ChristStory Bestiary

VULTURE

Death and Rebirth

Because of the vulture's habit of feasting on carrion, it has become a symbol of death the world over. Although medieval symbolists considered this bird a filthy creature and equated it with the demon Gluttony, the greater part of mankind considered the vulture's eating habits cleansing and beneficial. If corpses were not disposed of, they stank and spread disease.

Because of its cleansing action, the vulture was associated with the cleansing fire of the sun in many cultures. In South American myth, he is even considered to be the original owner of fire. Early Christians used the image of the vulture to represent Christ who purifies the world for He too "is like a refiner's fire" (Mal 3:2). This association of the vulture with Christ was strengthened by the Greek and Roman notion that the vulture was the enemy or vanquisher of serpents. (Serpents commonly represent Satan.)

Not only were the living relieved of the bodies of the dead by the helpful vultures, but the dead were believed to be freed from their decaying bodies to enter the next world or to be reborn into this one. The Egyptians associated the vulture with Isis and believed the dead had to recite the Vulture's Prayer to gain new life.

Vultures became symbolic of many cycles of birth and death especially the cycle of reincarnation popular in some religions. Therefore, in a round about way, this symbol of death became an unlikely symbol of birth. Among the Egyptians, the goddess of childbirth, Nekhbet, was represented as a vulture and a vulture perched atop a basket symbolized conception.

Since they believed that this bird's eggs were fertilized by the east wind, early Christians saw in the vulture an image of the innocence and purity of the Virgin Mary. The east wind in this picture symbolized the Holy Spirit which overshadowed her.

All vultures were believed to be female and represented motherhood. It was believed that when famine came, the mother vulture would wound itself in order to draw blood with which to feed its young. In the 16th century, this misconception was transferred to the pelican which, unlike the vulture, became a Eucharistic symbol.

The Goths made the sheep vulture or Lammergeier their national bird because of its strength and size. It was the largest bird of prey in that part of the world and was looked upon much the same way we now look upon the eagle. Romans saw good omens in the flight of vultures. Although it was once considered an emblem of plenty, wealth, and fertility, the vulture later became symbolic of cowardice and filth because it attacked the dead.

For the Israelites, the vulture was to be regarded as an abomination and counted among the unclean birds which they were forbidden to eat (Lev 11:13; 11:18; Deu 14:12, 17).

Abraham did not allow vultures to eat the carcasses of the animals used in the covenant sacrifice; but drove them away until the fire of the Lord came to devour the offering (Gen 15:8-18).

God once compared Israel to a "speckled vulture;" the speckles representing the many pagan practices Israel had mixed in with its worship of the one, true God (Jer 12:9). The resulting image is that of a people which incorporates spiritual filth into its body of beliefs.

Unless otherwise noted all scripture quotes are from the NKJV Bible.