Wayward Wanderer

Ancient Roman Mosaic

Where Eagles Fear to Tread

The mysticism of the Eagle form could have been a symbol of Initiation.

Another discrepancy, not easily resolved, is the role of the eagle. In the early versions he does not appear. Indeed, the Olympia ceramic acroterion depicting Zeus kidnapping Ganymede, one of the earliest representations of the myth, shows the god in human, not avian, form. One explanation is that the eagle is a dramatic flourish added later in antiquity. Another is that the eagle is an initially secret relic left over from the shamanic roots of the myth (since in the shamanic tradition taking to the air or diving into water were symbols of initiation) and revealed later, when the mystic meaning was forgotten.