COUNTER COVER 44

THE DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE

The double-headed eagle is a very common motif in Serrano embroidery. As with other designs, the eagle figure is depicted with wavy branches, leaves and flowers emerging from it.

It represents strength and courage. It was already used by the Sassanids, Egyptians and Persians, and was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans.

The double-headed eagle is a symbol present in the iconography and heraldry of various Indo-European cultures, from the East to the Mediterranean.

In some cases, there is an inner heart that occupies a large part of the animal’s body.

In the Middle Ages, the Hittites brought this symbol to Europe through the Byzantine Empire, which expanded its use in the East as well as in the West.