How many people know why there is a double-headed eagle on the coat of arms? What does he mean? The image of the double-headed eagle is an ancient symbol of power. For the first time this figure arose during the appearance of the first developed states - about five thousand years ago. However, throughout its history, this sign has succumbed to various interpretations. Today it is depicted on many symbols of power (flags and emblems) of various countries.
Symbol Value
What does the double-headed eagle symbolize? This is a deep image, denoting a combination of two principles. The bird heads are directed in opposite directions: to the West and to the East. However, in itself it is an integral being who embodies unity. Double-headed eagle - the image of the sun, meaning nobility and power.
In some cultures, the meaning of the double-headed eagle symbol is slightly different. He is considered a messenger, an assistant to God, a doer of his will. He personifies a formidable force that can establish justice. However, at the same time, many experts agree that the double-headed eagle is a symbol whose meaning is pride and arrogance.
The wings of a bird are a personification of protection, and sharp claws reflect a willingness to fight for ideals and ideas. A bird depicted with a white head means the purity of thought of representatives of the authorities, its justice and wisdom. The eagle is a brave, strong guard who can see the approaching misfortune from any direction.
The appearance of the symbol in the story
You can trace the meaning of the symbol of the double-headed eagle for millennia in different parts of the world. One of its first traces was found on lands in the Tigris and Euphrates Valley, where one of the first states was located - Southern Mesopotamia. During excavations of the city of Lagash, in which the Sumerians lived, an image of an eagle was found.
Precious talismans, on which his figure is depicted, also testify to the meaning and veneration of this symbol.
Hittite Kingdom
One of the famous and widespread images of the symbol is dated to the 2nd millennium BC. In Western Asia (today the territory of Turkey), a carved image of a double-headed eagle was found on a rock. Archaeologists have concluded that this sign refers to the art of the ancient Hittites. In their mythology, a two-headed eagle is an attribute of the chief god Tishchub, who commanded a thunderstorm.
In the Hittite kingdom, the double-headed eagle looked in opposite directions, and in its paws, prey was hares. Archeologists have interpreted this sign in this way: the eagle is the king who tirelessly watches everything that surrounds him and defeats the enemies, and rodents are gluttonous, cowardly pests.
Ancient Greece
In the mythology of the ancient Greeks, the sun god Helios existed. He could move across the sky in a chariot in which four horses were harnessed. It was a common image that fit on the walls. However, there was another: instead of horses, the chariot was harnessed by two double-headed eagles - black and white. This image is still not exactly interpreted, however, it is believed that the hidden meaning is hidden in it. Here you can trace an interesting chain: the eagle is the king of birds, and the Sun is the “king” of the planets. It is this bird that flies above others and approaches the divine luminary.
Double-headed eagle in Persians, Arabs and Mongols
Later, the double-headed eagle (the meaning of the symbol is already known to us) arises in Persia. His image in the first centuries of our era was used by the shahs of the Sassanid dynasty. They were replaced by Arabs, whose rulers placed the presented image on coins. This emblem also belonged to the eastern ornament. He was especially popular for decorating. They even decorated coasters for the Koran. In the Middle Ages, it was placed on the standards of the Seljuk Turks. In the Golden Horde, an eagle meant victory. To this day, coins with the image of this two-headed bird, minted during the reign of the khans of Uzbek and Dzhanybek, have been preserved.
Hinduism Two-headed Bird
In the mythology of Hinduism, the two-headed bird Gandaberund is endowed with great magical power. She is able to withstand destruction. A beautiful legend was invented about the appearance of this creature. According to him, the supreme god Vishnu defeated the demon, turning into an image of a mixture of man and the lion Narasimha. However, even after he won and drank the blood of his enemy, anger continued to seethe in him and he remained in a terrible image. Everyone was afraid of him, and therefore the demigods asked for help from Shiva. God turned into the eighth creation of Sharabha, whose strength and power surpassed Narasimha. Then Vishnu reincarnated in Gandaberunda, and in these images two deities entered the fray. Since then, in Hinduism, the two-headed bird means tremendous, destructive power.
The oldest surviving image of a bird is in India on a statue created in 1047. To show the tremendous power of this creature, he was depicted carrying in the claws and beaks of elephants and lions. Today this emblem is present on the coat of arms of the Indian state of Karnataka.
The first emblems in Europe
The spread of the double-headed eagle symbol on European lands began in the XI-XV centuries during the Crusades. As the coat of arms, the image of the double-headed eagle was chosen by the first knights, the Templars. Historians suggest that they borrowed this drawing during their travels in South Asia, in the Ottoman Empire. After the attempts of the knights to conquer the Holy Sepulcher in the Holy Land, the symbol of the eagle with two heads became widely known. Mostly on the Byzantine and Balkan lands it was used as a pattern. They adorned the fabric, vessels, walls. Some territorial princes took it as their personal seals. The version that the eagle could be a symbol of the imperial family in Byzantium, historians stubbornly reject.
Antique roman empire
In 330, the sovereign emperor Constantine the Great, who transferred the capital of the Holy Roman Empire to Constantinople, making it the “Second Rome”, replaces the one-headed eagle - the two-headed eagle, which personifies not only the emperor’s power (secular authority), but also spiritual power ( Church authority). The second head balances the political component of this image. It stands for Christian morality. It reminds statesmen to act not only for their own sake, but also to act, thinking and caring for their people.
Holy Roman Empire
As the state emblem of the Holy (German) Roman Empire, the two-headed eagle was adopted in 1434 during the reign of Emperor Sigismund. The bird was depicted black on a gold shield. Above their heads were nimbuses. However, this symbol, unlike a similar symbol in the ancient Roman Empire, did not have Christian motives. The double-headed eagle on the coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire was rather a tribute to historical traditions dating back to the majestic Byzantium.
The appearance of the double-headed eagle in Russia
There are several versions of the appearance of the double-headed eagle emblem in Russia. Many historians argue that the emergence of this symbol is associated with the name of Sophia Paleolog. The successor to the fallen Byzantium, a highly educated princess, is not without political background, which Pope Paul II took care of, becomes the wife of the Russian Tsar Ivan III. This inter-dynastic marriage allowed Moscow to acquire a new status - "Third Rome", since the second - Constantinople - fell in 1453. Sophia not only brought with her the symbol of a white double-headed eagle, which was the emblem of her family - the Paleologists dynasty. She and her close associates contributed to the cultural upsurge of Russia. On the state press, the eagle began to be depicted since 1497. What confirms in his text the work of the Russian writer N. M. Karamzin, "History of the Russian State."
However, there is another opinion about the appearance of the Russian double-headed eagle. Many experts are inclined to believe that Ivan III chose him as a state sign, with the aim of equating himself with European monarchs. Asserting equilibrium, the Russian prince put himself on the same line with the Habsburg family, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire at that time.
Double-headed eagle under Peter I
The famous reformer, “having cut a window to Europe,” Peter I during his reign devoted much time not only to foreign and domestic politics. The king also took care of state symbols. Against the backdrop of ongoing wars, he decided to create a single symbol.
Since 1700, the emblem of the country is being transformed. Interesting changes are directly related to the bird. Crowns are now located above her heads. In her paws is her power and scepter. Ten years later, in 1710, these adjustments were made to all seals. Later, on coins, as well as on any other objects where eagles are depicted, imperial crowns are placed above them. These symbols mean the complete independence and independence of Russia from other powers. No one can infringe on the state in its power rights. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the symbol acquired this form ten years before Russia was called the Russian Empire, and Peter I its emperor.
In 1721, an important and last change under Peter was the change of color. The double-headed eagle turns black. The emperor decided to take this step, taking the example of the Holy Roman Empire. The beak, as well as the legs and attributes of the bird, were depicted in gold. The background is made in the same shade. A red shield is placed on the chest of the eagle, surrounded by a chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On the shield, St. George on horseback smites the dragon with a spear. All these images symbolize the eternal problem of the struggle of Darkness and Light, Evil and Good.
Eagle after the collapse of the Russian Empire
After Nicholas II abdicated the throne in 1917, the state sign loses its strength and significance. A problem arose for new leaders and representatives of the government - it was necessary to create a new heraldic symbol. This issue was dealt with by a group of specialists in heraldry. However, before the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, they did not see the need to create a radically new symbol. They considered it permissible to use the same two-headed eagle, however, it should have been "stripped" of its former attributes and removed the image of St. George the Victorious. Thus, the seal of the interim government was drawn by a specialist I. Ya. Bilibin.
In the struggle for the title of coat of arms with a two-headed eagle, the image of the swastika “meaning” prosperity and eternity “beat”. Thanks to these qualities, perhaps, this symbol was liked by the Provisional Government.
In 1918, when the Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted, a new emblem was chosen, and the eagle was forgotten until 1993, when it becomes the state symbol of the Russian Federation. Now it is depicted in golden color, contains almost the same attributes that existed during the time of the Russian Empire - the St. Andrew order is missing on it. It is permissible to use this symbol without a shield.
Standard of the President of Russia
President B. N. Yeltsin in 1994 issued a decree "On the Standard (Flag) of the President of the Russian Federation." The president’s flag was a three-color canvas (three identical horizontal stripes of white, blue, red) and a golden emblem depicted on it in the center. The standard is framed by a gold fringe.