Cultural references to chickens

Rooster

There are numerous cultural references to chickens in myth, folklore, religion, and literature. Chickens are a sacred animal in many cultures, being deeply embedded in belief systems and religious worship practices.[1]

Roosters are sometimes used for a divination practice called Alectryomancy, a Latin phrase combining "rooster" and "divination". This would sometimes involve sacrificing a sacred rooster during a ritual cockfight[2] to communicate with the gods.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference smithsonianmag.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Encyclopædia Perthensis; Or Universal Dictionary of the Arts, Sciences, Literature, &c. Intended to Supersede the Use of Other Books of Reference. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). John Brown. 1816. p. 394.