Thunderbird Symbol

Descriptions of the thunderbird are found on totems, pottery, cave art, and in the ancient legends and myths of Native Americans. It is believed among the Lakota Sioux that if you had a dream or vision of birds you were destined to be a Medicine Man but if you had a vision of the Thunderbird, it was your destiny to become a sacred clown. The Thunderbird symbol is depicted in many ways and often features in pictograms. The thunderbird is the symbol of thunder, lightening and storms which are created when the thunderbird flies. The thunderbird is depicted as a large raptor like bird usually with curling horns, long legs, a long beak and a featherless head. Sheet lightning is believed to flash from its eyes when it blinks, and individual lightning bolts made by the glowing snakes or serpents that follows it. The thunderbird is depicted in masks as many-colored, with two curling horns and teeth within its beak.

The legend and symbol of the thunderbird may have originated from the myths and legends relating to large species of North American birds such as the Great Blue Heron, the Golden Eagle and the Pelican. The Thunderbird symbol and icon can be compared to other legendary bird monsters such in the Piasa Bird symbol and the mythical Raptor symbols.

The Thunderbird Symbol of the Mound Builders

The Thunderbird Symbol of the Mound Builders was displayed as masks as they were believed to hold spiritual powers that never left them. They also believed that the masks would identify them with the spirits and activate their power. The thunderbird was a spirit of the Underworld and associated with their Bird Man symbols and beliefs. The bird man was portrayed in the guise of an eagle, hawk or falcon. These birds were all strong, high flying predators together with raptor like creatures. The horns that are often displayed in Thunderbird symbols signified spiritual power, especially when applied to animals that did not ordinarily have them such as Birds, Panthers, Avanyu and Snakes (Serpents).

The Thunderbird Symbol as a Pictogram

The Thunderbird symbol we have used is in a fact a pictogram. A pictogram, also called a pictograph, conveys a story and meaning through pictures that signify and resemble the shapes of physical objects or people. An Ideagram is another form of pictogram which conveys complex ideas, feelings and emotions. A pictogram, such as the one recognised as a Thunderbird symbol, is a therefore a form of writing which uses representational, pictorial drawings to tell a story.

The picture of the bird in the above picture is believed to be a depiction of the Thunderbird. For full details of the meanings of the other symbols in the picture see the article on the Camp Fire Symbol.