{roe} deer           
                                
                                
                                    
                                          
                                          
 [picture  of a  deer  head, in a garland 
         woven of various grasses.        
 the deer has  a crown of rowan,  and  is 
         looking at the viewer.]          
                                          
                                     
                               
                                     
                                          
 in the north, the deer is often  used as 
 a  symbol  for the  forest's agency,  or 
    its self-knowledge. watching eyes.    
                                          
 warmer  regions instead  ascribe it  the 
 knife  (teeth, rumors  of violence),  or 
    obsession (unblinking eyes, always    
      awake, scrapie-like behavior).      
                                          
                                     
                               
                                     
                                          
 the deer is a cross  between a horse and 
 a  dog.  it  bears  a  resemblance to  a 
 young    salix   tree,   and    has    a 
     sweet-smelling nose, like honey.     
                                          
 the horns of a deer  is  called antlers. 
 they have a complex  fractal  shape, and 
 are  believed  to  enable  the  deer  to 
 "fold" through  passages which should be 
 too narrow  for them. antlers from  dead 
 deer   seem   to    lose   this   power. 
                                          
 a deer's  heart has two  chambers, where 
 it stores all the  secrets  it might see 
 during  the  course  of  it's life. with 
 age  the  secrets  will  harden  into  a 
    caramellized structure, which will    
 eventually block the flow of blood,  and 
              kill the deer.              
                                          
                                     
                               
                                     
                                          
 [picture of a  deer  head. from  the far 
 side,   looking   the   other  way.  its 
          antlers are bloodied.]