The Voice of the Eagle
I
am the Eagle.
Since
the beginning of time, man has used my brothers and I as symbol of royalty,
power, victory, and valor. My strength
and courage have inspired men through the ages.
Ancient
man looked upon me as enemy of serpents, of good versus evil.
In
the Assyrian myths, I was a symbol of storms and lightning.
In
India and Babylon I was the symbol of fire, of wind and storms.
In
the golden age of Greece, I was a symbol of victory and supreme energy. The Greeks represented me with wings out-
stretched holding a serpent in my claws.
Thus, I represented the triumph of good over evil.
The
Romans saw me as the symbol of victory.
As the Romans legions conquered the world, they marched under the
standard of the eagle, with outstretched wings. The silver eagle was the symbol of the republic and the Roman
Empire used the golden eagle as its symbol.
I became the personal emblem of the Caesars, representing supreme
authority.
The
rise of Christianity brought me still more honor. To the early Christians, the eagle was the symbol of
ascension. This was due to the strong
flight of the eagle with its gaze fixed on the sun. In early icons I was best known as the symbol of St. John the
Evangelist.
In
the Middle Ages, I became the symbol of Germany. And, as falconry flourished as a sport in Europe, only kings were
allowed to hunt with and eagle. In the
nineteenth century, French troops under Napoleon conquered Europe under the
symbol of the eagle. Many French
soldiers gave their lives to protect the golden eagle, which supported the
French flag on the battleground
On
June 20, 1782, I became the symbol of a new country. Because of my courage and beauty, I was chosen to symbolize the
new United States of America. The eagle
became a prominent feature of the seal of state of the new republic.
From
this early beginning, I have been used in many ways to symbolize the ideas of
this country. Several states have the
eagle on their state flag. You can find
me on the coins of America from the beginning to the present day.
I
have a prominent place in America as in ancient Rome as symbol of power and
authority. The emblems of the
President, vice-president, several members of the President’s Cabinet, and most
of the braches of the armed forces center on the eagle.
From the Assyrians to the symbol of the Caesars to the emblem of this country, it was thus fitting that the eagle should have a part in the most momentous achievement of man. The Apollo 11 crew chose Eagle as the name for the lunar module, which was to make history. And with the words of Eagle Scout Neil Armstrong – “Houston, Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed”
n Man was on the moon.
In 1911,
following traditions as old man himself, the Boy Scouts of America chose the eagle
to symbolize the very highest in achievement.
Through all history, I have been the symbol of man’s best; now the eagle
is the symbol of Scouting’s best.
I am the Eagle.
Here
are some interesting sites on topics relating to the American symbolism of Bald
Eagles:
Information on the American Bald Eagle.
Information on how America as used the bald Eagle as an Emblem.
The Great Seal of the United States:
www.greatseal.com/symbols/index.html
These are websites that show us how the Presidency of the United States of the America has used the Bald Eagle as a symbol.
This Website will show the inside of the bald Eagle.