Vesica piscis

The vesica piscis (or icthys) is a symbol made from two circles of the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the centre of each circle lies on the circumference of the other. The name literally means the bladder of the fish.

Related Topics:
Icthys - Symbol - Circle - Fish

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The symbol is formed from the almond shaped area in the overlap between the circles, as shown in black in the diagram — sometimes also including the upper arcs as far as the edges of a rectangle whose sides coincide with the widest points of the almond (as shown in light blue in the diagram). The resulting figure looks both like a stylised fish, and a flattened Greek letter alpha.

Related Topics:
Almond - Arc - Greek letter - Alpha

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It was used by many mystical religions, such as that of Pythagoras, who considered it a holy figure. The mathematical ratio of its width (measured to the endpoints of the "body", not including the "tail") to its height was believed by such groups to be 265:153. This ratio, equal to 1.73203, was thought of as a holy number, called the measure of the fish. The geometric ratio of these dimensions is actually the square root of 3, or 1.73205... (since if you draw straight lines connecting the centres of the two circles with each other, and with the two points where the circles intersect, then you get two equilateral triangles joined along an edge, as shown in light red in the diagram). The fraction 265:153 is a ratio of whole numbers under 1000 which approximates the square root of 3 (though 362:209 and 989:571 are actually closer approximations). The number 153 appears in the Gospel of John as the exact number of fish Jesus causes to be caught in a miraculous catch of fish, and is thought by some to be a coded reference to Pythagorean beliefs.

Related Topics:
Pythagoras - 153 - Gospel of John - Jesus - Pythagorean beliefs

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Other uses of the shape include that by some early religions of the almond shaped central area as a representation of the female genitals, and use of a similar fish symbol called the Ichthys by early Christians. In Christian art, some aureoles are in the shape of a vesica piscis.

Related Topics:
Female genitals - Ichthys - Christian - Art - Aureole

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