Culture and faith
Fish in festivals, faith, art and national symbols. 91 fish on EveryFish so far.
Fish swim through the art, faith and symbols of many peoples. They appear in myths of floods and creation, as signs of fertility and good fortune, as national and state emblems and at the centre of festivals and rites. In South Asia, fish are tied to Hindu, Buddhist and Bengali traditions, and in East Asia carp and goldfish stand for luck, strength and abundance.
Fish in South Asia
In Hindu tradition, Matsya, the fish, is the first avatar of Vishnu, who saves Manu from a great flood. The Pandya kings of Madurai used a fish emblem, and the fish insignia of the nawabs of Awadh still decorates buildings in Lucknow. A pair of golden fish is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. In Bengal, a whole rohu is sent to the bride's home before a wedding, and hilsa is cooked for festivals. Kerala's state fish is the pearlspot and Maharashtra's the silver pomfret.
Fish around the world
In Japan, carp-shaped streamers called koinobori fly for Children's Day on 5 May, because carp are said to swim upstream against the current. Goldfish are kept for good fortune in China. Early Christians used the fish, ichthys, as a secret sign. In Irish legend, the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill gains wisdom from the Salmon of Knowledge. The hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish, and Hawaii's state fish is the reef triggerfish, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa.
Famous culture and faith fish
IlishThe hilsa, Bangladesh's national fish
RohuA fish of Bengali weddings
Green chromideKarimeen, Kerala's state fish
Silver pomfretSilver pomfret, Maharashtra's state fish
KoiCarp of Japanese gardens and Children's Day
GoldfishA symbol of good fortune in China
Atlantic salmonThe Salmon of Knowledge of Irish myth
Reef triggerfishThe state fish of HawaiiFurther reading
🇺🇸 United StatesCui-ui
Endangered sucker fish native to Pyramid Lake in NevadaOther · Rivers and lakes
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreAyu sweetfish
Small amphidromous fish prized for its sweet flesh in East Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1846
🇺🇸 United StatesDelta smelt
A tiny, endangered fish native to California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1963
🇳🇬 NigeriaHingemouth
Small African fish with a unique proboscis-like mouthOther · Rivers and lakes
🇷🇺 RussiaComephorus
Two species of pelagic sculpins endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1800
🇯🇵 JapanRanchu
A hooded goldfish breed from Japan with no dorsal fin and a rounded body.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreEulachon
A small anadromous smelt known for its high fat content and cultural importance in Pacific North America.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreEuropean smelt
Small coastal fish with a cucumber scentOther · Rivers and lakes
WorldBartail flathead
A widespread marine flathead found across the Indo-Pacific.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1758
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreClimbing perch
Amphibious freshwater fish capable of breathing air and moving on land.Other · Rivers and lakes · 1792
🇺🇸 United StatesAtlantic tarpon
Large, acrobatic saltwater game fish of the Atlantic.Other · Coasts and shelves · 1847
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreStriped snakehead
A large freshwater food fish native to South and Southeast Asia.Other · Rivers and lakes
WorldPike
Freshwater predatory fish genus with sharp teeth and torpedo shape.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 3 moreCommon galaxias
A small migratory fish of the Southern Hemisphere.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇿 New ZealandBanded kōkopu
A striped New Zealand galaxiid that climbs waterfalls.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇳🇿 New ZealandNew Zealand grayling
Extinct amphidromous fish endemic to New Zealand rivers and seas.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreGiant mudskipper
Large amphibious goby found in Indo-Pacific mangroves.Other · Rivers and lakes
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 3 moreIndian featherback
Large silvery knifefish from South Asian riversOther · Rivers and lakes
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreSmelt
Small fish of the northern hemisphere known for spring runs and culinary traditions.Other · Rivers and lakes
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Smelt: Surf_Smelt,_Pond_smelt.jpg : Drawing by H. L. Todd, NOAA's Historic Fi, Public domain, source
- Rohu: Wiki Farazi, CC0, source
- Ayu sweetfish: Handan99, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Delta smelt: Peterson, B. Moose / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, source
- Hingemouth: George Albert Boulenger, Public domain, source
- Comephorus: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Reef triggerfish: Qyd ( talk · contribs ), CC BY 2.5, source
- Ranchu: Lerdsuwa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Koi: Asturio Cantabrio, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Goldfish: No machine-readable author provided. Heptagon assumed (based on copyri, Public domain, source
- Eulachon: en:User:James Crippen, Public domain, source
- European smelt: WHell at German Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Bartail flathead: Micromesistius, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Climbing perch: Xufanc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Atlantic tarpon: Daiju Azuma, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Striped snakehead: Justin Philbois, CC0, source
- Pike: Jik jik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Common galaxias: Lycaon.cl, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Banded kōkopu: Blueether, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- New Zealand grayling: Frank Edward Clarke, Public domain, source
- Cui-ui: John Otterbein Snyder, Public domain, source
- Atlantic salmon: Hartley, William W., Public domain, source
- Ilish: Nahid Sultan This work was made by Nahid Sultan and released under the, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Silver pomfret: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Green chromide: Arayilpdas at Malayalam Wikipedia ., CC BY 2.5, source
- Indian featherback: Cangadoba, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Giant mudskipper: Artem Abdukakharov, CC BY 4.0, source