The Symbol of the 'Fish and Eagle'
- And its Meaning within Germanic Heathenism -
(References from this article have been respectfully used within the
'Fish and Eagle' article on Wikipedia giving credit to Victor Ordell L. Kasen)
Version 8.9
"Hail to he that speaks with righteous tongue
and to those that listen with open ears, Hail!
May whoever learns and takes heed of these words flourish
and prosper because of them!
Hail to those who hearken!”
– Hávamál, Rúnatáls-tháttr-Odhins
The symbol of the 'Fish and Eagle' is a relatively new emblem in the context of Germanic Heathen belief and revivalism.
The symbol itself is representative of the Germanic Heathen struggle against Judaeo-Christianity which tried to supress it thousands of years ago with their violent and intolerant onslaught upon Heathen beliefs accross Europe.
The image of the 'Christian Fish' is also commonly referred to as the 'Ichthys' (whichm in Greek, is the Ancient word for 'fish' [??T?S]). In English the term 'Ichthys' refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs resembling the profile of a fish, used by early Christians as a secret symbol and is now known colloquially as the "Jesus fish".
Ichthys was the lover-son of the ancient Babylonian sea goddess Atargatis , and was known in various mythic systems as Tirgata , Aphrodite , Pelagia or Delphine . The word also meant "womb" and "dolphin" in some tongues, and representations of this appeared in the depiction of mermaids. The fish is also a
central element in other stories, including the Goddess of Ephesus (who has a fish amulet covering her genital region), as well as the tale of the fish that swallowed Osiris , and was also considered a symbol of Isis . Along with being a generative and reproductive spirit in some religious systems, the fish also has been identified in certain cultures with reincarnation and the life force. Sir James George Frazer noted in his work, "Adonis, Attis, Osiris: Studies in the History of Oriental Religion" (Part Four of his larger work, " The Golden Bough ") that among one group in India , the fish was believed to house a deceased soul, and that as part of a fertility ritual a specific fish is eaten in the belief that it will be reincarnated in a newborn child.
The fish symbol may have also been known as "the Great Mother," a pointed oval sign, referred to as the Vesica Piscis . Also, in ancient Greek , "fish" and "womb" were denoted by the same word ("delphos"). Its link to fertility, birth, feminine sexuality and the natural force of women was acknowledged also by the Celts , as well as pagan cultures throughout northern Europe. Eleanor Gaddon traces a "Cult of the Fish Mother" as far back as the hunting and fishing people of the Danube River Basin in the sixth millennium B.C. Over fifty shrines have been found throughout the region which depict a fishlike deity, a female creature who "incorporates aspects of an egg, a fish and a woman which could have been a primeval creator or a mythical ancestress. . ." The "Great Goddess" was portrayed elsewhere with pendulous breasts, accentuated buttocks and a conspicuous vaginal orifice, resembling an upright Vesica Piscis .
This symbol is often seen on the back of car registration plates or bumpers and more information on the symbol of the 'Christian Fish' can be found on the Wikipedia article 'Ichthys.'
Within Germaic Heathen mythology the bird of the Eagle is seen as the sacred animal that is believed to be the creature that caused the winds within Midgard, the world of Men, to flow; and that within Valhalla, the hall was haunted by a Wolf and an Eagle [1]- two of the three traditional beasts of battle. [2]
In Beowulf, the ancient Germanic 'Anglo-Saxon' poem, it was written that " . . . craving for carrion, the dark raven shall have its say, and tell the eagle how it fared at the feast, when, competing with the wolf, it laid bare the bones of corpses."
On page 90/91 of Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson'‘Myths and Symbols of Northern Europe' that was published in 1988, it was stated that the Eagle was the birod of the battlefield and was associated iwth Odin. It also states on these pages that Odin is associaed with the Eagle but also that the Eagle, was primarily a symbol of the sky and also of soverienty. Davidson went on to say that the "popularity of the Eagle brooches among the Germanic peoples in the Migration period seems likely to be due to the growth of the 'Cult of Wotan'."
Alaf Sal Fena!
Victor Ordell L. Kasen,
Shropshire , England .
* [1] - Davidson, Hilda Roderick Ellis: ‘Gods and Myths of Northern Europe'. 1964.
* [2] - Crossley-Holland, Kevin: ‘The Norse Myhts'. 1980.
"Where you recognise evil, speak out against it, and give no truces to your enemies." – Rúnatáls-tháttr-Odhins, Hávamál