Jesus, the Good Pelican?

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In “Adoro te Devote,” there is the following Latin phrase:

Pie Pellicane, Iesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine.
Cuius una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

Which, in my prayer book, is translated as:

Lord Jesus, good Pelican,
wash me clean with your blood,
one drop of which can free
the entire world of all its sins.

Has anyone discovered a reference as to why St. Thomas chose to refer to Jesus as a Pelican?

In my naivete, I don’t even know where to start on this one. . .
 
I was once in a church that had stained glass windows depicting different images for Christ, and one was a pelican. The priest talked about them, explaining that (I think this is right) when food is scarce a pelican will take from its own flesh to feed its offspring, sacrificing itself for the good of its young. I think that’s a somewhat fitting image for Christ. 🙂 I hope I got that right, anyone else?
 
You are approximately correct. I have been taught anyway that there was an ancient legend to the effect that, in times of famine, a pelican would feed its young using its own blood. While this is not to the best of my knowledge actually true of any pelicans, the story was widely told and is older than Christianity.

Given that such a story was widely known, it makes perfect sense that a pelican became a popular symbol for Christ, and was often found in Christian art.
 
There are so many titles and images of Jesus in the Bible.

“Pelican” works and there is such a stained glass window in a nearby centenial church.

But, “Emmanuel” nails it for me. Mt 1:23.
 
Our church was just redone. They brought in a new alter and on the front is a Pelican. I thought some one had lost their mind till they told how Pelicans feed their young.
 
The Meaning of the Pelican as a Catholic Christian Symbol
Catholic Christian symbolism in art provides a clear graphic illustration which represents people or items of religious significance. What is the definition and the meaning of the Pelican? A Pelican is a large long-winged warm-water seabird having a large bill with a distensible pouch for fish. The Pelican Christian Symbol represents atonement and charity. ‘Pelican in her piety’ in heraldry and symbolical art, is a representation of a pelican in the act of wounding her breast in order to nourish her young with her blood a practice fabulously attributed to the bird. The pelican cutting open its own breast represents Christ’s death on the cross, and the shedding of his blood to revive us and therefore adopted as a symbol of the Redeemer and of charity. An explanation of this is that the pelican’s bill has a crimson red tip and the contrast of this red tip against the white breast probably gave rise to the tradition that the bird tore her own breast to feed her young with her blood.
Click to expand...
catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/pelican-christian-symbol.htm

A stained glass depiction (scroll down):

holyfamilychurch.com/stainedglass.htm
 
Sam88 said:
You are approximately correct. I have been taught anyway that there was an ancient legend to the effect that, in times of famine, a pelican would feed its young using its own blood. While this is not to the best of my knowledge actually true of any pelicans, the story was widely told and is older than Christianity.

Given that such a story was widely known, it makes perfect sense that a pelican became a popular symbol for Christ, and was often found in Christian art.
Click to expand...
It is indeed not true. Pelicans feed their children in a different manner, but it is a beautiful legend, and leads to some beautiful symbolism. 👍
 
It is an old legend that pelicans fed their children with their blood. It’s not true but it makes a good story. 😛
 
Maybe this is why I am attracted to Pelikan fountain pens. 😃
 
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