Dolphin.

Dolphins are highly intelligent carnivorous marine mammals found worldwide, primarily in the shallow seas above continental shelves.These animals are in the cetacean family, along with orcas or killer whales. Dolphins’ diet includes crustaceans, fish and squid. Their predators are large sharks, humans and, possibly, orcas. A pod, if in danger of being attacked, will circle around the weaker members to protect them.
Dolphins have been known to attack sharks and, some say, they’re the only marine animal sharks fear. Dolphins, like bats, use echolocation or sonar to navigate and hunt. They are well known for their agility and playful behavior, leaping out of the water which is called spy-hopping.

Celtic Symbolism and Lessons of Dolphin

Deilf (the Celtic term for "dolphin") is symbolic of friendship, intelligence, good luck, grace, playfulness, harmony, power, wisdom, change, balance, protection, contentment, intelligence, transcendence, gentleness, generosity, resurrection, harmony, friendship, freedom, trust, unselfishness and community.

Native American Dolphin Symbolism and Lessons

His keynotes are manna and power of sound and breath; cycle of power, year around. Dolphin symbolizes breath of life, love, balance, playfulness and community. Dolphin teaches people that when they live in harmony with the patterns and rhythm of nature, they learn how be in touch with and communicate with all that is.
Another lesson is not to suppress negative feelings because they don’t go away, but stay in the subconscious, block energy and cause imbalance, which can lessen feeling positive ones, such as joy.

Greek and Christian Dolphin Symbolism

To the ancient Greeks, the dolphin represented the Sun God Apollo and the Moon Goddess Aphrodite and was symbolic of power, vigor, health, activity, life, intelligence and renewal, as masculine, and, as feminine, hidden power, conception, intuition and dreams. In ancient Greek legend, dolphins carried souls of the departed to the Islands of the Blessed.

Native American Dolphin Legend

In a Native American legend, Dolphin was swimming in Great Mother’s sea while Grandmother Moon was weaving the tides’ rhythms. She asked him to learn her patterns so he could open his feminine nature. He began to swim with her rhythm and learned to breathe in a new manner. Dolphin entered the Dreamtime, a place that was alien to him.

Dolphin discovered new cities and learned a new language that was sound, brought by Grandmother Spider from the Great Star Nation. He returned to the sea of the Great Mother and was sad until he saw his friend, Whale, who told him that he could return to the Dreamtime whenever he wanted. Dolphin became the messenger between the dwellers of the Dreamtime and the children of the Earth so they could be one with the Great Spirit.

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