Symbols That Might Not Mean What You Think.

The "Jesus" Fish

The actual name for this symbol is ichthys or ichthus. It is one of the most recognized symbols used in Christianity. It's use in the religion dates back to 2nd century AD after it was adopted from the Pagans. The symbol's origins date back even further. It has been associated with female fertility and Greek goddesses such as Aphrodite and Venus. The vagina use to be seen as sacred, since it was responsible for bringing life into the world.

Mistletoe

It's actually a parasite. Mistletoe attaches itself to other plants and shrubs, stealing away its host’s food and water. This can lead to the host plant’s weakening, disfigurement, and eventual death. Unlike many other parasitic plants, mistletoe has chlorophyll, so it can also produce food from the sun’s energy through photosynthesis. Mistletoe has been described as a cancerous growth.

There are many types of Mistletoe and can be found all over the world. The kind of mistletoe that’s picked and sold during the holidays typically is plucked from trees such as cottonwood, sycamore, willow, and ash.
Mistletoe can be spread by birds and their droppings. Most species of mistletoe produce small berries that are white, pinkish, or green-tinged and are delicious to birds.When the berries are eaten, they stick to the birds’ beaks and feet. The birds then carry the berries to other plants and trees, where the mistletoe can attach and sprout.

Mistletoe is extremely difficult to get rid of. It tends to grow up high in the canopy where the sunlight hits, making it hard to access. Even if you prune it, buds embedded in the host plant’s branches mean it’s likely to grow back.

The druids worshiped mistletoe that grew from oak trees. They believed it was a symbol of fertility, strength and manliness and hanging it in your home would bring you these qualities. Cutting from the tree was also seen as a form of ritual castration.

The Norse had their own legend of Mistletoe. The viking god, Baldur, grandson of the Norse god Thor, woke up one morning certain that each and every plant and animal on earth wanted to kill him. His mother as well as his wife consoled him, but all to no avail. As Baldur cowered in his room, half-wild with fear, his mother and wife decided to ask every living thing to leave their poor Baldur in peace. They begged the kindness of the oak tree, the pig, the cow, the crow, the ant and even the worm. Each agreed, but they had forgot about mistletoe Then, as Baldur paused to celebrate his release from torment, he felt a pain in his chest as an arrow poisoned with mistletoe pierced him. He died, but then was brought back to life and decided that the plant must not be a symbol of death and so it must never touch the ground.

Pentagram

A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star. Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia, and are used today as a symbol of faith by many people that practice Wicca. Even though the Christian religion has deemed the pentagram to be evil, in pagan traditions it is a symbol of protection from evil. And the inverted pentagram symbolizes conquering evil.

In early Christianity it represented the five wounds of Christ on the cross.

The upward facing point represents the spirit, while the others represent water, fire, earth and air.

The Inverted Cross

The Cross of Saint Peter or Petrine Cross is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol. When Peter was to be crucified he requested to be hung upside down, because he didn't believe he was worthy enough to die as Jesus did.

In recent times also used as an anti-Christian symbol. Satanist have adopted it as one of their most popular symbols.

The inverted cross is still used by Catholicism and is currently on the pope's throne and hat.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam started out in satirical comics about the United States Government. Taken from a mixture of Yankee Doodle Dandy and the character Brother Johnathan. Uncle Sam was used to embody the U.S. government and political system and show how dishonest and incompetent it is.

According to legend, came into use during the War of 1812 and was supposedly named for businessman Samuel Wilson, who supplied the army with barrels of beef during the war.

It wasn't until after the American Civil War that the Uncle Sam image was used on recruitment posters.

Uncle Sam eventually became the unofficial symbol of the USA and it's military.

Rabbit's Foot

The belief the foot of a rabbit bringing good luck  is held by individuals in a great number of places around the world. The tradition of cutting off a rabbit's foot and using it as a good luck amulet has existed for centuries across many cultures. The tradition got it's start in Europe in 600 BC.

It is also associated with African American voodoo folklore, which believed that witches disguised themselves as rabbits and in catching one you could inherit it's power. In order to harness the power, the rabbit had to have been shot with a silver bullet, or it had to have been caught in a graveyard. It had to be the left back foot and it had to have been chopped off during a full or new moon.

Swastika

The Swastika wasn't always used as a symbol of evil and prejudice. Before it was adopted by Hitler and used as a symbol of the Nazi party, it started out as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions. The Swastika is over 12,000 years old and was used in many cultures all over the world before he was perverted into what is stands for today. It is considered a sacred symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism among others. Swastika in ancient Sanskrit means good fortune.

Peace Sign

This universal symbol of peace, love and unity was popularized by Pablo Picasso after World War II, however, it use to stand for something else. The symbol was originally designed in 1958 by British artist Gerald Holton as a symbol for the campaign for the Nuclear Disarmament March. He intended the image to look like a person that was bent over in despair.

Guy Fawkes

You might recognize it as the mask that the group "Anonymous" wears as they fight against corruption. It was designed for the V for Vendetta comic book series that began in 1982. The inspiration for the this was Guy Fawkes. Back in the 1600's, Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Lords in British Parliament using barrels of gunpowder. He did this in order to kill Protestant King James and replace him with a Catholic head of state. After his capture he was tortured till he gave up his fellow plotters, all of them died, either resisting capture or put to trial, convicted and executed. As Guy Fawkes awaited his punishment on the gallows, he leapt from the platform to avoid having his testicles cut off, and broke his neck.

The Heart

The heart is usually used as a symbol of love and of Valentine's Day. This symbol can be traced back to an ancient plant called silphium, which was a species of giant fennel that used to grow on the North African coastline near the Greek colony of Cyrene. The plant was used by the Greeks and Romans as a natural form of birth control. They used the plant so much, that the plant was extinct by 1st century AD. The symbol also meant sex and health. If you turn the heart upside down, it looks like testicles.