The trailer for the documentary "The Bear Cult" featuring the voices of narrator RANDY WOOTEN and producer/ director OANA R. GHIOCEL
Colorful Bear groups from Draguseni, Moldova during the celebration of New Years in january 2015, a tradition by the old orthodox calendar.
The oldest discovered statue, made over 20,000 years ago, is that of a bear. The statue of the bear was discovered in Trois Freres (Three Brothers) cave in France by renowned French speleologist Norbert Casteret.
The Samoyed people of Siberia made sacrificial altars of polar bears - they sacrificed reindeer as well- and brought the skulls of the animals in a special, sacred place, where they collected over long periods of time, sometimes in the same place for hundreds of years.
A discovery in 1987 in the Cold cave of Apuseni Mountains in the western Carpathian Mountains may reshape how we think of prehistoric religion and our relationship with the closest animal to man, the bear.
"The oldest discovered statue, fashioned some fifteen to twenty thousand years ago is of a bear. The lion was not always king." Prof. Dr. MICHEL PASTOUREAU, Sorbonne University
Cro-Magnon "artists" drawing of a bear in Trois Freres cave in France depicted a prehistoric hunting ritual inside a deep gallery.
In the Carpathian Mountains of the present day ursine rituals are performed in the depth of winter time to hasten the return of spring and fertility.
A brown bear cub included in the film The Bear Cult.
Director OANA R. GHIOCEL has adopted for the film the oldest bear in Romania, named Prince Charles, a special, friendly, old animal with an unfortunate terrible history of abuse from humans. Brought at the Bear Sanctuary in Zarnesti, the largest bear sanctuary in Europe, the Prince was happy for a couple of years... In november 2014 he left this world and embarked on a journey to where bear souls go... May be rest in peace like a royalty.
Speleologist CRISTIAN LASCU crawling inside the unnamed cave with cave bear dens
A perfect cave bear skeleton in anatomical position inside the stunning Bears Cave in Chiscau village, Romania.
A cave bear skull aged to more than 32,000 years was discovered in Chauvet cave in France in the 1990's, placed on top of a boulder, in front of painted image of bears on the wall.
Neanderthal female cave bear headdress by Viktor Deak
Cave bear skull reconstruction by Viktor Deak
Neanderthals Bear cult traces in the entrance of Drachenloch cave, Swiss Alps - design by paleo artist Viktor Deak- convinced Swiss archeologist Emil Bachler tens of thousands of years ago man went high into the mountains to worship the bear, his first deity.
On the side of stunning "Sfintii Voievozi" church, outside and clearly seen from all directions, is a painting of a bear and two bear leaders. The church dates back to the 18th century.