The Story Behind My Name

Symbolic meaning of Halos

A halo generally symbolizes the following things.

• The divine
• Majestic Grandeur
• The inspiration that comes from within.

Halos in Egyptian art- The evolution of the concept of Halo is closely linked with Egyptian tradition of sun and animal worship. Thus though halo is traditionally linked to Christianity it was in existence long before Christ was born. Egyptians Halos are distinctly different from the modern day notion of the Halo. According to Frederick Goodman "The 'halo', which is ultimately derived from the magical symbolism of the Egyptians ... is almost like a sun, and, symbolically speaking, may be considered to be the equivalent of a small and radiant sun, streaming forth spiritual light”

Halos in Greek and Roman art- Greek culture is replete with examples of halos .the Romans also embraced willingly the symbol of halo like the Greeks. Many Roman and Greek gods were depicted with halos in their paintings. More interestingly, a time came when Roman emperors began to portray halos in imperial coins.

Halos in Early Christianity- In Christian tradition Jesus Christ was always portrayed with a halo. However use of this symbol became generalized and soon martyrs or persons with royal bearing were portrayed with halos.

Halos in later Christianity- During the Renaissance period the halos went out of fashion as the new emphasis was on perspective. Many art critics hold Italian painter Giotto responsible for this change. However some people in the world of art claim that halos did not disappear totally as they began to be in vogue as hats or arches. Use of Halo in mainstream western art however made a comeback in the highly symbolic art of William Blake. Art underwent radical changes in the 20th century and consequently many schools of painting came up who used this symbol of halo in their paintings.