Ancient Symbols, Modern Meanings

Many people assume that any particular symbol has one specific and inviolate meaning, and nothing can be farther from the truth. A symbol, on its own, is nothing more than a picture. Symbolism is the meaning that humans associate with said image, and often different groups of people will give radically different meanings.

The faravahar symbol in Zoroastrianism, for example, has been around for 3000 years, but the meaning Zoroastrians currently attribute to it is less than 200 years old. In fact, its highly debated how much the symbol was even associated with the religion more than 200 years ago. Even today, some non-Zoroastrian Iranians use the faravahar as a nationalistic symbol, hearkening back to the ancient Persian Empire that also used the symbol.

(Image courtesy of Hannah M.G. Shapero/pyracantha.com)