Ichthys

Ichthys (Greek: ; also transliterated and latinized as ichthys, icthus, or ikhthus), is the Greek word for "fish." It refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs resembling the profile of a fish, used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "Jesus fish."

Origins
While some fish symbols predate Christianity, relating to fertility, female genitalia, and fish, this particular symbol seems to have been used primarily by early Christians to inform one another of their particular faith.

Ichthys was the offspring son of the ancient sea goddess Atargatis, and was known in various mythic systems as Tirgata, Aphrodite, Pelagia or Delphine. The word also meant "womb" and "dolphin" in some tongues, and representations of this appeared in the depiction of mermaids. The fish is also a central element in other stories, including the Goddess of Ephesus (who has a fish amulet covering her genital region), as well as the tale of the fish that swallowed the penis of Osiris, and was also considered a symbol of the vulva of Isis.

Along with being a generative and reproductive spirit in mythology, the fish also has been identified in certain cultures with reincarnation and the life force. Sir James George Frazer noted in his work, "Adonis, Attis, Osiris: Studies in the History of Oriental Religion" (Part Four of his larger work, "The Golden Bough") that among one group in India, the fish was believed to house a deceased soul, and that as part of a fertility ritual specific fish is eaten in the belief that it will be reincarnated in a newborn child.

Possibly before Christianity, the fish symbol was known as "the Great Mother," a pointed oval sign, the "vesica piscis" or Vessel of the Fish. Also, in ancient Greek, "fish" and "womb" were denoted by the same word ("delphos"). Its link to fertility, birth, feminine sexuality and the natural force of women was acknowledged also by the Celts, as well as pagan cultures throughout northern Europe. Eleanor Gaddon traces a "Cult of the Fish Mother" as far back as the hunting and fishing people of the Danube River Basin in the sixth millennium B.C.E. Over fifty shrines have been found throughout the region which depict a fishlike deity, a female creature who "incorporates aspects of an egg, a fish and a woman which could have been a primeval creator or a mythical ancestress..." The "Great Goddess" was portrayed elsewhere with pendulous breasts, accentuated buttocks and a conspicuous vaginal orifice, the upright "vesica piscis". The veneration of the "gate of life" is possibly the source of that posture of prayer involving bowing the head and gazing on the hands held with the tips and heels touching (not to be confused with the similar Christian prayer posture where the eyes are closed and-or the head is tilted upward).

It is believed that societies of Christians in the early Roman Empire, prior to the Edict of Milan, protected their congregations by keeping their meetings secret. In order to point the way to ever-changing meeting places, they developed a symbol which adherents would readily recognize, and which they could scratch on rocks, walls and the like, in advance of a meeting. Another story suggests that the ichthys was used as a sort of secret handshake: one person would draw with a staff a single curve, (half of the ichthys) in the sand, and another person could confirm their identity as a Christian by completing the symbol. Alternatively, one would draw the symbol, and another person would confirm their faith by drawing an eye on it.

There are several hypotheses as to why the fish was chosen. The most probable is that it is a reference to the scripture in which Jesus miraculuously feeds 5000 people with fish and bread (Matthew 14:15-21, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:4-13). The ichthys also may relate to Jesus as a "fisher of men," or an acronym of the Greek letters &Iota;&Chi;&Theta;&Upsilon;&Sigma; (Iota Chi Theta Upsilon Sigma) to the statement of Christian faith "" (Iēsous Christos Theou Huios Sōtēr: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior").

Though there is no direct evidence, the ichthys may simply be an adaptation of the mystic/mathematical symbol known as the Vesica Piscis. The length-height ratio of the vesica piscis, as expressed by the mystic and mathematician Pythagoras, is 153:265, a mystical number known as "the measure of the fish." In the biblical story in which Jesus aids his disciples to catch fish, Jesus catches exactly 153 fish.

Other reasons include the fact that the Apostles of Christ were often referred to as "fishers of men" (Mark 1:17: "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.") Some other sources also suggest that fish symbol was chosen because the Hebrew pronounciation of "Christ" is very similar to that of "fish" in Hebrew.

The name ichthys was also associated with Adonis, the central character in one of the 1st-century mystery religions (specifically, the version used in Syria). Like many other mystery religions, the religion of Adonis adopted certain mystic aspects of Greek philosophy, which may have included the Vesica Piscis of Pythagoras.

Some theories about the Historicity of Jesus suggest that Christianity adopted certain beliefs and practices as a syncretism of certain mystery religions, and this may be the origin of the Icthys into Christian circles. However, there is very little evidence of such mystery religions surfacing until after the rise of Christianity.

Adaptations of the symbol
The ichthys symbol has been re-adopted by modern Christians as a badge, often with the word "JESUS" in the center of the symbol. Applied to the rear bumper of a car, the symbol is used to indicate to the world that the owner is a Christian. Historically, this adaptation was based on an earlier symbol which included a fish with the Greek letters "&Iota;&Chi;&Theta;&Upsilon;&Sigma;" or "ΙΧΘΥΣ" or a small cross. These letters are sometimes confused for the Latin letters "IXOYE".

Local businesses in some areas will incorporate the symbol into their logo.

It is important to note that not all cars displaying this symbol do so for Christian reasons. Certain car manufacturers (for example some in the UK), use this symbol on certain brands of car (for example, the Alfa Romeo).

This badge may also be seen in email signatures with the symbols "<><".

Another adaptation of ichthys is a wheel which contains the letters ΙΧΘΥΣ superimposed in such a way such that the final collection looks like a common wagon-wheel.

Parodies of the ichthys symbol


The Ichthys symbol has been subject to considerable parody in the late 20th century, especially on bumper stickers, and usually used to imply a contrast with creationism. The most famous is the Darwin fish, an Ichthys symbol with feet attached and often the word "DARWIN" in the middle. This variation of the Ichthys symbol is meant to represent evolution as an apparent contrast with creationism (Christians are of course not necessarily Creationists, nor are all Creationists Christians) and it has been criticized by some for mocking religion. It has even been suggested by some Creationists that the Ichthys-with-legs symbol expresses hatred toward Christians, and is therefore not unlike any anti-Semitical or anti-Muslim symbol.

The "Icacycle" is a symbol created by Timothy Veldman in the vision of combining a religious outlook on motorcycle riding--which was once associated with the belief that all riders are bad people. In this new day and age, however, Timothy Veldman created this symbol as well as a product line, to show that not all riders are "evil" people.

http://www.icacycle.com/images/im1.jpg

Other symbolism associated with the fish
The constellation Pisces comprises a set of dim and scattered stars that trace the images of two widely separated fish joined by a knotted cord. One fish, swimming upward, faces east toward Aries, while the other fish swims westward toward Aquarius along the plane of the ecliptic. The directions of motion of the two fish form a cross, the symbol of the Christian religion -- the upright line of the cross representing spirit and the horizontal line signifying matter.

Babylonian mythology tells of two fishes that pushed ashore a giant egg, from which emerged the fertility corn-goddess Atargatis and her lover-son Ichthys, who dies and is reborn annually. The myth of Ichthys and the sign Pisces later became connected with Christianity. Directly across the zodiac from Pisces lies the sign of Virgo, symbolizing the virgin grain goddess of ancient Greece and also connected with the Virgin Mary of Christian mythology, whose birthday is liturgically celebrated on September 8, when the sun crosses the midpoint of the sign Virgo.