What does the fish sign on a car mean: why do they stick it on the trunk

The human desire to decorate their space with meaningful symbols naturally extends to cars. This is how the culture of sticking stickers and various decorative elements on the body appeared. Often among them you can find a simple minimalist sign in the shape of a fish.

OBOZREVATEL figured out what exactly this sign is. As well as what it means and why it is so popular.

The Ichthys fish

This symbol has its own name - it is Ichthys. And it is an ancient symbol of Christianity.

During the persecution of the early followers of the religion in the Roman Empire, Ichthys was used instead of the cross or crucifix we are used to now. It was used by Christians to recognize each other and mark their places of service.

The sign originated as an acronym for the name of Jesus Christ, encoded in the Greek phrase Ίησοὺς Χριστὸς Θεoὺ ῾Υιὸς Σωτήρ. In Ukrainian, this is translated as "Jesus Christ the Son of God the Savior." The first letters of this phrase form the word Ίχθύς, which means "fish".

What do fish and Christianity have in common?

From a symbolic point of view, fish is called a symbol of Christ because some of his disciples were involved in fishing. The apostles Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Jesus called them to himself, offering them to become "fishers of men."

In addition, the Gospel mentions a miracle performed by Christ, when he fed a large number of people with five loaves of bread and two fish. And there were 12 more baskets left over from the multiplied food.

To protect themselves from persecution, early Christians painted fish on their homes. When asked, the guards would explain that this sign was related to the fishing industry that the residents of the house were engaged in. This saved many lives and helped Christianity take root and spread.

The Ichthys symbol on modern cars

Representatives of all branches of Christianity - Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants - decorate their cars with the symbolic image. This fish does not have a strict confessional connection.

In this case, ichthys is used as a road talisman. The driver of such a vehicle feels under God's protection.

But why don't believing drivers use a more familiar cross? It's simple - this symbol is also associated with the funeral ritual, and the crucifixion is also associated with the suffering of Christ. In this sense, the fish looks more neutral, but it has a similar sacred meaning.

They stick Ichthys on the back of the trunk. It can also be seen on the rear window of cars and other places on the car. It can be an ordinary sticker, or it can be a metal element. The material it is made of is not important. What matters is the meaning of the symbol.

However, you can hope for higher powers, but it is even more reliable to enlist the support of an experienced mechanic.

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