Ichthus (Christian fish, Jesus fish)

Pewter Ichthus Pendant, available at the Spiral Online Shop

• The Ichthus is an ancient Christian symbol resembling a fish.  The name itself is Greek for "fish."
• A fish was used to represent Christianity because the Greek characters for "Ichthus" stood for "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour" using a kabbalistic technique.
• The symbol used by Christians to communicate secretly when Christianity was banned throughout the Roman Empire.  If a Christian wanted to identify whether the person he was talking to was also Christian, he would discreetly draw the ichthus on the ground with his foot.  If the other person was also a Christian, he would recognise the code and add an eye to the fish drawing, confirming that he was also a Christian.
• The Ichthus is also a stylised Vesica Pisces, a symmetrical oval-shape with pointed ends often found in Christian art and architecture (particularly surrounding images of the Madonna and child).
• The Ichthus and its related Vesica Pisces are both regarded as feminine symbols due to their shape, and are considered by some to be a Holy Grail symbol.

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