Greek Symbols And Their Meanings
With a history that stretches from 800 BC to 146 BC, ancient Greece was one of the most significant civilizations in history. It was responsible for the creation of some of the world’s most instantly recognizable symbols and motifs, many of which are still relevant and popular to this day.
During the time of the ancient Greeks, polytheism, or the belief in the existence of more than one god, was a prevalent practice. The assumptions of polytheistic Greeks are based on the perceived existence of innumerable gods and goddesses, as well as various supernatural beings.
A number of ancient Greek symbols can be found in legends and myths. When these myths are combined, they elicit a wide range of emotional responses from the reader or listener.
While many of the ancient Greek symbols have their origins in Greek mythology, however, others have been adopted by the Greeks from other ancient civilizations and cultures.
A large number of the well-known Greek symbols are connected with the concepts of eternal life, rebirth, power and vitality, to name a few examples.
Throughout this article, we’ll look at some of the most intriguing and well-known Greek symbols. We’ll discuss each of these symbols’ fascinating history, their significance, as well as the wide range of meanings associated with them.
Greek Symbols And Their Meanings
1. The Cornucopia Symbol
The word “cornucopia” is from the Latin cornu copiae, literally meaning “horn of plenty.”
The cornucopia is typically a horn-shaped basket—the horn of plenty—filled or overflowing with produce such as fruits, grains, and vegetables. It is symbolic of fruitfulness and nourishment.
The cornucopia is often used in decorations for Thanksgiving because of what it represents.
The horn of plenty generally symbolizes plenty and abundance. It was thought to originate from Greek mythology and is attributed to various deities, both Greek and Roman, particularly those associated with the harvest, fortune, and/or spiritual abundance,
In modern times, the cornucopia symbol is depicted as a hollow wicker basket shaped like a goat’s horn and brimming with various kinds of fruits and vegetables. This symbol is used at Halloween to represent fertility, fortune, and abundance. It is also identified with Thanksgiving, as well as the harvest.
The symbol is also popularly used for body art today.
To learn more about this Cornucopia symbol, click here.
2. Bowl of Hygeia Symbol
Hygeia is the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness, and sanitation. Together with the asklepian (Rod of Asclepius), Hygeia’s symbol—the Bowl of Hygeia—is one of the oldest and most important symbols associated with medicine.
The word ‘hygiene’ was derived from the name of the goddess herself, which means ‘sound’ and/or ‘healthy’ both in Latin and Greek. Hygiene is defined as “conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease, especially through cleanliness.”
The bowl of Hygeia is a common symbol on signs outside of pharmacies in Europe, although the mortar and pestle are also common in the United States.
The unicorn is another symbol sometimes used in pharmaceutical branding. To the ancient Greeks, unicorns symbolized purity and grace. The mythical animal’s spiraling horn was believed to possess the power to heal and to act as an antidote to poisons.
The Rx symbol is another representation related to pharmacy. These two letters are derived from the word recipere, which is Latin for “to take back” or “to receive.”
The snake in the Bowl of Hygeia is symbolic of Aesculapius (see the Rod of Asclepius) while the bowl itself represents Hygeia.
Snakes were used in representations related to healing and medicine because ancient Greeks associated this animal’s ability to shed its old skin and grow a new one with wisdom, healing, and resurrection. The bowl represents the venom from the snake, which either kills or heals.
To learn more about this Bowl of Hygeia symbol, click here.
3. Hercules Knot Symbol
This simple knot with two entwined ropes is associated with the fertility of Hercules. The act of tying the Hercules knot is symbolic of binding. This has come to represent the commitment to love in various cultures.
The Hercules knot has a very extensive history of being a symbol of love and marriage. In modern times, it is a popular wedding symbol that stands for everlasting love and commitment between two lovers. In this sense, the Hercules knot represents the virginity of the bride.
In the folklore of various cultures, knots themselves signify vows that cannot be broken so they are used in wedding rituals. An example of this is the Celtic knot which is used when proposing marriage. A woman agrees to the marriage proposal if she accepts the knot.
The Hercules knot is believed to be the origin of “tying the knot,” a phrase that means getting married since it symbolizes binding.
To learn more about this Hercules Knot symbol, click here.
4. Caduceus Symbol
The caduceus is from the Latin cādūceus; and the Greek kērykeion, which means ‘herald’s wand’ or ‘herald’s staff.’
This staff carried by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, is a symbol of peace and commerce. The caduceus symbol later became the emblem of heralds and ambassadors to signify their sanctity and integrity.
The caduceus is the staff the god Hermes carried as a symbol of peace and commerce. Association with the messenger of the gods made the caduceus the badge of heralds and ambassadors.
The original caduceus was an olive branch with two shoots and decorated with garlands. The garlands were later interpreted as a couple of serpents coiled in opposite directions with their heads facing. To symbolize Hermes’ speed, a pair of wings was fastened to the branch above the snakes.
In the early modern period, the caduceus symbol was also used to represent rhetoric, in association with Mercury’s eloquence.
To learn more about this Caduceus symbol, click here.
5. Rod of Asclepius Symbol
The probable medical origin of this ancient Greek symbol with a snake wrapped around a staff is the ‘worm theory’ that dates back to about 1500 BC.
It was a description of treatment for the parasitic Guinea worm written on papyrus, said to be among the first ancient Egyptian medical documents. Ancient physicians probably used signs with a worm on a stick to advertising the worm treatment service they offered.
Another theory has Biblical origins. Moses had a bronze staff with a snake coiled around it. Any Israelite bitten by a venomous snake only had to look at the snake on Moses’ rod to be cured.
Whatever the exact origin of the symbol is, the Rod of Asclepius is the dominant symbol for a lot of medical and professional health care associations all over the world. The most prominent of all is the World Health Organization.
In the original Hippocratic Oath, new doctors started with this invocation: “I swear by Apollo the Healer and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods…”
While Hippocrates is the “father of medicine,” Asclepius is the god associated with healing and medicinal arts. Asclepius was also the patron god and said to be the ancestor of the Asclepiades, the ancient guild of doctors.
The name ‘asklepian,’ or the Rod (or Staff) of Asclepius, is taken from this Greek deity. His attributions are the snake and the staff, which are combined in the asklepian symbol.
To honor Asclepius, a particular species of non-venomous snake was named after him. These are the Aesculapian snakes which were often used in ancient healing rituals. They were free to crawl around places where patients slept.
The snake and the rod are said to have been two separate symbols but were combined at some point in history. The snake symbol is interpreted as rebirth and rejuvenation (the shedding of skin).
The snake venom can kill and yet it’s used not only as of the very antidote to venomous snake bites but in some therapies as well.
This is why the serpent has come to represent unity and expression of the dual nature of the medical practice—dealing with life and death, sickness, and health.
To learn more about this Rod of Asclepius Symbol, click here.
6. Labyrinth Symbol
The term ‘labýrinthos’ came from the Minoan or pre-Greek labrys, which refers to the double ax. This is said to be the symbol of the supremacy of the Minoan Mother Goddess.
The labyrinthine symbol always accompanies women or goddesses, not male gods. Its more profound meaning is connected with the feminine life-giving force, as the center of the labyrinth is the matrix of the Goddess.
The ancient Greeks saw the bull as the zoe: the life force, the power of nature, and instincts. This very first labyrinth, apparently, was designed to guard the darkest side of nature. It symbolized King Minos’ fears as well, which were the bestial instincts that he tried to overcome.
For Native Americans, the labyrinth is symbolic of birth and rebirth. Hopi labyrinths are depicted with a cross near the center which signifies the four cardinal directions and their attributes. The spirals around this compass represent the spiral of life and creation.
The labyrinth is defined as “a meandering path, often unicursal, with a single path leading to a center.”
Figuratively, the word means “something highly intricate or convoluted in character, composition, or construction.” Some definitions also say it is a maze. But mazes and labyrinths are distinct from each other, although they are often used interchangeably.
Here’s how to tell the one from the other:
Labyrinths have a lone continuous path that winds through it, leading to the center, while mazes have various paths striking off to different directions. With labyrinths, just keep going forward and you will get to the center; mazes, on the other hand, will not necessarily lead to it.
To learn more about this Labyrinth Symbol, click here.
7. Gorgon Symbol
The word ‘Gorgon’ is commonly used to call any of these three sisters: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa. The term is derived from the ancient Greek word gorgós, which means ‘grim,’ ‘terrible,’ or ‘dreadful.’
Defined as a European image by some, the gorgoneion was claimed by others as part of numerous primitive cultures that used ritual masks with images comparable to the Gorgon image. This practice was done to make an ‘ugly face’ at the owner—to scare him from doing evil or wrong, basically.
Descriptions of Gorgons vary in the oldest examples of Greek literature. A Gorgon, however, is generally seen as a rather ugly mythical creature in mythology. In later descriptions, Gorgons had hair made of living snakes, with such terrifying faces that transformed those who looked at them to stone.
Physical ugliness, most especially in females, was often associated with evil in ancient Greece. But although seen as abominable creatures, images of the Gorgons were commonly found in Greek and Roman homes in ancient times.
Gorgoneia or Gorgon symbols adorned entrances to houses as a way to protect those who lived there. It was common to see wooden door panels with a carved gorgoneion intended to guard the house against unwelcome guests or hostile intruders.
The Gorgon imagery also appeared on household items like bowls, plates, pots, and drinking vessels. They were placed in homes for a purpose: not as decorative items but to act as some sort of protectors against negative forces, because ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the unsightly faces warded off evil.
As mentioned, Gorgons are usually seen as representations of ugliness. The same goes for their sisters the Graeae. Both the Gorgons and the Graea also symbolize the bonds of sisterhood for their closeness and sticking up together. And since they have few interactions with the world, they are symbolic of solitude as well.
