Fish Symbol Meaning

I have not noticed this before but the fish symbol is just about everywhere, over the last week alone I have seen the sign on churches, cars and inside car windows.

The symbol of the fish represents Christianity. Many people have reached out to me to understand the meaning of this symbol and the history behind it. Fish as a religious symbol in superstition terms are connected to our own efforts in life. The fisherman in the bible spreads the net to gain a reward - the fish. Biblically fish are associated with our own goals but for Christians represents faith. Catching a fish represents trying to catch something that will become prosperous. The fish symbol or often referred to as the Jesus fish is one of the oldest symbols associated with Christianity. Historians who studied Christianity found that the fish was a symbol of life, the symbol is also used in literature and symbolic arts of a range of pagan religions such as the Romans and Greeks, before Jesus christ.

The fish symbol is known as the word ‘ichthus’ or ‘ichthys’ in Greek mysthology. It was an emblem for the followers of Christianity. The early believers found a way to make an acronym with using the first letters of the word. It’s spelled as ΙΧΘΥΣ. The first letter stands for ‘Jesus’. The second one stands for ‘Christos’, while the third is for ‘God’. The fourth letter stands for ‘Son’ and the last one represents ‘Savior’.

Many aspects of Jesus’ life (in the bible) are associated with fish. For example, a few of his disiples are fishermen - such as the brothers Andrew and Peter. A popular quote from the Bible referred to these brothers: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. The son of God also fed over five thousand people with two fish and five small loaves, as portrayed in the Bible, which is a famous verse. Also, Jesus considered the kingdom of heaven to be a net that’s thrown into the ocean and filled with different kinds of fish.

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared in living form and prepared the famous breakfast. Pieces of grilled fish and bread. This is also mentioned in the Bible. So, you can easily conclude why his followers made the fish symbol their own reminder of Christ. Also, people started communicating through the fish symbol. For example, if a home was Christian-friendly, a front door would show a fish symbol. To identify themselves, Christians would draw an arc or a half circle in the sand or dirt. And if the person near was a believer too, he or she would finish the other half of the drawing. Otherwise, a person was seen as someone just drawing in the sand or dirt with a stick. This was one of the simplest ways for Christians to identify who believed in Jesus and who didn’t.

So, as you can see, the fish symbol turned into a communication code during persecution and helped Jesus followers to express they believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and their Savior. You can also notice feet added to the fish image of the “Darwin” symbol. People have suggested that humans have evolved from fish. It’s no wonder why they think this way, considering the time Jesus is associated with fish.

However, this symbol dishonors the Bible and God. It also reveals that the creator of this symbol ignores scientific facts. The influence this symbol has over creationists irritated evolutionists because creation science has progressed a lot over the years.

The importance of the early symbol usage

As I have already mentioned, early followers of Christianity were persecuted by other religious leaders and the government. Roman emperors believed that they were gods and wanted people to worship them as gods. And naturally, they were against Jesus Christ and the religion because they represented a serious threat to their power and rule. So, early Christians had to keep their faith hidden to keep their family and themselves safe.

In some of the older scripture I read it was a complete nightmare for early Christians in the Victorian times, because some had to keep their faith hidden from various people (who had other beliefs). And as I explained earlier, the only way to identify themselves and stay safe was to use the fish symbol.

Fish symbol today

As you know, the fish symbol is of big importance in the U.S. However, some believe it’s used as a decoration more than it’s used to express religious beliefs and Christianity. It can be often seen on automobiles or other objects to put to the knowledge that the person is a believer in Christianity. If this is the first time you’re hearing about the fish symbol, keep in mind that you’re not a Christian only by placing this symbol on your car. Same goes for other people. It doesn’t mean they’re devoted Christians if you see a fish symbol on their car or front door. Also, if you truly respect and believe in Jesus Christ, pay attention to the fish symbols you notice in public because some may mock the idea or is created as a parody rather than worshiping and remembering the Lord. Meaning, not everyone with a fish symbol is your spiritual sister or brother who believes and worships the Son of God, your Savior.

My conclusion on the origins of the fish symbol and association with Christianity is that you have to pay close attention to fish symbols you see in public. Yes, the fish symbol is a symbol of Jesus Christ and Christianity. And yes, it was specifically designed to help early Christians identify and connect. However, not everyone today is portraying this symbol on their car or someplace else to show appreciation and remember Jesus.

School of fish symbol:

If you see a school of fish, it might reveal you need to become a part of a large group of people, your wish to feel loved and accepted. You want to be supported in what you do. Seeing this symbol indicates that you need to break free and head toward your goal. No matter what others think of you or say you should do, do what your heart tells you to.

Seeing one fish symbol:

To see only one fish represents your connection with your higher self. It signifies your awareness, the inner transformation you’re probably going through and the flow of life you’re pretty much aware of too. It also symbolizes your strong intuition and emotional perceptiveness. However, in order to make these parts of your personality useful, you have to develop your perceptiveness and intuition.

What’s the biblical meaning of fish?

If you’re a Christian and you dream of fish, you probably associate your dream with religion and Jesus Christ. And your association is correct because such dream state represents your connection to God. It may also provide spiritual support and guidance for something that you’re currently facing or doing in waking life. But besides spiritual support and guidance, and connection with the Lord, the fish symbol is also associated with wisdom, creativity, and fertility. It’s also considered to be a symbol of life since a fish survives in the water. And as we all know, the water is necessary for our survival.

If you’re a female and you’re trying to conceive or you’re already pregnant, fish is a symbol of fertility. If you’re a man and you want to start your own family, you might dream of fish more often. But in order to interpret your dream as better as possible, you have to remember as many details as you can because different fish have a different meaning.

If you could see a salmon, it represents your courage and strong will because of the ability a salmon has to swim upstream and go back to where it came from, their birthing place.

In Celtic culture, eating salmon boosted wisdom, while in astrology, the fish symbol, or ‘Pisces’ is mostly associated with secrecy, intuition, dreams, and feelings. People born in this symbol are known to be sensitive, intuitive and inconsistent when it comes to ideas. They’re often deluded because it’s hard for fish to distinguish imagination from reality.

If you dream of fish, you might need to consider what you know, what you feel and what you wish or dream for in order to understand your current state better and learn the difference between harsh reality and sweet imagination. As you know, the fish lives in water. And water is one of the few things we cannot live without!

So, if you dream of fish, perhaps you have to conclude what’s the thing that you can’t live without and yet you still try to. What’s that thing or person you can’t live or breath without just like fish can’t breathe without the water?

Fish in dreams might also symbolize your ability to adapt and survive in different places or support you in what you’re currently doing because you finally feel like you’re in your element just like a fish in the water. Perfectly comfortable. However, if you dream of a fish being exported from the sea, it might reflect your own discomfort. Perhaps you’re being uncomfortable with your current living state? Or you feel like you lost something that you cannot live without. You practically feel like ‘a fish out of water’.

If you saw a merman in your dream it indicates your feelings and creativity. Most times, you live in your own imaginary world because the reality is too ugly to look at. This type of dream might also denote your ability to come up with new creative ideas coming from your subconscious. Meaning, you have no problem expressing your creativity or feelings.

If you see a fish caught on a line, it denotes your fear of acknowledgment of being betrayed by a person you trusted. It may also represent your lack of trust in people.

If you lost a fish while trying to catch one in your dream, it means that you will lose or miss an opportunity or a chance to improve your life in reality. Alternatively, it denotes a person walking out of your life for your own good. You will be better without people who bring negativity in your everyday. To catch a fish, on the other hand, represents an opportunity you won’t miss. Also, it signifies a new idea that will help you gain success.

Fish use a highly nutrient abundant source of food and they swim in big schools. Have you ever used the phrase: “there are plenty more fish in the sea”? If yes, know that it’s a way to express their ability to swim together and take care of themselves. So, when a fish visits your dream, maybe you’re being reminded that you don’t have to be afraid of losing people who’re not afraid of losing you. Don’t allow someone to take away your life.

Don’t fear loss because it’s how we learn the difference between winning and losing. It’s how we also distinguish the beauty of victory and the bitterness that comes with losing.

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier, fish could symbolize the new path that you’re currently walking or the new ideas coming on your way. In other words, it represents a new life. However, the Biblical meaning of fish in dreams is something else. It foretells the connection a person has with the divine and his devotion to Jesus Christ.

If you see a fish in your dream, it probably means that your faith is being challenged (if you are a Christian). However, the fish in your dream state appeared in order to show support and encourage you to move forward instead of looking at the past.