Momma Bear
Magic
The Domestic Beaver
Beaver is ultimately a homemaker. She is both a dreamer and a designer. Her diligence gets the job done, while her design provides myriad benefits for the environment. To begin the process, Beaver finds a mate. Together they strive to create the ideal neighborhood. For this they build a dam along with clever canals which help to move heavy logs with more facility. The end results in a deep pool. This pond or lake will hold water for dry times, create attractive environments for many different wildlife creatures, and will not freeze at its lower depths, providing a cache of food for her family all winter. It is commonly believed that she lives in the dam, but in reality she creates a separate domicile called a lodge. Surrounded by water, her lodge will only have underwater entrances called plunge holes designed to keep the family protected. She will include a variety of exits from her lodge to provide easy egress in case of danger. Inside the lodge she will insulate the walls, creating a large dry room that serves as both a nursery and hang out space. The largest beaver dam was found to be just over a half a mile long in Canada. Their prolific output creates entire ecosystems that are fantastic for the environment.
When beaver catches your attention it is time to become the architect of your dreams. Design will need to be accompanied by industriousness but be wary of taking things too seriously. Good design should be fun. Take a deep breath and jump in.
The Magic of Beaver
Significant Qualities
Ingenuity
Beavers are architects and problem solvers. They are able to adapt to the environment around them. They work each set of tasks as needed. Beavers are second only to human beings in their ability to completely alter their environment.
Industrious
The capacity to take down impressive trees (up to a foot in diameter) requires both commitment and some quality tools. Beaver’s teeth are just the tool for the job. With iron in the enamel on the front side of their teeth and dentin on the back side, the result is that her teeth self-sharpen when she cuts down trees. Making her teeth seriously strong, sharp, and distinctively orange.
Play
Young beaver plays and wrestles with their siblings, which helps to develop their motor skills. They can swim as soon as 24 hours after birth. An Indian word for “beaver-like” also means friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to. Even older beavers have been observed playing practical jokes on each other.
Breathe
Beaver can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes due to her large lung capacity and her ability to manage her breath.
Persist
Beaver is nearsighted. Some say that this indicates that she cannot see the forest for the trees. Perhaps that is true. But it also means that Beaver understands that a big, complex problem is usually just a accumulation of smaller problems. By not worrying about the enormity of a project, she is able to persist in addressing the smaller problems, one by one. One of the reasons that Beaver is considered by some to be a nuisance is that no matter how many times her dam is torn down, she will rebuild it. Beaver is relentless.
Time
Day: Night
Month: April, May
Season: Spring
Sabbat: Imbolc
Moon: Beaver Moon (November)
Planet: Unknown
Celestial: Gemini
Magic
Chakra: Sacral
Tarot: 2 of Pentacles
Rune: Ior
Archetype: Creator
Gods: Wyman, Wishpoosh, Castor
Nature Spirits: Undine
Symbols
Stone: Jasper, Bloodstone
Herb: Clover
Element: Earth, Water
Number: Unknown
Direction: East Wind
Gender: Feminine
Color: Green, Yellow
The Science of Beaver
Zoology
Latin Name: Castor canadensis (North American Beaver)
Family (Family): Castoridae (Beaver)
Other names:
Group name: A colony or family of Beavers
Female: Beaver
Male: Beaver
Baby: Kit or Kitten
Type: Mammal
Size: 3 – 6 feet
Weight: 24–66 lbs.
Life expectancy: 10 – 20 years
Sustainability: Least Concern
Behavior
Shelter
In the lodge, there is commonly a large living chamber (3-14 feet tall and 8-40 feet diameter). Each living chamber contains two basic sections, eating and sleeping. This main floor will be a few inches above the water line, with the dining area closer to the water line. Mud is used to seal up the roof and an air vent is installed to allow carbon dioxide to escape. Several emergency exits will also be created.
Range
The North American beaver was once almost extinct, although now it is listed as a species of least concern. You can find this amazing creature all through Canada and the US, with some families living in the northern part of Mexico.
Diet
Beavers are vegetarians and eat woody and aquatic vegetation. In the spring and summer, they mainly chomp upon leaves, roots, herbs, ferns, grasses, water lilies, rushes and cattails. In the colder months during fall and winter, they eat more bark from aspen, birch, oak, dogwood, willow and alder. They will store their food in the deepest part of their lake to keep it from others.
Mating
Beavers are monogamous and live in family groups. Adult beavers will leave their home when they are a couple of years old and search for a mate. Once found, the couple will build their new home together. The female will usually wait until late December for her first estrus cycle which will last 12-24 hours. She will cycle 2-4 times each season. It appears that mating takes place rather quickly in the water, although it may also occur in the lodge.
Gestation
Gestation lasts 14-16 weeks. The litter size will include up to four young. The newborn beavers are fully furred and are able to feed themselves almost immediately. They will nurse for the first couple of months, but then will be on an entirely adult diet, although the food has to be brought to them. The mother is the primary caretaker, however, siblings from a previous litter will also help with child rearing. The father spends most of his time maintaining their territory.
Predators
The primary predator of beaver used to be the wolf, until their populations declined. Now coyotes, hawks, bears, lynx, eagles, cougars, owls, and wolverines will also make a meal of them. They once were at great risk from humans as well who used their fur to make coats and hats.
The Folklore of Beaver
Proverbs and Sayings
American Proverb
From beavers, bees should learn to mend their ways. A bee works; a beaver works and plays.
Traditional Proverb
The eagle may soar but beavers build.
Traditional Proverb
The beaver persists when others are sleeping.
Traditional Proverb
When conditions become difficult, beaver keeps working.
Chief Long Spear Who Hunts Beavers
You can hang a lot of dreamcatchers but still never catch any women.
No mountain torrent’s strength is here;
Sweet Beaver, child of forest still,
Heaps its small pitcher to the ear,
And gently waits the miller’s will.
Swift slips Undine along the race
Unheard, and then, with flashing bound,
Floods the dull wheel with light and grace,
And, laughing, hunts the loath drudge round…
In that new childhood of the Earth
Life of itself shall dance and play,
Fresh blood in Time’s shrunk veins make mirth,
And labor meet delight halfway.