{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.]