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Symbolism > pelican

pelican

The female pelican was believed to wound her breast with her long, curved bill, drawing blood to feed her young. The term for this is ‘vulning’ itself and there are some birds during the nesting season that grow red feather’s upon their breast, which may be where the legend came from. But for this noble act, the bird became a symbol of piety, self-sacrifice, and virtue associated with the Holy Eucharist. The pelican in heraldry does not traditionally have the large pouched beak of the natural bird though modern representations have given it a more realistic appearance. Also, when blazoned ‘proper’ (meaning in its natural colours) the pelican is traditionally given the colours and plumage of an eagle instead of its natural white. The pelican will never be found ‘close,’ with its wings folded; it is always drawn vulning itself, possibly surrounded by its young, but regardless, is a symbol of maternal solicitude. A cormorant is a member of the pelican family and was likely intended to have the same symbolic meaning.

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