Birds as Peace Symbols

The Bald Eagle, the Dove, the Crane, and the Mythical Phoenix are all Used as Symbols of Peace

Nov 15, 2006

The story of Noah's Ark, the Phoenix of ancient mythology, Sadako and the Paper Cranes, and the Great Seal of the United States all gave rise to bird peace symbols.

When we think of a symbol of peace, the first thing that springs to mind is often a White Dove, particularly in Western culture. In the Far East, a more familiar peace symbol might well be a Red Crowned Crane. When something from nature is used to symbolize peace, it is usually a bird or a flower; perhaps this is because these living things seem inherently peaceful to us. Certainly few creatures seem as calm and harmless as a dove. Here are some bird symbols of peace and the story behind the symbolism:

The White Dove The White Dove has been a symbol of peace and safety since ancient times. In the Old Testament tale of Noah’s Ark, Noah released a raven from the Ark after forty days and forty nights of rain, and another forty days of waiting while the flood waters receded. The raven returned, having found no dry land. Noah then released a dove, which at first returned as the raven had, but later returned with the twig of an olive tree in its beak, signifying that the flood had ended and that it was safe to venture out of the Ark. This is why symbolic doves today often carry an olive branch. The famous artist Pablo Picasso popularized the white dove as an artistic peace symbol when he created a lithograph of a white dove for the International Peace Congress in Paris, 1949.

The Red-crowned Crane The Red-crowned Crane, or Japanese Crane, has a long tradition in Japan of being a symbol of luck, happiness, and happy marriage. A legend that says that anyone who folds 1000 origami paper cranes will get their wish inspired a young Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki to fold paper cranes. Sadako had leukemia as a result of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. Sadako died of her disease in 1955, but she left us with hundreds of paper cranes and the origami paper crane as an international symbol of peace. Since Sadako began the tradition, children around the world have folded many thousands of paper cranes and wished for peace.

The Bald Eagle The Bald Eagle has become a symbol of peace by virtue of being included in the Great Seal of the United States of America. The bird represents peace and freedom and is depicted with an olive branch in its right talon, and thirteen arrows in its left talon. While the arrows represent the power of war, the eagle always faces the olive branch, favoring peace. Charles Thompson drew the Bald Eagle into the Great Seal in 1782.

The Phoenix There are many legends of the mythical immortal Phoenix, a bird that lived hundreds of years before being finally consumed by flames. The Phoenix would then rise again from the ashes to live another lifetime. The Phoenix, or a similar bird, appears in the mythology of many cultures: the Bennu in Egypt, the Phoenix in Greece and Italy, the Thunderbird in early North America. To the Hebrews it is Milcham, to the Chinese, Feng-huang. It symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and hope among other things. The Chinese Feng-huang is a symbol of virtue that appears only in times of peace.

Can you think of other bird symbols of peace? Start a discussion below.