Water Birds in Mythology, Symbolism and Art

Good day dear Hive community, first of all I would like to welcome you all to my contribution and hope you had a day that brought one or the other positive experience into your life! Today I would like to talk a little about an interesting topic and hope you can expand your knowledge a little.

Yesterday had the opportunity to photograph a lake in which numerous Eurasian coots were found which are also known under the scientific name Fulica atra and this species is considered extremely adaptable and can probably move on land as well as in the water. The symbolism of Eurasian coot can vary depending on the culture and it was often regarded as a being with creative abilities that is even said to have contributed to the creation of the world and it is also often associated as a sign of regeneration, creativity or communication, as it is usually found in groups like you can see in my pictures. It has a particularly high priority among the Native Americans or the Celts and the Celts often regarded it as a transmitter between different worlds which were able to convey messages. In most cases, water birds are rather associated with positive symbolism and just like the symbolic meaning, the world of water birds is extremely diverse and often they are considered elegant animals that provide a positive balance and in Asian culture, the duck was particularly associated with flowing transitions as well as the ying and yang, which is associated with dual principles or opposite forces. Often it is also considered as a protector of the water and some species are said to have mystical properties and due to the high number of different water birds that exist worldwide, I cannot individually address the meanings in different cultures, but a well-known example of great popularity is the swan.

According to a legend, Zeus once turns into a swan to approach his love Leda, who is also known as the daughter of King Theseus, and fathered some children with her and there are different versions of this legend. The swan was also dedicated to the god Apollo and at his birth some swans swam with cheerful singing to celebrate his birth and everyone who noticed it was so convinced of the song of the swan that they came close to observe this scenario. Some gods from different cultures also had the ability to transform themselves from the human shape into a water bird and also some nature spirits such as the nymphs had these abilities and could transform into different beings. The Egyptian mythology the ibis was revered a sacred water bird and he the well-known god of wisdom Thot, who was also often associated with alchemy, was depicted with a head of an ibis. The well-known Bennu bird, which is also known as the equivalent of the phoenix, is also revered as a water bird and it was of great relevance in the symbolism of alchemy and associated with the transformation of base metals to gold and the bird is often depicted in alchemical works of art. In keeping with this, I would also like to mention the importance in art where water birds have been an important motif since ancient times and have probably inspired many different artists to devote themselves to the topic and they not only beautify nature but also numerous different art epochs or styles. No wonder that many people can be inspired by the majestic appearance as well as the chants and it is also of great importance in heraldry and can be found in numerous coats of arms.

Thank you very much for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about this topic! I captured pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!