Mule, Ass, and Camel in Mythology and Folklore
by The ass, or donkey, and camel are, for the most part, animals of peace that help with daily tasks, while the horse excels in arts of war. The ass and camel both have greater endurance than the horse, though they are not as large or fast. The camel thrives especially in hot, dry climates, and the ass is very surefooted in mountainous areas. The ancient Mesopotamians noticed that crossing a mare, a female horse, with a jackass, or male donkey, would produce a mule, which had many advantages of both species. Nevertheless, the mule has sometimes been stigmatized as a product of an “unnatural” union.
Party in America. The idea was partly inspired by the statement of Ignatius Donnelly to the legislature of Minnesota not long after the Civil War that the Democratic Party was like a mule, lacking both pedigree and posterity. Thomas Nast popularized the symbol in political cartoons. The metaphor may have been first intended as an insult, but the Democrats certainly didn’t mind. In fact, they adopted the symbol officially in 1874. Perhaps they realized that the symbolism of the donkey has always had many layers. If the long ears of a donkey suggest foolishness, the large teeth are a formidable weapon. The donkey is tough; it has a devastating kick. The donkey may have a reputation for stubbornness, but isn’t that often a virtue in politics? Among the most eloquent tributes to animals ever written is Platero and I by Juan Ramón Jiménez (first published in 1957). It is a series of remarks addressed by the author to a gentle donkey named “Platero,” described as “loving and tender as a child but strong and sturdy as a rock.” The donkey is not only a helper but a wonderful listener as well. Together the companions enjoy the flight of butterflies, the playing of children, the touch of water, and all that the richly sensuous life a remote village in Spain has to offer.
As for the camel, a cigarette company has exploited its reputation for sexual potency. The brand known as Camel has as its trademark symbol the animal standing in front of a pyramid. The smoker in the company’s advertisements has almost always been male; both the pyramid and the hump of the camel suggest the belly of a pregnant woman-proof of his virility. The advertisers even exploited the reputation of the camel for ugliness by creating the cartoon character Joe Camel, who had the face of a camel and the body of a man, to suggest a blue-collar toughness. Joe was such a commercial success that antismoking activists protested against him, and the ads were made illegal around the end of the nineties. For the most part, however, the camel of Arab lands, like the ass and mule of the Occident, has become a symbol of a vanishing way of life.
In Latin America and parts of the Mediterranean, the mule is the preferred helper of many solitary workers such as peddlers. Even today, in many villages, mules are used to deliver mail. There is often a quiet intimacy between the mules and their handlers, who share a humble status.
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