story of when the Assyrians tried to invade and conquer Jerusalem. There was a divine intervention by means of rats, which invaded the Assyrians' camp and destroyed all their weapons, forcing them to retreat. In the Bible, these animals are a symbol of setbacks, lost opportunities, jealousy andunderdevelopment.

Oriental meaning of the rat

According to Chinese culture, rats are a symbol of fertility, as they can have several offspring throughout their lives, as well as representing cuteness, intelligence and cunning. It is considered a shy animal that is always alert, with the ability to flee at the slightest sign of danger. In the sign of the zodiac, it is a symbol of creativity and ability to adapt.

This animal is also seen in Eastern culture as a messenger of God, who has the power to communicate with the spiritual plane and make predictions about the future. In ancient times, the rat was even worshipped in China as a god that could offer success and prosperity.

Rat in Umbanda

In Umbanda, the rat is associated with characteristics such as cleverness and dexterity, as it is a very fast and skillful animal, with an immense capacity to accumulate wealth. Therefore, it is seen in Umbanda as an animal that brings a lot of luck and riches.

These small rodents can be considered synonymous with adaptation, innocence, determination and conservation. In addition, rats are also a symbol of fertility, consciousness and physical and energetic cleanliness. Therefore, when a rat appears, even in dreams, it is a sign for you to be on your guard.

Rat in shamanism

Within Shamanism, the rat symbolizes the power of attention in all their actions and attitudes, being animals that work hard on things that may seem irrelevant. However, for them, these things may be the key to a prosperous life within their context.

Rats are extremely meticulous, as they are capable of observing the smallest details around them, so they know very well how to avoid danger. In Shamanism, these astute animals represent the human being's search for knowledge and the importance of being able to see beyond appearances.

Rat in Hinduism

The rat is considered a sacred animal in Hinduism, however, this ends up causing some problems. According to some research, the population of rats in India is three times larger than that of people. They destroy a quarter of all crops in the country, besides transmitting many diseases.

According to Hindu belief, the good and bad that a particular person does in life will determine how he will come and live in the next incarnation. Therefore, animals like cow, rat and snakes are worshipped as they are possibly the reincarnation of some of the family members. Therefore, the killing of these animals is forbidden in India.

Mouse in African culture

There is a folk tale in Africa that describes well the spiritual meaning of a mouse, it expresses this animal as being silly and arrogant. The story tells that a child-like mouse considers himself to be the strongest animal on the savannah. With this, he sets out on a journey in search of the elephant in order to prove all his strength. He meets other animals on the way.

After he brags a lot that he is looking for the elephant, the animals flee because of weather phenomena, in which the mouse believes he is the reason for the fear. When the mouse finds the elephant, he can barely see him.

Finally, the rat wakes up and begins to think that he would have won the confrontation if it were not for the natural flood that took him away. In Egypt this animal symbolizes destruction and in Nigeria it is believed that one can transfer one's soul to a rat.

Mouse in Medieval Europe

According to a belief widespread in some places in Medieval Europe, rats occupied a privileged position of contact with the "divine," a creature that functioned as a mediator between the physical and spiritual planes, mainly due to its connection with the ground.

Thus, the rat is believed to be responsible for taking the souls from the physical plane to the spirit world. Some ancestors from Africa also believed in this connection between the spirits and the earth, and the rats were responsible for this. Due to this belief, the rats were treated in a special way.

Mouse in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, rats were symbolic of characteristics such as greed, avarice, and theft. This was because they were constantly raiding the warehouses of the time to steal grain and other types of food. There is even a passage in the epic poem Iliad where the god Apollo is called Esminteus, which is a term derived from the word rat.

Apollo, who is a god symbolized by a mouse, is also a symbol of duality, for while he protects the harvest and agriculture from the action of these rodents, he also spreads the plague.

Mouse in Ancient Greece

Mainly due to the fact that Rome has appropriated several cultural aspects from Greece is that the conception about rats of the Greeks is the same as that of the Romans, that is, they also believe that rats are a symbol of characteristics such as avarice, greed and theft. This is due to the fact that these animals are indeed so.

Rats are rodents that end up consuming various resources of people, no matter how much they are saved. The cunning of these animals is tremendous and they can be quite subtle in everything they do. Therefore, this animal is a symbol of the characteristics that were mentioned above.

Mouse in Celtic culture

In Ireland, the rat is used to cure problems such as baldness. For this, they are kept in marinade for about a year, after which they are used as an ointment for the skull. In addition, there is a belief that says that while St. Colman was praying and chanting some psalms, a rat chewed his ear after falling asleep.

Also, there is a legend that states that men were sent to the fair to sell a cow to get money to buy food for the sick mother. The men are sent three times, each with his cow, but they came back with a singing bee, a dancing mouse and a watch. The mother had a good laugh, although she was disappointed.

So, there was a challenge to make the princess laugh three times at that time, so one of them managed to achieve the goal and was entitled to ask for her hand in marriage.

Meaning of mouse in the house

The presence of mice in your home is not a good sign. If you start seeing some in your home, know that there is something that needs to be fixed. Be very careful about stingy relatives, situations that end up discouraging you, and mistrust, as well as financial problems and hassles.

Rats are considered to be very intelligent animals, skillful and difficult to catch. This is due to the fact that they can escape traps very well. Therefore, catching a rat can also be a sign of success in your projects. If you kill a rodent, know that you will be successful in finances.

Meaning of dreaming of a mouse

To dream of a rat is a warning sign, as it symbolizes the fact that there is someone close to you who is not trustworthy. Therefore, the message that the dream is trying to convey to you is about a lie that you have been told recently, or about someone who is acting dishonestly towards you.

This dream also reveals that you are being naive and weak. Therefore, those who have a dream about a mouse should be very attentive, because at any moment something may happen due to the bad actions of a person who is very close to you.

Meaning of the mouse tattoo

Mouse tattoos vary a lot in many aspects, including color and design. They can represent fertility, innocence, shyness, loyalty and many other aspects. In general, this is a type of tattoo that is preferred by women, because most of them tattoo Minnie Mouse, which is a symbol of modesty and feminine innocence.

This is a tattoo for those people who like to take life lightly and love to flirt. The tribal mouse tattoo has a more sober meaning, which represents the spiritual link between the wearer and the elements of nature.

Main Bible verses related to the mouse

There are some biblical verses where rats are mentioned or have an important role in the ending of a story. According to the Holy Bible, this animal is not very well seen, however, it has been used to save a whole people. Check it out!

Leviticus 11:29

"Of the animals that move close to the ground, these you shall consider unclean: the weasel, the mouse, any kind of large lizard,"

Leviticus 11:29

This verse expresses one of the beliefs exposed by the Holy Bible, that the rat is an unclean animal, however, it is not the only one. Leviticus in chapter number 11 still shows a series of other animals that can be considered unfit for consumption because they are unclean.

Isaiah 66:17

"Those who consecrate themselves to enter the gardens by going after the priest who is in the middle, eat pork, other disgusting things and rats, they will all perish," declares the Lord."

Isaiah 66:17

The book of Isaiah is full of rebukes to God's people because of their apostasy from the Lord's commandments. This verse expresses how far gone the priests and people were, for they ate unclean meats such as pork and rat meat and other things considered disgusting. Finally, the verse states that they will all perish.

1 Samuel 6:4

"The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering shall we send you?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck you and all your rulers."

1 Samuel 6:4

The Philistines attacked the people of Israel, who suffered a great defeat. With this, they took an item sacred to the Israelite people, something that was part of the sanctuary, which was the Ark of the Covenant, where the tablets of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses were.

Because of this, the Philistines suffered from great plagues. To stop these plagues, they were to make five tumors of gold and also five mice of gold, according to the number of the rulers of Philistia that existed at that time.

1 Samuel 6:5

"Make images of the tumors and rats that are ravaging the country and give glory to the god of Israel; perhaps he will lighten his hand from upon you, your gods and your land."

1 Samuel 6:5

This verse shows what the Philistines would need to do to get rid of the plagues that were occurring throughout the nation. They were to do what was asked of them and acknowledge the God of Israel as the only god worthy of being worshiped. This is what they did, and the plagues ceased.

1 Samuel 6:11

"They put the ark of the Lord in the cart and next to it the box with the golden mice and the images of the tumors."

1 Samuel 6:11

After doing all that was required and getting rid of the plagues that were falling on the whole nation, the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant to Israel and sent it along with the mice and the images of the tumors, all of pure gold. This would serve as a testimony of what happened.

1 Samuel 6:18

"The number of the golden mice was according to the number of the Philistine cities which belonged to the five rulers; both the fortified cities and the towns in the field. The great rock, on which they set the ark of the Lord, is to this day a witness in the field of Joshua, of Beth-shemesh."

1 Samuel 6:18

This verse states that the number of golden mice was according to the number of the Philistine cities that belonged to the rulers. They had to make some sculptures of golden mice so that the plague could cease. After all that God had commanded was done, they got rid of the plague.

More information about the meaning of the rat in Shamanism

Shamanism is a spiritual and religious belief in which people seek inner strength and reunion with the teachings of nature. For those who are adepts of Shamanism, healing is within each one and it can heal itself. Learn more below!

What are spirit animals?

The spirit animals in Shamanism are powerful instruments of wisdom, self-knowledge and spiritual healing for human beings. Since the beginning of civilizations, some traditional peoples recognized the importance of walking next to their protective animal.

This is due to the fact that they believed that each person carried with them the spirit of a guardian animal, and this animal guided them in the best direction to follow. In addition, it is also possible to discover traits of one's own personality that you did not know, based on your Shamanism spirit animal.

Rat as spirit animal

The rat as a spirit animal is a symbol that you are a very arrogant and self-centered person, and that it is necessary to reconsider your actions. This spirit animal arises for you to achieve balance, through his gentle and shy energy.

Being kind is an important thing and the rat knows it. Moreover, this little rodent appears to bring prosperity and wealth into your life, or even fertility.

Another important characteristic is that the spirit animal rat can appear as a help, strengthening your energies and creativity so that you can pursue your dreams and give continuity to your personal projects.

What are the totem animals?

People who possess the rat animal totem have very keen eyesight and can perceive details that often go unnoticed by most people. They can describe anything accurately and give many details. This is a quality that makes them excellent at perceiving the most subtle details, and they can create very beautiful things.

People with the totem of this animal are also able to sense danger quickly. If you are someone who has the mouse totem, you are probably a very shy person who doesn't like to be the center of attention. Nevertheless, there are times when these people go out in search of adventure.

Mouse as totem animal

The animal totem rat is also present in those who are very affectionate towards their family. For example, if you don't have children, you probably show all your affection towards your pet or a project. People with this totem also love to work, be busy and act alone.

This totem gives the possessor the power to communicate with the spirit world, so spending more time alone helps you communicate with the spirit world. In addition, you can talk to spirits that only you can feel, even with a certain familiarity.

After all, is the meaning of the mouse positive or negative?

The rat can be considered as something positive, as the energy of this animal has come to show you the importance of communication, both with others and with yourself, so that you can understand your own needs. Although you like being alone and silence better, communication is the way to build happy relationships.

Therefore, always try to be grateful for what you have and learn to enjoy the simplest moments of life. Then, take advantage of all the positive energies that the mouse brings, so that your life is conducted in a graceful and calm way. It is inevitable that unforeseen events happen, however, try to keep calm and move forward.