ChristStory Bestiary

HERON

Penance, Wisdom, & Christ's Sweat of Blood

Herons share much of the same symbolism as storks, cranes, and other wading birds. To some, the appearance of a heron is a good omen, but to others, it warns of fire and drought. Since this bird is sacred to the Greek sea-god Poseidon, it is an emblem of Atlantis, the lost island paradise thought to be populated by his children. Herons are fabled to be the enemies of eagles and the friends of crows. In Japan and China a heron and a crow may be pictured together as a symbol of the yin-yang.

This bird's long "nosy" beak makes it a symbol of curiosity, nosiness, and busybodies. However, when pictured with a white stone in its beak, the heron is an image of discretion, and the wisdom obtained through the Christian practice of silence. Like the crane, the heron's habit of standing on one leg earns it a reputation for contemplation, vigilance, divine or occult wisdom, and inner quietness. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, employed a heron as one of her divine messengers. Native American legends tell of wise men who, having died, visited the earth in the bodies of herons.

Instead of chasing their prey, herons wait patiently for food to come within reach of their sharp beaks. The Physiologus describes the heron as a contented bird which does not run hither and thither after game. Christians were advised to emulate its feeding habits rather than chasing after false doctrines to feed their hungry souls. During medieval times, herons were thought to fly above the clouds to avoid getting rained on. This supposed habit led them to become symbols of the righteous who avoided the storms of this world by placing their hopes and treasures in heaven.

Herons are considered melancholy birds. White ones symbolize innocence while ash-gray ones symbolize penance. Early Christians, believing that herons shed tears of blood under stress, made this bird an emblem of Christ's agony in the garden and the sweat of blood He endured there (Lk 22:44). Like many wading birds which eat snakes, frogs, and other symbols of the evil one, herons are images of the eternal struggle of good against evil and of Christ's battle against the Devil. The purple heron is associated with the phoenix and the Benu and brings their symbolic meanings of resurrection, regeneration, and renewal to the heron family.

According to the Mosaic Law of the Israelites, herons were unclean birds. Their Hebrew name, anaphah, comes from a root which means to breath or huff as if in anger. These birds are known to be very ill-tempered. Thomas Aquinas used them as symbols of those whose "feet are swift to shed blood" (Summa Theologica; Rom 3:15; see also Prov 1:16; Is 59:7).

Aesop records a story about a group of frogs who kept entreating Jupiter to send them a king. Angered at their presumption, Jupiter threw a log into the pond which at first frightened the silly creatures and then dismayed them by its lack of animation. Next Jupiter sent them an eel which the ungrateful amphibians complained was too good-natured to rule over them. Finally, he sent them a heron-king who ate all the frogs and so ended the matter.

All scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated.