The animal itself
Deer eyes sit at the sides of the head giving roughly 310 degrees of vision, and they detect movement far better than shape. Freezing works because their predators track motion.1 of 2 calendars · 3,600 searches a month
Deer
Alertness and quick reading of a room.
Which calendar assigns it, and when
Native American calendar
21 May – 20 June
Its zodiac sign
Gemini
Only the Native American calendar assigns this one. Anyone born in these dates gets a different animal from the other system — the two agree on 4.7% of days →
What it stands for, and where that came from
Alertness — reading a room before speaking, and moving only when the ground is known.
Honoured in: Celtic Cernunnos; the white stag as a sign to turn back in Arthurian and Hungarian legend.
The symbolism usually grew out of the behaviour rather than the other way round — which is the part worth keeping when the rest is set aside.