contribution to the birds
birds, these feathered creatures, have been on Earth for a while. Birds are living dinosaurs. About 65 million years ago, a huge extinction caused by an asteroid impact wiped out all dinosaurs except for one group. That group of dinosaurs went on to become all the birds we see today.
They appeared in cultures, literature, mythologies, paintings, sculptures, and even music.
Birds have been necessary to human society in multiple ways. Since their origin, birds and eggs have been food sources for humans and still are in most societies. In addition, they inspired humans to learn the fly.
But before flying in this path of birds, I want to distinguish two aspects of birds and understand how we look at this subject. How these two aspects are interconnected, and sometimes they overlap with each other.
1. External aspect or appearance
2. aspect or symbolic meaning of the birds.
The external meaning is always identical. The Bird is always a bird. It has a universal meaning in different parts of the word. however, the symbolic or inner meaning of the Bird changes in different cultures and times.
1. External aspect or appearance That indicates more with science, biology, geology, etc., it is universal. The Bird represents one purpose, whether it is in Africa, Japan, or Italy. It has the same meaning in different times .bird always means one thing, whether in 1980 or 2021 or 1945.
This aspect gives us an understanding of what birds are through studies of the evolution of the birds and learning how they live and their behavior.
The outcome of this view made many contributions to human life, like Flying and the invention of airplanes and helicopters. Thus, Flying became a part of our regular life.
Birds inspired many scientists and thinkers to understand the concepts and dynamics of Flying.
For instance, Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by the aspect of flight, developing research on birds, including his c. 1505 Codex on the Flight of Birds and designs for various flying machines, including a helicopter and a light hang glider.
2. What Symbolic or inner meaning and meaning of the Bird.
To understand the symbolic meaning of birds, we should dive into the art and culture, mythology, history, and religions. The representation of the birds alters regarding culture, history, and religion.
To discover the birds' inner meaning (symbolic), we should study birds in mythology, religions, literature, artifacts, and architecture. Thus, it requires cultural studies, Linguistics studies, literature research, Archeology, etc. this meaning changed based on time and space (location), so it doesn't have a universal definition, and it is not the same for everyone.
Birds are symbolic of spirituality in so many religions. They represent the holy spirit, and they are sometimes are a part of God, like hybrid human hybrid birds.
In Christian Iconography, a dove also signifies the Holy Spirit, referencing Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:22, where the Holy Spirit related to a dove at the Baptism of Jesus.
Illustration of Matthew 6:26: the believer looks at the birds in the sky, that do not reap nor gather into the barns, and trust that the Father will provide. Print by Christoffel van Sichem (1629).
In Hinduism, birds are associated with spiritual bliss, freedom, insight, and wholesomeness.
Garuda is a supernatural eagle-like sun bird and the King of birds. In addition, a Garutman stated in the Rigveda, who described as heavenly deva with wings. Hindu culture contributes broad examples of such avian symbolism.
