Anthropomorphism is a form of personification that gives human characteristics to non-humans, primarily the gods or animals. It is used in religions, literature, and has everyday uses as well. In many ways, anthropomorphism may be seen as a way to make things that are unfamiliar seem more familiar.

The gods of many ancient religions were given distinctly human characteristics. For example, the Ancient Greek gods were subject to intense anthropomorphism, making them human, but as well, divine. The quarreling of the gods on Mount Olympus exhibited many human characteristics and motivations: jealousy, greed, lust, and deception.

Many of these quarrels can be dated to more primitive religions attempting to incorporate the religious beliefs of different areas in Greece. However they also serve the purpose of making the gods seem very human. In fact, some of the gods, particularly Zeus, even fall in love with people, suggesting the gods are very close to humans.

In literature, there are hundreds of examples of anthropomorphism. Children’s books are quite often examples of anthropomorphism. The television series and book series Arthur is one example. The early books in the Arthur series illustrate Arthur as an aardvark. Later additions to the series have minimized Arthur’s nose to the point where he appears almost human.

The impetus behind such anthropomorphism is to write a story that will be visually appealing and perhaps less threatening. Also, one can tell a story without representing race, so it is suitable to all children. The goal is not to make the animals more familiar, but instead to draw children to the page. However, in the most recent books to the series, the lack of animal features, except for the occasional pair of bunny ears or moose antlers has made the anthropomorphism of the animals less interesting.

Writers for adults have used anthropomorphism with great effect. Sometimes using animals may help couch controversial issues. For example, George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an exploration of dictatorship and a criticism of socialism. Mark Twain, in his short story “A Dog’s Tale,” deliberately tells the story from a dog’s point of view in order to criticize humans’ behavior to animals.

Watership Down is one of the classic examples of anthropomorphism. Rabbits are used to illustrate the hero’s journey. They have discreet and separate personalities, a religion, and a desire to form a utopian rabbit society. The novel uses anthropomorphism without being a rhetorical argument in most cases. Anthropomorphism simply allows the tale to be told from an other than human viewpoint.

People frequently use anthropomorphism when describing animals, especially pets. Dressing a dog in sweaters, or attributing human emotions to animals can become a bit excessive. Though it is clear animals have some emotions, they may not be exactly human emotions.

Pet lovers tend to see expression of emotions in animals as a clear sign of their human qualities. It can be deeply disturbing for young children, particularly, to see a cat that is loving and sweet act on instinct and kill a baby bird. The danger of anthropomorphizing pets is that we may ignore some of their true signals by exerting and believing in their “humanity.”

In general, however anthropomorphism serves as a way to illustrate points, or to facilitate our understanding of things that seem foreign. However, viewing the world from an entirely anthropomorphized perspective may cause some human-centered blindness since it fails to take into account the perspective of beings we do not thoroughly understand.