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the flock, as well as with man, inspired
love and conceptual imagery. The representation of lovers clearly
reflected the sense of faithfulness inspired by the monogamous nature
of a dove couple that jointly raised their brood. The homing instinct
of doves (pigeons) suggested the image that the bird as a harbinger
of good tidings - like the dove in the story of the flood, "She came

back to him towards evening with a newly plucked olive leaf in her
beak..." (Gen. 7:11)

This characteristic is why pigeons (doves) served navigational
functions as well as carrying messages. The earliest records shows
that four doves or pigeons were sent in different directions to mark
the coronation of Rameses III in 1204 BC (it is not suggested that
they might have carried messages). The birds were widely used by the
Romans in sending messages; Emperor Nero even used them for sending
results of the games to his friends.

... and in Central America there is an orchid called the dove-plant
(or Holy Ghost plant), revered by the pious natives because of its
resemblance to a dove with outstretched wings, the symbol of the 'Holy
Ghost'.

The image of the dove in iconographic formulations evolved from
the cultures of the Ancient Near East to Western cultures (5). The
'dove', within time, became a powerful symbol in religious traditions,
as well as the bird's use as a messenger, for sporting purposes, to
becoming a well-loved pet.

NOTES:
(1) Doves (order Columbiformes, family Columbidae) are medium-sized,
rather heavy birds with pointed wings and rather long tails. Their
plumage varies in color from the olive-brown body bluish-gray wings
of the 'rock-dove', to the speckled brown wing feathers and striped
neck pattern of the 'turtle dove' (genus-Streptopelia). White
varieties are known and are presented symbolically.

(2) The Hebrew word 'Yonah' is mentioned twenty times in the Scripture
meaning 'dove', and ten times referring to as 'pigeons'.

(3) "and the turtle-dove's cooing will be heard in the land.." The
turtledove's mating season begins in early May. Then the male produces
a very peculiar sound - "tirrrr, tirrrr" -, which sounds like 'tor',
the Hebrew word for turtle (hence, the English word, turtle dove).

(4) The figure of a dove with a palm branch in its beaks is a symbol
of victory over death. Christian tradition depicts a white dove as a
saved soul, the purified, as opposite to the black raven cast as sin.

(5) To Western tradition, the 'dove' symbolizes innocence, a love
messenger, gentleness and a harbinger of peace.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1: Exhibition and catalogue - "The Dove - Allegory in History", Irit
Zisser (curator), Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
2: All the Animals of the Bible Lands - G.S. Cansdale
3: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols - J.C.Cooper
4: The White Goddess - Robert Graves
5: The Golden Bough - J.G. Frazer
6: Encyclopedia of World Mythology - Forwarded by Rex Warner.

Learn more about this author, Norman A. Rubin.
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