#daemon forms

Analytic is, without a doubt, the least intuitive of the form-finding systems – it requires a bit of knowledge and study to really understand how it works. That's because the analytic system is entirely unique! It's unintuitive because it's just genuinely doesn't resemble any other approach to "animal personification" you're likely to find.

The Basics

Analytic works by interpreting animal behaviours as human personality traits.

So: analytic represents a specific thing about a person (their personality traits) and it draws this meaning from a specific place (animal behaviour). It doesn't use conventional symbolism at all, unlike the other two systems.

Analytic can be hard to learn, but it's very rewarding! That said, it isn't a good fit for everyone and that's okay. The kind of introspection on your own behavioural patterns which analytic form-finding calls for can be a real challenge, because it's not a way we're usually taught to look at ourselves.

Interpreting animals in an analytic way is also a pretty specialised skill, though it's one you can learn!

How It Works

Analytic interpretation, at its heart, builds on a speculative idea of "why" animals might act in certain ways. Even though literal animal behaviours rarely apply to human personality, their underlying motives can! This concept can be built on, through interpretation – so that, from a deep look into an animal's behaviours, you can piece together an idea of what sort of person that animal might align with.

It's not a science, even though we draw from scientific research a lot on the animal behaviour side. The interpretation of the behaviour is more personal and artful – not everyone would interpret the same animal the same way. This means not everyone with the same analytic form would necessarily relate to that animal in the same way, because each might interpret its behaviours differently. This isn't a flaw in the system; it's actually a big part of what makes it work!

An Example

I've written a quick example of how I interpret behaviour, to try and get the idea across a bit better. For this I've chosen (at random) the snow leopard, Panthera uncia.

Snow leopards are solitary animals which are primarily active in the early morning and early evening. Like many large carnivores, they spend a lot of time resting; for this, snow leopards often choose high cliffs and ridges, which provide good visibility and shelter from the wind. Though solitary, they scent mark their home ranges and travel routes – communicating to others their presence and identity. They don't defend a territory, so their ranges often overlap with others, but they avoid making direct contact except for reproduction. (Source: Wikipedia)

Being solitary as they are, I think a snow leopard would represent someone who's quite comfortable in their own company, and on the flip side, probably isn't a big fan of intense social situations. Snow leopards do keep tabs on their neighbours though, which is the purpose of the scent marks – so I think they wouldn't be entirely reclusive, but might need a lot of down time after socialising, to rest and process.

I think they'd prefer to keep socialisation low-key; maybe they're the sort of person who'd rather quiet companionship over active discussion or playful banter. They seem like they'd value keeping tabs on what's happening around them, even if they're not always going to directly engage.

Between the scent marking and the animal's preference for resting in places with good visibility, I think they'd be quite attentive to their surroundings – the sort of person who'd pick up on the little things and find them important enough to remember. So maybe they wouldn't be eager to go to someone's birthday party, but they might be the kind of person to remember a specific thing their friend wants and surprise them with it on the day. They'd probably appreciate friends who can respect their need for space, calm, and privacy.

Where To Learn More

So, say you're one of the specific few people who finds this idea very cool (it's niche for a reason!): you might be wondering where to go next, to learn more or even get involved.

The best way to really get an understanding of what the analytic system does is to read analyses. This is where I suggest anyone start, because it can give you an idea of whether the concept really appeals to you before you put in any work to learn it!

My most recent full analysis was of the sika deer. Full analyses like this include the reasoning behind each interpretation, so you can get an idea of where the trait came from, or the reason for interpreting the behaviour that way. The Daemon Forum houses a huge repository of analytic interpretations which anyone can look through, either by using the index or just browsing! This index includes long-form interpretations (called analyses), as well as mid-sized studies and short vibes.

If you wanted to try your hand at finding an analytic form, or were interested in learning to interpret, your best next step would be to join the community. Analytic is a collaborative creation, and can be pretty hard to learn on your own. You can get into analytic even if you don't have a daemon, or have interest in any other aspects of daemonism practice. Given that it's a subcommunity of an already pretty niche group, it's a pretty small bunch of us who work with this system and we're always happy to have new folks get involved!

There's also an array of analytic resources on TDF that can't be accessed without an activated forum account, including my main analytic guide which digs into the concept in more detail. The discord server has a channel for it too! (I hang around there a lot and I love talking about analytic). :D

Last Thoughts

Because of the way analytic works – and its complete disregard for conventional symbolism – you can end up with some really unique, unexpected results. That's part of the fun of it!

However, it's not gonna appeal to everyone and I think you do have to approach it with a bit of an open mind. Usually, your fitting analytic form isn't going to be an animal you already love. Sometimes it won't even be an animal you've heard of (and it may well even be an animal you dislike).

Finding an analytic form can also be a pretty long process, though it varies. It took me years! So, in a sense, it's not just a thing you do – it's an entire journey, likely with highs and lows and unexpected turns along the way (and even when you think you've reached the end, you might just experience something which changes how you see yourself enough that you're right back at it again)!

So, in short, analytic isn't always going to be the right approach for everyone and that's okay. If you read this and feel nothing but a dawning horror: don't worry, you don't have to do any of this! Only if you think it sound interesting, cool, or fun. (Some of us do find this fun. This has been a major hobby of mine since I was a teenager. Yes, I am weird).

If you're looking for something which you can connect with more intuitively – something which matches your overall vibe, or which other people would understand a bit easier – then the pullman or symbolic systems would likely have more appeal. I'll be making separate posts about those later!