Legends of The Sacred Dove

Hindu: Yama, god of the dead, has birds such as owls and doves or pigeons as messengers.

Islam: The Three Holy Virgins are represented by stones, or pillars surrounded by Doves.

Japanese: the Dove was sacred to Hackiman, the god of war, but it was a Dove with a sword that announced the end to war.

Chinese: In China, Doves are symbolic of good digestion, marital duty, and long life.

Pagans: The Dove has been widely understood as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, because of the affectionate mating habits of the species popularly known as turtledoves.

Motherhood and Femininity:
Doves are sacred to all Great Mothers and Queens of Heaven and depict femininity and maternity; often two Doves accompany the Mother Goddess.

Greek Myth: In ancient Greek myth, it was the Dove was the bird of Athena which represented the renewal of life.

According to European superstition, the devil and witches can turn themselves into any bird shape except the Dove.

Source: Princeton online- Louisa Twining, Symbols of Early Christian Art, p. 183


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The Dove is a symbol of the Catholic sacrament of Confirmation. In traditional early Christian symbolism the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost was represented by a dove. The descending dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit arriving from heaven. It is also used in representations of our Lord's Baptism and in the Pentecost.

The image of seven doves surrounding the letters "SS" (Latin Spiriti Sancti, "Holy Spirit") symbolize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise (Rev. 5:12).

In the Old Testament: the dove represents simplicity; harmlessness, innocence; meekness; guilelessness; incubation. It also embodies the souls of the dead.

The Tree of Life:
The dove sits in the branches of the Tree of Life and appears with the fruit of the tree and vases of the waters of life.

The Legend of Noah in The Old Testament:
The Dove was a symbol of gentleness, peace, and divine guidance.

In the Bible a dove was released from the Ark by Noah, which returned with an olive branch to show that the Biblical flood was over. Ever since, the dove has symbolized deliverance and God's forgiveness.

Symbol of the Holy Ghost in The New Testament:
As a symbol of the Holy Ghost, it originates with Christ's baptism, when, according to St. Luke,
'It came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, "Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased."'
(Luke 3.21-22, Matthew 3.16, Mark 1.10, John 1.32).

The Holy Grail and Parsifal a Legend in Alchemy:
A hermit is describing the grail castle to Parsifal. The Grail is guarded by the Templars.
"I will tell you how they are nourished. They live from a Stone whose essence is most pure". "On Good Friday", the hermit continues, "a dove flies down from heaven. It brings a small white Wafer to the Stone and leaves it there. The Dove all dazzling white, then flies up to heaven again... from which the Stone receives all that is good on earth of food and drink of paradisaical excellence".
- Wolfram Von Eschenbach, Parsifal: (Penguin p. 239)

Edited by Peter Y. Chou