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Samela Dimitrov
Kathleen Martin
ENC 1102 061
7 February 2017
Fish Symbol, Fishy Meanings
One of the dictionary’s definition for symbol is that it can be something used for or regarded as representing something else—to symbolize. But why are symbols important and how are they put to use? Here is a scenario: imagine living in a city where you are constantly being persecuted because of your religion. Where you have to hide your identity. You don’t know who is like you or who you can trust. So what do you do to find out? Every time you encounter someone you draw half a fish on the ground and if the person shares the same beliefs as you, they will know to draw the other half of the fish and you will both know that you’re on the same
side.
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The Christians simply adopted this symbol as a way to identify one another during these hard times. Nowadays, we see them attached to cars as bumper stickers, at Christian churches, on Bibles, or anything that might have to do with Christianity. Something to keep in mind about symbols however, is that their meanings can change over time. The same thing goes for the Jesus-fish symbol, also known as the ichthys. In fact, this fish symbol has been around way before the Christians even existed. Before the Christians made it their own, the fish symbol had other meanings to it, some of which might even shock you. It makes one wonder why the
Christians chose the ichthys out of all symbols to represent their religion.
Before the ichthys became known as the “Jesus-fish” symbol, it belonged to the Greek and Roman pagans. They used the design to symbolize feminine fertility and deity and it was
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known to them as “The Great Mother” and “womb.” This was acknowledged not only by
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For example, “in pagan beliefs, ichthys was the offspring of the ancient Sea goddess
Atargatis, and was known in various mythic systems as Tirgata, Aphrodite, Pelagia, or Delphine”
(Coffman). The article titled “Origin of the Christian ‘FISH’ Symbol” tells a little bit more of how the fish symbol played part in the pagan’s beliefs regarding sexuality:
The fish is also a central element in other stories, including the Goddess of Ephesus, as well as the tale of the fish of the Nile that swallowed part of Osiris’ body, and was also considered a symbol of the sexuality of Isis for she had sexual intercourse with Osiris after his death which resulted in the conception and birth of his posthumous son,
Harpocrates. So, in pagan beliefs, the fish is a symbol of birth and fertility.
Ergo, this proves why the fish symbol was withal tied to the pagans and what they believed in.
It must also be acknowledged that the fish symbol was also associated with other