Koe zichzelf likkend c. 1657 - 1677

Marcus de Bye etched this image of a cow licking itself. But what does it mean? Cattle have long held symbolic importance. In ancient cultures, they were venerated for their life-sustaining qualities, embodying nourishment and maternal care. But this seemingly self-absorbed act of grooming is also a demonstration of self-sufficiency. It reminds me of the ouroboros, the snake that devours its own tail, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The cow's cyclical grooming ritual may represent nature's ceaseless self-renewal. Like the snake eating its tail, the cow, through this intimate act, subconsciously embodies the idea of the eternal return, resonating within our shared cultural memory. Consider how such imagery resurfaces, evolving with each new telling, reminding us that the past is never truly dead but lives on, transformed, within the present.