In Egyptian mythology, the frog represented the goddess of birth named Heket, often represented by the head of this animal, reminding us of the frog’s special fertility. Heket and her husband Khnum, in the Egyptian mythology, have created the sea beings, which would mean that for the Egyptians, the frog is the first animal to have populated the waters. Ironically, in the account of the Biblical episode of Moses’ attempt to free the people of Israel from the Egyptians, God sends frogs at a certain point to show the Pharaoh that He wanted the Egyptians to set His chosen people free.
In Genesis 15:9 we read: "He answered Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a mourning dove, and a pigeon."
In order to show a clear sign to Father Abraham concerning his descendants, God uses an ancient method. Some animals are chosen to be sacrificed and by which Abraham will know the measure of the divine promise.
We should perhaps describe first the symbolism of the enumerated animals, which has been long discussed by the fathers of the Church. The heifer was a symbol of the food-giving earth, being also related to the milk of knowledge. There are many examples of sacrifice in the Old Testament in which the resulting ashes was used for Levitical cleanings in order to symbolize the inner cleansing and righteousness.
The ram symbolized the primary force and the restoration of the cycle of life.
The goat, being capricious, showed the gratuity of God’s unexpected gifts. In the Holy Scripture, the goat symbolized the unfaithful people, the sinners, in opposition to the righteous and the gentle, who resemble the sheep, and thus creating a contrast between calmness and savageness, rebellion and submission to God. But because it can climb on rocks and cliffs and high places, the goat can also symbolize the true Christians, who can lift up their thoughts to the high places.
The pigeon and the dove represent purity and innocence. As a symbol of virtue which returns to the heart of the righteous man, we can find the pigeon in many Biblical fragments, the most notable ones being the flood from the time of Noah, in the Old Testament, and also during our Lord’s Baptism in the New Testament. The dove is seen as an announcer of spring and in the Bible, it is a symbol of John the Baptist, the one who announced the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of His Kingdom, full of sweet spring and spiritual delights.
The same as the bees, the ants are a symbol of diligence. The wolf is a symbol of intelligence, lack of submission and of justice. Also, the snake is a very much popularized animal symbol. In some contexts, it was considered to have a positive connotation, that of rebirth due to the snake’s habit of changing its skin, of renouncing old habits and replacing them with new and better ones. It is also admired for its wisdom and cunning. In general, it is a symbol of evil, if we come to think of Adam and Eve and their being tempted by the devil disguised in snake in the Garden of Eden. Also, in many places in the Bible, the snake or the serpent is of a very negative connotation, it symbolizes betrayal, mischief, the evil one who crawls and tempts both saints and sinners, and also Our Lord Jesus. The dragon is nothing but another version of this ancient snake, but perhaps given a seemingly more honorable connotation, that of nobility.
Like in the case of the snake, for the cat also the symbol seems to oscillate between positive and negative connotations, which can be explained both by its mild and hidden, mischievous nature. In Japan, the cat is a bad omen animal, saying it can kill women and take their appearance afterwards. On the other hand, in Cambodia it has positive connotations as it is believed to bring forth the rain. The cat is a symbol of wisdom and as it is perhaps well-known, in ancient Egypt cats were worshiped as gods. The cat is sometimes considered to be hell’s servant.
However, there is no reason to do any harm to any of these creatures, no matter what they symbolize or used to signify in any human culture around the world.
In Genesis 15:9 we read: "He answered Abram, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a mourning dove, and a pigeon."
In order to show a clear sign to Father Abraham concerning his descendants, God uses an ancient method. Some animals are chosen to be sacrificed and by which Abraham will know the measure of the divine promise.
We should perhaps describe first the symbolism of the enumerated animals, which has been long discussed by the fathers of the Church. The heifer was a symbol of the food-giving earth, being also related to the milk of knowledge. There are many examples of sacrifice in the Old Testament in which the resulting ashes was used for Levitical cleanings in order to symbolize the inner cleansing and righteousness.
The ram symbolized the primary force and the restoration of the cycle of life.
The goat, being capricious, showed the gratuity of God’s unexpected gifts. In the Holy Scripture, the goat symbolized the unfaithful people, the sinners, in opposition to the righteous and the gentle, who resemble the sheep, and thus creating a contrast between calmness and savageness, rebellion and submission to God. But because it can climb on rocks and cliffs and high places, the goat can also symbolize the true Christians, who can lift up their thoughts to the high places.
The pigeon and the dove represent purity and innocence. As a symbol of virtue which returns to the heart of the righteous man, we can find the pigeon in many Biblical fragments, the most notable ones being the flood from the time of Noah, in the Old Testament, and also during our Lord’s Baptism in the New Testament. The dove is seen as an announcer of spring and in the Bible, it is a symbol of John the Baptist, the one who announced the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of His Kingdom, full of sweet spring and spiritual delights.
The same as the bees, the ants are a symbol of diligence. The wolf is a symbol of intelligence, lack of submission and of justice. Also, the snake is a very much popularized animal symbol. In some contexts, it was considered to have a positive connotation, that of rebirth due to the snake’s habit of changing its skin, of renouncing old habits and replacing them with new and better ones. It is also admired for its wisdom and cunning. In general, it is a symbol of evil, if we come to think of Adam and Eve and their being tempted by the devil disguised in snake in the Garden of Eden. Also, in many places in the Bible, the snake or the serpent is of a very negative connotation, it symbolizes betrayal, mischief, the evil one who crawls and tempts both saints and sinners, and also Our Lord Jesus. The dragon is nothing but another version of this ancient snake, but perhaps given a seemingly more honorable connotation, that of nobility.
Like in the case of the snake, for the cat also the symbol seems to oscillate between positive and negative connotations, which can be explained both by its mild and hidden, mischievous nature. In Japan, the cat is a bad omen animal, saying it can kill women and take their appearance afterwards. On the other hand, in Cambodia it has positive connotations as it is believed to bring forth the rain. The cat is a symbol of wisdom and as it is perhaps well-known, in ancient Egypt cats were worshiped as gods. The cat is sometimes considered to be hell’s servant.
However, there is no reason to do any harm to any of these creatures, no matter what they symbolize or used to signify in any human culture around the world.
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