Anthropomorphism, a term that first appears in the mid-18th century, comes from ἄνθρωπος, “human being,” and μορφή, “form.” It is the attribution of human forms or traits to whatever is not a human being, for example an animal, an object, and especially a divinity. Anthropomorphisms ascribed to animals are typical of traditional fables that feature animals able to think and talk like humans. Examples in the classical world can be found in the Greek fables ascribed to Aesop, a historical or legendary f…