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Image: Pelican.
The pelican symbolizes self-sacrifice and redemption. According to ancient myth, the pelican would pierce its own breast to feed its young with its own blood when food was scarce. This imagery became associated with Christ's sacrifice on the cross, where He shed His blood for the redemption of humanity. Just as the pelican nourishes its offspring with its own life-giving substance, Christ offered Himself to save humanity from sin and death.
This self-sacrifice echoes the transformative power of the Eucharist, where the faithful partake in Christ's body and blood for spiritual nourishment and communion with Him. As the pelican feeds its young with its own substance, so Christ feeds His followers with His own divine life, sustaining and uniting them with Him.
Byzantine-Rite Churches sing this verse in their Holy Friday service: "Like the pelican, you gave life, O Word, to your dead children, wounded in your side, you let life-blood flow, letting fall life-giving drops of blood on all."
The pelican embodies divine providence and care. God, the loving Creator, provides for His creatures. The pelican's willingness to sacrifice itself for its young exemplifies God's abundant provision, His constant presence, and His readiness to satisfy the spiritual hunger of His children.
At least one folktale portrays a pelican's young dying, to then be resurrected by the parent's blood. This of course mirrors the resurrection of the dead and the hope of eternal life.