{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.]