A Pelican-in-her-Piety

The Pelican-in-her-Piety is an allegorical description of Jesus Christ , is both His sacrificial love and resurrection. In an age when literacy was limited, the image of the Pelican-in-her-Piety would have been recognizable as and understood by everyone who saw it, and was in particular interpreted as being symbolic of the Eucharist.

Thomas Aquinas used the allegory in his 'Adoro Te Devote'"O loving Pelican! O Jesu Lord!
Unclean I am but cleanse me in Thy Blood of which a single drop,
for sinners spilt,
can purge the entire world from all its guilt."

"Through icons the Orthodox Christian receives a vision of the spiritual world."
~ Bp Kallistos

From “Orthros of Great and Holy Saturday” (Lamentations Service)

Last night during the Lamentations Service, once again I was struck as the Reader (one of which happened to be Papa) chanted the above lamentation from the Second Stasis. It brought to mind the beautiful traditon and analogy depicted by the "Pelican-in-her-Piety." The pelican was thought to pierce herself in her breast in order to feed her blood to her young and bring them back to life.


Like a pelican,
With Thy side, O Word, by wounding riven,
Hast thou made Thy children once dead to live,
By distilling on them moisture rich with life. ~ Second Stasis


Mourn not for me, Mother, as thou beholdest Me in the grave; for I thy Son, whom thou didst conceive in thy womb without seed, shall rise and shall be glorified.  And being God, I will ceaselessly exalt and ennoble those who in faith and longing magnify Thee. ~