ChristStory Easter Symbols and Legends

Bunny	See hare below. Believed to lay and hide Easter eggs.
Butterfly	Symbolizes the life cycle of Jesus and the Christian in the following order: the caterpillar stage represents natural earthly life; the cocoon represents death of the body; the butterfly emerging from the cocoon represents the resurrection. In this illustration the butterfly does not get smashed on the car windshield.
Cross	See Legends of the Cross Page
Donkey	The Castilian donkey received the cross-shaped patch of hair which grows on its back and shoulders when he carried Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Eagle	Believed to have life-restoring qualities like those of the phoenix.Symbolizes the rebirth of man in baptism since it restores itself by flying close enough to the sun to set its feathers afire and then diving into the water to be reborn.
Egg	The shell can be seen as a nurturing, life giving tomb. The hatching chick represents Christ emerging from the tomb. The resurrection symbolism of the egg is enhanced by the legend of the phoenix.
Hare	The hare is a symbol of the moon. It became associated with Easter because the moon is used to determine the date of Easter. According to the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21st.
Holy Grail or the Cup Used by Jesus at the Last Supper	Before God created Adam and Eve, He came down from Heaven to visit the earth. In His absence, Satan seized His throne, gathered followers and ordered them to create a beautiful, jeweled crown for himself. As soon as Satan was crowned, the archangel Michael and his army came and hurledSatan and his minions to the earth. During the fight, one of the jewels broke off the crown, fell to earth and was lost. Eventually, the jewel was found and made into a cup which became the property of Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph owned the house in which Jesus and his disciples ate the Last Supper. During the crucifixion, Joseph stood under the cross and caught a few drops of Christ's blood in this cup causing it to become the Sangraal, or Holy Grail and giving it miraculous powers. Because Joseph allowed Christ to be buried in his own tomb, the priests seized Joseph and sealed him in a prison cell to starve to death. However, Joseph was fed by a miraculous light which shone from the Grail. After Joseph was rescued from his prison, he sailed to France with some relatives and followers and the Holy Grail. In France, the Grail fed each of them with their favorite food and drink and healed them of every illness.Every Good Friday, a dove came from Heaven and renewed the powers of the Grail by placing a consecrated wafer in it. When Joseph and his followers asked God questions,God replied by writing in letters of flame along the edge of the cup. Eventually some secret sin occurred among the followers and the Grail was taken away by God's holy angels. Even so, now and then, someone is granted a glimpse of the Holy Grail.
Lamb	Jesus is associated with the paschal lamb in the Exodus story. The blood of the Passover lamb caused the angel of death to "pass over" the Israelites. John the Baptist calls Jesus "The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Lion	In the Bible, Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The genealogies of the New Testament point out that Jesus was a descendant of Judah from whom the eternal ruler was to come. Additionally, the lion became a symbol of the resurrection because it was believed to be born dead. After 3 days, one of the cub's parents breathes life into it.
Peacock	Symbolizes immortality and the resurrection since its flesh was once believed to be incorruptible or immune to decay.
Pelican	A symbol of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and in the Eucharist because it was believed to feed its babies with its own blood which the pelican caused to flow by piercing its own breast with its beak. "I am like a pelican in the wilderness" (Psalm 102:6). "Pelican of mercy, Jesu, Lord and God, cleanse me, wretched sinner, in thy precious Blood; Blood, whereof one drop for humankind outpoured, might from all transgression have the world restored." - Thomas Aquinas
Phoenix	Believed to have retained its immortality since, unlike the rest of the birds, it refused to eat from the forbidden tree in the garden of Eden.The phoenix lived for 500 years between rejuvenations. Every 500 years, it created a combination funeral pyre/nest for itself of spices and herbs, sat on it and set itself on fire. When the fire died down, an egg would be found among the ashes from which the phoenix which laid it would hatch. It has become a symbol of the resurrection.
Pike's Head	Bears a cross, three nails, and a sword because during the crucifixion all the other fish hid under the sea in terror but curiosity caused the pike to watch the whole thing.
Rabbit	See hare above. Its helplessness may also represent the helplessness of man whose only defense is Christ.
Robin Redbreast	When God created the robin redbreast, He told the bird he must remain plain and gray until he earned his red badge of courage. At Golgotha, the robin, seeking to relieve the sufferings of the Savior, overcame his fear of the mocking crowd, flew to Christ and pulled a thorn out of his head. The blood from the thorn's wound dripped on to the robin's breast and has caused it to be red ever since.
Scorpion	Its sting represents Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ with a kiss. Also represents the soldiers who scourged Christ.
Swallow	Flew around the cross chirping "Svale! Svale!" which is Scandinavian for "Cheer up! Cheer up!" Since this bird hibernates in the mud during the winter, his awakening in the spring is a symbol of the resurrection.
Whale	Jesus said "For as Jonas was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt 12:40).

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To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "ChristStory Easter Symbols and Legends." ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1997. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/eassym.htm ().