{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.]