{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.]