Acorn
Acorns hold signifigance as a Scandanavian and Celitc symbol for life, fertility, and immortality. For this reason it is often sacred to the god Thor, who is ruler of fire and fertility. When it is carried on the person, it can often preserve youthfulness. Commonly believed to be androgynous. Also acts as the symbol for strength. The acorn is also the seed of the OAK tree.
Adam and Eve
They are the Biblical progenitors of the human race, the original couple, and are often associated with their "Fall." They succumbed to the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit of the TREE of Knowledge, thus becoming a symbol for the loss of immortality through violation. "It is of critical importance for symbology, that Adam and Eve prefigure all of the humans that descend from them both in their free will and in their need for salvation after their sinful deviation from God's plan" (Bieder man, 3).
Adam -- Name is derived from 'earth' and can be thought of as representative of universal power. Body created from 8 directions: water - blood, stones - bones, sun - eye, earth - flesh, roots - ligaments, wind - spirit, clouds - thoughts, fire - warmth. Is the name giver to all things. Is the father of all kings, who become his direct descendants.
Eve -- Appears as the excision of Adam, often created from the rib closest to his heart. Plays the role of the persuader in the fall, as she eats the APPLE first and then tells Adam to do the same. Can be thought of as the first and easiest to fall, but in Milton is often thought of as the more tricked. Portrait of absolute beauty and innocence.Mother of all things.
Anchor
Can mean hope, steadfastness, salvation, stability, and/or tranquility. In sea-faring nations, the anchor is a symbol of good luck, of safety, and of security, and thus of trust and confidence. In the early Christian era, the anchor was used as a form of the CROSS, because of the physical resemblance. Often seen as SERPENT twined, with the crescent moon symbolizing female, vulva and the mast representing male, around which the serpent, fertility and life, is wrapped.
Angels
Angels are a manifestation of the traditional belief that there are spiritual creatures superior to man. "Creation was thought of as a ladder, with its top rung occupied by angels, immaterial beings made of pure spirit, whereas man consisted of both matter and spirit, a body and a soul"; (Julien, 15). They are the messengers of God, liasons between heaven and Earth, they are enlightenment. Angelic symbols include: flaming swords, trumpets, sceptres, musical instruments, lilies. Gothic art tends to express the protective and sublime aspects of the angel, while the Romanesque stresses its other-worldly nature.
Ant
The ant is consistently a symbol of diligence and industriousness. In Indian myth, however, they show the fragility of all living creatures. Often the ant is also associated with prudence and forethought, as even though they are not strong they gather food for winter. The multiplicity surrounding ants gives it unfavorable symbolism, sometimes compared with swarming humanity, and a sudden great increase in ants can spell war.
Ape
Apes are almost universally negative images in Western culture, although they were often revered in the Indian, Egyptian, and Chinese traditions. In Christian symbology, however, they have long been considered a symbol of malice and physical ugliness, as a pejoritive epithet dating back to the ancient world. An ape with an APPLE in its mouth typically depicts the fall. They stand for uninhibited, filthy humans; in dreams, they are "that which is like the human without being human but which seeks to attain humanity" (Biederman, 16). With relation to humans, they can represent mimicry and also stages of development towards man. In psychology, they are the symbols of insecurity and doubt about one's own position or role.
Apple
It is a complex symbol, with a variety of meanings and incorporated in a variety of contexts. It can mean love, knowledge, wisdom, joy, death, and/or luxury. The apple could be an erotic association with a woman's BREASTS, with the core sliced in half representing the vulva. In Greek mythology, the apple appears repeatedly; Hera received an apple as a symbol of fertility upon her engagement to Zeus. The apple of the Garden of Eden, is the symbol of temptation and of original sin. In secular terms, the apple functions as a symbol for the cosmos or totality, due to its nearly perfect spherical shape.
Arch
The arch can be construed as the vault of the SKY. Various cultures link the arch to victory; Rome and France (L'arc de Triomphe) being two of the most prominent. Passing through an arch is the symbolic act of rebirth, of leaving the old behind and entering the new. They often mark access into holy places. Adopted by the Muslims as an emblem of faith. It also has a link to heaven, sanctuary and a secret place.
Arrow
The arrow is a highly phallic image, evoking notions of piercing, penetrating masculinity, becoming the predominant symbol of the holy Father and of fathers in general. Related to this are the arrows of Cupid, the sharp ones of gold represent love, and the blunt ones of lead represent the dispelling of love. It is also associated with the rays of the sun, and with hunting. As the weapon of Apollo, it signifies the light of supreme power. Often paired with the HEART, and when it pierces through it is thought of as a symbol of conjunction. Has many other combinations: arrow with cross (affliction), horse-shoe (androgyne), fire (Christ).
Ass
This beast of burden is the epitome of humility, patience, and stupidity. It is obstinant yet persistent, and often represents the poor. In Christian tradition, the ass had many meanings, among them are: the naitivity and Satan. In dreams, the ass is usually a messenger of death or as the destroyer of a life-span.
Axe
The axe is one of the oldest tools developed by humans; since the Neolithic age, it has been a symbol of battle and work. All ancient traditions associated the axe with lightning, water, and fertility, and attributed to it the power of making or stopping rain. It is a symbol of spiritual penetration and fertilization, as it opens the ground. The twin-bladed axe is often associated with the Hindu thunderbolt, so it is a symbol of celestial illumination. Related to the ox because of its shape, and can be a general talisman of strength.
Bat
It has qualities of both the bird and the mouse, rendering this animal a symbol of ANDROGYNE; it also has strong associations with darkness and obscurity, as a creature of the night. In Christian terms, the bat is viewed as "the bird of the devil" ( Cooper, 18), an incarnation of the Prince of Darkness. Although harmless, their close association with the blood-sucking vampire has given bats a terrifying connotation; they are a highly prevalent symbol in Western literature.
High relation to black magic and witchcraft because it is visible at the critical period when day turns to night. Can pose as a symbol for terror, misfortune and even death - In Dante, Satan has bat's wings in 'deepest freezing Hell'. Supposedly when they fly upwards and then come down again swiftly, the witches' hour is upon.
It is seen by some as a contradictory symbol, emblematic of happiness and long life in China while possessing a meaning not far removed from that of the dragon and the hermaphrodite in Western ALCHEMY.
The bat is a symbol for death, superstition, fear, night, and cult and it is often linked to witchcraft and occults in the folktales form the West. On the contrary, the Chinese believe that it is a sign of happiness and good fortune and the Africans and ancient Greece believe it is a symbol of articulacy.
The bat symbol is considered to be the most sinister and frightening of all the symbols. It is regarded as a sign of darkness and death due to the Western myths which tends to associate it with un-cleanliness. Due to these legends, the bat has been portrayed by the Western civilization as a form of devil and vampire particularly by Bram Stoker (1897) in his book “Dracula”. It brought out the bat to represent the evil creature.
Even though some of these myths may be based on truth, others may not because most bats feed only on fruits and bugs but a few others feed on blood. Those that feed on blood drink the blood of cows and because they have an anticoagulant in their saliva, they can feed of these cows for about 20-30 minutes. Those that feed on blood are around three species of about 900 bat species around the world the rest that feed on fruits and bugs are not frightening after all. On the other hand, they are regarded as evil because they shun daylights and thus are night creatures that even tend to avoid bright moonlight.
Bat has a surprising history because in the early Christian art, angels were depicted as having birdlike wings while the demons were having bat like wings similarly in the writings of St. Paul, women’s hair were said to attract demons and that is why they were supposed to be covered when they were in church. This lead to a tradition that allowed women to cover their hair by wearing hats to church and also because they believed that bats could fly directly into the hair. These legends therefore will associate a bat tattoo with images of night creatures, bloodsuckers and other scary interpretations according to one’s culture.
On the contrary, when you come from China things would be different because the bat is seen here as a symbol of good fortune and happiness. Any image which contains five bats arranged in any pattern would represent these five types of happiness: love, love of virtue, riches, long life, happy death and peace. But the Native American legends tends to dispute this because they associate the bat with death because it flies at night and as a sign of rebirth because these bats always sleep with heads down. The face down act is associated to the position of the baby before birth. In the society of Shamans, the bat represents the desire to die a ritual death before one is able to develop into a new being. It is therefore an animal which represented initiations.
Bear
The bear is a symbol for strength, courage and tenacity. The bear also represent a gentle friendship and a docile follower in camouflage but its love for honey adds up an amusing element in the symbol of power and dignity.
Being a unique animal and off wide rage, bear symbol is extremely popular in legends of many cultures around the world including those of Asian myths, North American and European. The animal is an omnivorous creature like human beings because it eats roots, nuts, honey, berries, bird’s eggs and grasses. The bear hunts for fish and both small and large game. The bear occupies the same ecological niche with man and competed for shelter in caves making the bear similar with the early man. The similarity also comes because the bears tend to stand on their hind legs like man when aggressive or when threatened.
The early man started identifying with the bear for several reasons because from the early times when men were hunters and gatherers, they respected and feared the bear and at times even worshiped it because despite being a predator, it had power, strength and was furious. In many indigenous stories, the animal was seen as a transformed human that was a close intimate of humans. The Shamans and animist believe that bear is a powerful totem or spirit and when seen in people’s dreams, the animals are seen to be the guides from the spirits. People tend to emulate the virtue of the female bear because it is admirable seeing her protect her cub and their claws and teeth are used as amulets, decorations and talismans so as to stir up the powers of the bear. Bear symbols and tattoos also tend to serve similar functions.
In addition to this, bear is a symbol of wisdom for the Lakota Sioux, spirit keeper for the Chippewa and introspection and strength. The bear has been associated with ferocity, diplomacy and healing powers. The Haida associate bear to an elder kinsman and when killed it is believed to be a high ranking guest. Many believe that as a wise creature, it gains wisdom through its winter incubation and it bears a symbol of maternal protection. It is still seen as a great warrior and the male is associated with King Arthur, it symbolizes great power under control, with claws significantly displayed on crests or on shields.
The bear is a creature of contrasts, as it possesses enormous strenth and yet generally thrives on fruit and honey. Because of their habit of hibernation during winter months, bears can stand for ressurection. It was the emblem for the kingdoms of Persia and Russia. For the Celts, it is a symbol of the warrior, and in Christian symbolism we encounter the fable of the she-bear who gives birth to shapeless offspring and must lick them to give them form. Similarly, we are ignorant creatures who find our way only through spiritual knowledge.
In Jungian psychology, the bear represents danger caused by the uncontrollable contents of the unconscious, and with this is often associated as an attribute of the man who is cruel and crude. The word 'berserk' most likely means 'bear-coat' and refers to a Norse warrior who morphs into a furious bear.
Bee
"Few creatures are as important in symbology as this insect and the life of its colonies. Virtually as soon as there were humans they began gathering wild honey. The bee has a certain association with professional advancement, [but] otherwise the bee was less the symbol of diligence than of a suitor with an eager fondness for the flower of womanhood" (Biederman, 35). In dreams, the bee represents approaching death: one's soul is buzzing off. They have often been viewed as brave, industrious, clean , politically harmonious, and aesthetically gifted; these qualities provide extensive fodder for symbolic representation. The bee represents perfect community, and although it is weak in body, it is strong in spirit and wisdom. "In Christian tradition , [the bee] is the emblem of Christ, of his forgiveness (through analogy with the sweetness of his honey), with his justice (through its sting), and Christian virtues (because of the exemplary way worker bees behave towards their queen" (Julien, 35).
In Egyptian culture, associated with royal hierarchy because of their monarchic organization, industry, creative activity and wealth. In Paradise they were the 'little winged servents of God' only changing to brown after the fall, and, with EAGLES are the only animals that have access to heaven. They can detect inchastity, and a test of a girl's virginity is to throw her to the bees and see if they attack her.
Bell
Bells are commonly representative of joy and freedom, as with the American Liberty Bell. The shape of the bell is closely related to the vault of HEAVEN. A bell's pendulous motion can represent the extremes of good and evil; death and immortality. They are also integral to rituals of exorcism and excommunication, and they are a widspread mechanism for summoning (often even a call of Christ). Its sound is a symbol of creative power, but can also be a call to arms. Is also phallic in some senses, a bell and handle = a vulva and a phallus, the same with a bell and a tongue. Leads to embodiment of virginity, unmarried women adorn themselves with bells.
Birds
In most traditions, birds have a predominantly positive connotation. Said St. Hildegard of Bingen in her Liber de Subtilitatum, "Birds symbolize the power that helps people to speak reflectively and leads them to think out many things in advance before they take action. Just as birds are lifted up into the air by their FEATHERS and can remain wherever they wish, the soul in the body is elevated by thought and spreads its wings everywhere." They represent the human desire to escape gravity, to reach the level of the angel. The bird is often the disembodied human soul, free of its physical constrictions. In Egypt, birds with human heads are dominant characters and they are seen leaving the mouths of the dying.
In FAIRY TALES, those who understand the language of the bird are often able to attain special knowledge, and people are often transformed into birds. They are thought and imagination, transcendence and divinity, freedom from materialism. May also stand for the metamorphosis of a lover. When connected with the TREE, shares something of the Phoenix: the male tree, in which the burning female nests. Natural enemies with the SERPENT and the tortoise (haste versus slowness). Flocks of birds may be negative.