THE CULT OF THE EAGLE METAMORPHOSED- A SEMIOTIC APPROACH
THE CULT OF THE EAGLE METAMORPHOSED- A SEMIOTIC APPROACH

Summary/Abstract: Although the symbols of a country do not necessarily have a vital importance for the welfare of its existence and its priorities do not side with symbolism, it is hard not to consider them as a study element as long as they constitute the DNA of the culture, heritage and history of a certain civilization. A special history is the century-long journey of the symbol of the eagle, mostly due to a deep relationship of various peoples with its cult as a mythical bird. As the numerous archaeological records show, the symbol of the eagle, often referred to as the backbone of the personality of the peoples, has been part of the earliest world cultures. Not in vain, do we encounter it either single or double-headed in Sumerians, Hittites, Persians, Arabs, Romans, Byzantines and Seljuks without forgetting Pelasgians appearing with such representative symbols of the eagle cult. In this long journey of its, the symbol of the eagle has frequently been metamorphosed by converting from one configuration into another. But as a symbol whose natural environment is the flag, what does it represent in the mythology of the respective peoples? Why was it considered a holy bird? Can it be considered as a converging element within the context of cultural structuralism, since its myth or symbol is present everywhere? Through the language of symbols, this paper aims at giving a semiotic insight of the underlying significance that the many metamorphosed versions of this cult acquire on the basis of difference within the cultural context.

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