Be a Flamingo In a Flock of Pigeons – Meaning and Symbolism

Without a doubt, the pigeon is one of the most famous and well-known animals that exist.

For most of today’s city-dwelling people, these mean no more than a plague while for other people, over the years, they mean much more than that.

White doves are a universal symbol of peace, and perhaps they are known as one of the purest animals whose importance is most relevant today.

Pigeons – Meaning and Symbolism

As mentioned, only white doves have this meaning, but what about other doves? What is the meaning of pigeons in different cultures? Well, not only do white doves have symbolic meaning.

According to the Bible, when the flood occurred, it is said that Noah himself released a dove from the ark so that it would find a mound of earth so that Noah and the other animals could resume their lives.

It should be noted that the dove returned with an olive branch in its beak, which is why it is symbolically represented with this branch most of the time.

This is because, an omnipotent and powerful being such as the all-powerful is materialized in an animal like this to make known the simple and humble side of life.

Apart from being an animal that has a lot of symbolic importance, for Christians it is an animal that represents a channel between the earthly and the spiritual world, since it is through doves that God has made the main appearances of him on earth.

For the Romans, doves were sacred and mythical beings, to whom they had to pay homage, since it was closely related to Venus, the goddess of love, fertility and beauty.

The reason for the worship of doves by the Romans originates from the ability of Venus to transform into a dove.

Thanks to the transformation that Venus could make, it was strictly forbidden for all Venus-worshiping priests to eat and harm these animals. It is said that even the pigeons were in charge of feeding Jupiter when he was still a child.

Another important characteristic to take into account is that, in the Phoenician language, the word priest, meant dove, that is, both words had the same meaning.

And it is not surprising, since, in that civilization, both were symbols of purity, healing, peace and simplicity.

For this civilization, the dove was an animal that was owed great respect and, as happened with the Venus-worshiping priests, it was frowned upon to harm or eat the doves.

This is because pigeons were believed to be the reincarnations of their ancestors, and many people were afraid of eating or enraging their dead.

This was believed to such an extent that, when new specimens of these birds were born in the city, all the people did their best to take care of each and every one of the chicks that they could.

Feeding them, giving them shelter and even if possible, raising them themselves in case the parents of the birds abandoned the chick.

Because pigeons are able to produce their own milk to feed their chicks, pigeons are known as a symbol of motherhood.

This, thanks to the characteristic mentioned above, and therefore, it is very strange in itself, that a bird is capable of producing milk.

In Christianity, the symbolism of the dove is associated with the Holy Spirit. Baptism of Jesus Christ. Leonardo da Vinci

In Christianity, the symbolism of the dove is associated with the Holy Spirit. Baptism of Jesus Christ. Leonardo da Vinci. Image: Wikimedia Commons – Andrea Del Verrocchio

In addition to being able to produce their milk, these birds are also known for being dedicated animals with their young, rarely leaving the nest and it is even very rare when a pigeon abandons a chick.

Pigeons have such dedication to their young that they are able to stop eating when they are born.

The above, with the end Ad that the milk produced during the birth of the young is of better quality and pure, so that they can develop in the best way.

In this way, pigeons demonstrate the immeasurable love that a mother is capable of having for her child, and it is an unusual example of the self-sacrifice that not only human mothers are capable of.

Some peoples of western Asia considered the dove a symbol of procreation and identified it with the goddess of fertility.

For the Greeks she was the favorite bird of the goddess Aphrodite or Venus for the Romans and to this she was consecrated. The Romans claimed that the god Jupiter had been fed by a dove.

Flamingo – Meaning and Symbolism

The attractive color of the flamingos’ physique is, without a doubt, an element that has attracted the attention of the world over time.

Due to their wide distribution, multiple references to them are found in the histories of the oldest peoples that exist, as well as in both ancient and contemporary literary, pictorial, musical and cinematographic works.

The word “flamingo” that the English language uses to refer to phenychoptérios could have been derived from the Latin term flame, which means “flame.”

Another possibility is that it comes from the Spanish flamingo, which in turn derives from the Provençal flamenco, which means “flame”.

One of the oldest references is in Spain, where the cave painting of a flamenco dating from 5,000 years BC was found.

The people of Ancient Egypt believed that common flamingos were terrestrial representations of the god Ra, deity of the Sun, and used the image of him as a symbol in their writing for the color red.

The admiration of the Roman emperors went further: they ate the tongues of birds and while they considered the elaborated dishes as a true delight, the poets of the time believed that it was a shameful act to kill such beautiful animals just to eat their languages.

If you have heard of the phoenix, you will remember that it is an animal from Greek mythology which it was said that after death it could rise from its ashes.

Red-feathered common flamingos are believed to have inspired stories about this legendary bird, who’s presumed presence spanned North Africa and West Asia.

The cultures of South America have interacted with many animals by virtue of the biodiversity that their territories enjoy.

The natives of the Mochila culture of Peru decorated many objects with figures of flamingos. The national bird of the Bahamas is the flamingo, and the nation’s coat of arms contains a Caribbean flamingo and a sailfish.

Be a Flamingo In a Flock of Pigeons – Meaning and Symbolism

The above answer is correct. However, I really think we place too much value on “standing out”.

If you really want to be innovative, be a pigeon that stands out. Be the one to go the furthest or find a useful new tool or keep it through thick and thin.

This is a quote that urges readers to stand out from the crowd. A flamingo is a great exotic and colorful bird, while pigeons are common and often drab and boring.

Today, the plastic flamingos that adorn home gardens in various parts of the world, but especially in the United States, are one of the most popular decorative objects along with garden gnomes. They were designed in 1957 by American artist Don Featherstone, and became an almost immediate success.

In addition to the cave paintings and the flamingos of Featherstone, other artists have immortalized these birds, such as the American Frederick Stuart Church, who painted the paintings Standing woman with three pink flamingos and Kneeling woman with pink flamingo (Woman kneeling with a pink flamingo).

Rudolph Ernst, a Viennese painter who cultivated Orientalism, has a work entitled entering the palace gardens, which shows a man carrying a tray of food and a graceful pink flamingo with semi-extended wings.

In literature, the best known representation is in the book Alice in Wonderland, whose original title is Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, by the English author Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson).

The bird appears in the chapter in which Alice tries to play croquet using flamingos as a mallet. The passage was added to later films, notably the 1951 Disney version.

A slightly less well-known film is Pink flamingos by John Waters. In reality, animals are only relevant in the film in name, and although it has been called one of the most disgusting works of film, it is still remembered as a cult film.

In the field of music, the best example is an American group of rhythm and blues called The Flamingos.

Conclusion

It means that it will definitely stand out if it is good or not so good.

Pigeons are used as an example of a large number of “equal” birds, but I would like to remind people that there are also huge flocks of flamingos and that any other bird with them also stands out.