Post by Tamrin on Sept 28, 2008 9:08:52 GMT 10
The fight between the eagle and serpent can be found in many traditions. In the Indian tradition for instance, the mythical bird Garuda, an eagle originally, is often represented as fighting Naga. Elsewhere, it is replaced by other serpent destructor birds such as the ibis, the stork or the heron. The eagle and its enemy symbolize the opposition between Heaven and Earth, between the angel representing the superior states and the demon assimilated to the inferior states, between the celestial and the infernal world. No wonder that one of the principal symbols of the Egyptian God Toth, the ibis destructor of reptiles, became a symbol of the Christ.
Nevertheless, this image of the eagle holding a serpent in its beak does not evoke exclusively the antagonism idea between the worlds above and below. The serpent, out of which mouth comes the “World Egg”, also symbolizes the Word, the word of the union of Heaven and Earth depicted by the great God of the Mexican pantheon, “Quetzalcoatl”, the “plumed serpent” consisting of a bird (quetzal) and a serpent (coatl).
The union of Heaven and Earth can also be found in the wings and both serpents of the Caduceus where the latter symbolize the ascending and descending ways between Heaven and Earth. It is the attribute of Hermes, the Messenger between the celestial and terrestrial worlds and Greek counterpart of the Egyptian God Toth.
Nevertheless, this image of the eagle holding a serpent in its beak does not evoke exclusively the antagonism idea between the worlds above and below. The serpent, out of which mouth comes the “World Egg”, also symbolizes the Word, the word of the union of Heaven and Earth depicted by the great God of the Mexican pantheon, “Quetzalcoatl”, the “plumed serpent” consisting of a bird (quetzal) and a serpent (coatl).
The union of Heaven and Earth can also be found in the wings and both serpents of the Caduceus where the latter symbolize the ascending and descending ways between Heaven and Earth. It is the attribute of Hermes, the Messenger between the celestial and terrestrial worlds and Greek counterpart of the Egyptian God Toth.
