Welcome back Steemit! Have you been captivated by the hypnotizing peacocks tail? I sure have, but its screeching snaps me right out of it!

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I am excited to get right into the mythology surrounding the peacocks, because stories are often the best way to understand something. We will be going through myths and stories in India, Asia, Greece and more! Let us dive right in!

Now, onto some more specific mythology!

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It is probably fitting to start with India, since the peacock is native to there and the national bird! There are many stories and associations of peacocks, especially in Hinduism. I could not provide a complete and accurate picture of these beliefs with only a rudimentary internet search, but I will try to summarize what I find.

There is a saying that seems to be quite popular, seeming to originate in India;   "a peacock has the feathers of an angel, the voice of the devil, and the walk of a thief." That says a whole lot about the views of the peacock, but what of the mythology?

In Hinduism the peacock appears all over the place, often as a carrier or vehicle for the gods and goddesses, also involved in their creation stories, battles and its feathers worn and its symbol prolific. To begin, we find that the peacock originally was created from a feather of Garuda, a mythical bird and carrier of Lord Vishnu. There are also sources that claim that long ago, the original inhabitants of India worshiped the peacock as mother earth (the peacock cult in Asia - a really good source for further reading). 

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The bird is associated with a  few deities. Lord Krishna wears peacock feathers on his head, a gift from the birds themselves. Gods and goddesses such as Saraswati, Lakshmi and the god of war Murugan all may have the peacock as their carrier or close at hand in depictions, but they are not nessisarily the only ones.

One of the most captivating and important stories involving the peacock is that of the king of Devas, Indra. All of the Devas were gathered on a mountain since a king there was conducting a yajna, or offering. However, Ravana, king of demons, was passing through the mountain. All of the Devas hid by transforming themselves into birds, and Indra chose that of the peacock. They all hid until Ravana had left. Indra had decided that he liked the form of the peacock, and blessed it with its vibrant colors, so that all beings would be attracted to its beauty. He blessed them with his thousand eyes and told the peacocks that they would never suffer from disease, and that anyone who killed one of them would die soon after.

It is also said that peacocks began dancing in the rain after this, though really mating season for peacocks and the rainy season coincide in India. Often peacocks and their mating dances are associated with rain! Other symbols that the peacock may be associated with in this part of the world is protection, safe guarding, harmony, immortality and the celebration of life.

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In Asia, the peacock is most commonly associated with the goddess Kuan Yin, and has some of the same ideas as the Hindu ones, such as watchfulness, protection and love. 

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I am not sure of the origin of this story, but it seems important to the peacocks symbology and myth in all regions. 

"It is said that at the time of Creation of the universe, when the primordial poison was churned out of the Sea of Milk and transmuted into the amrita of immortality, it was a peacock that absorbed the negative effects. Thus the bird is thought of as a protector, though its flesh is consequently considered to be poisonous." (chinebuddhismencylcopedia). 

Because of this, peacocks are associated with Bodhisattvas (basically Buddhas who have reached nirvana and allowed to escape from the wheel of karma, but who decided to stay and help humanity also reach enlightenment), because they are able to transform poisonous, negative feelings like anger and disgust into positive ones, like love and compassion, that nurture the mind, body and soul.

 "The peacock symbolizes victory over poisonous tendencies in sentient beings."

What does this mean to you? Personally I find it deeply touching, as often when confronted with poisonous feelings and behavior, it is important to call on the peacock to help us transform that negativity into something positive. (Much like the phoenix!)

(My image, from Goddess Guidance Oracle Card deck)

Also, due to the hundreds of eyes, the peacock was associated with the compassionate watchfulness of Kuan Yin. I found this story, of totally unknown origin, on Yahoo Answers by Fae 

 As soon as Kuan-Yin (Goddess of compassion) was called back to the Heavenly Mansions, rage, greed and murder broke out on earth. Kuan-Yin heard the cries of the victims and came running back and settled things once more. But as soon as she left, the carnage started again. This happened several times, until she called a great assembly of all the creatures and demanded to know just why they began to eat each other the moment her back was turned. 

'Its all very fine when you are with us' said the rabbit.'We arent afraid, so there is no greed and no fighting and no eating each other up. But when you go we are terrified and it all starts up again' Kuan Yin thought for a moment, then gestured at a humble gray bird standing near her. Suddenly it was changed into a gorgeous peacock with a hundred eyes in its tail. "These eyes will watch and help you" she said "so I will always be by your side" 

There are other Asian deities associated with the peacock, but with sparse information. These include Kujaku Myo-o and Kannon in Japan, of which Kannon is most likely the same as Kuan Yin, as she symbolizes mercy and harmony! Kujaku is sometimes depicted as male, but is originally a female Bodhisattva representing wisdom and  protection against drought (like the peacock who is associated with rain). Some deities also have the peahen as their companion, such as Green Tara. 

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Honestly I could research for a year about this single subject and still not have a complete picture of Asian spirituality, especially specifically about the peacock. The nature of mythology is that it changes slightly with every story and region! I hope you have at least a basic idea about the peacock symbology in India and Asia, and if you have more to add, please do! 

(My image, from oracle card deck. Peacock-related goddesses!)

Lets get on to the Greek myth! There is a simple myth involving Hera and the peacock that catches your attention, describing how the peacock got such magnificent colors and hundreds of eyes on his feathers!

This is the story of Io, rather then the peacock. It began, as many Greek myths do, when Zeus fell in love with the princess Io, and he also fell into lust. It is said that he persuaded her into sleeping with him by persistently showing up in her dreams, every night, until she agreed. Zeus knew that his wife Hera would be very angry and jealous with him, and so he cunningly shrouded the entire world with clouds so that it was dark on earth and Hera could not see them from heaven.

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Hera was not fooled however, and knew that something was up, so she came down to earth and ordered the clouds away. When they dispersed, Zeus was standing next to a beautiful white heifer (cow). He claimed that he had never seen her before, and that she had simply appeared out of the earth. Hera, again, was not fooled, and so asked Zeus to give her the cow as a gift. Zeus knew he could not refuse without admiting his guilt, so he reluctantly handed Io over. 

Hera could not be bothered to watch over this cow forever, knowing the Zeus would take any opportunity to whisk her away again, and so ordered her loyal servent Argus to watch over the cow. Argus had hundreds of eyes, and so when he slept only some of them closed, making him the perfect watchman. Zeus saw this and was in despair and grief for Io, who was stuck in cow form.

Zeus could not figure out a way to get Io back from under the watchful gaze of Argus, and so he enlisted the help of Hermes, the most cunning of gods. Hermes knew what to do, he went down to earth, looking like an average human Shepard, and he approached Argus "playing very sweetly upon a pipe of reeds." Argus enjoyed this, and invited Hermes to sit with him. Hermes talked and talked, as he is very good at that, and he did so in the most boring way possible. Some of Argus' eyes fell asleep, but not all, until Hermes told a not particularly boring story about the god Pan. For some reason Argus fell asleep to this story, and as soon as all of his eyes went to sleep, Hermes killed him and Io was free. This is not the end of Io's story, no, she went on to be further tormented by Hera, but also in the future gave birth to Hercules. However, this is a story for another time.

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Hera loved the peacock, and so in order to honor Argus, her loyal servant, she gave his eyes to the peacock. This is how the peacock gained his hundred eyes, and the peacock is sacred to Hera, the queen of the gods. 

Lastly, I want to touch on a prophesy of the Yezidi, an ancient Kurdish peoples who still live around Iraq and Syria.

 They believe in an ancient monotheistic religion, and they prophisize the return of their savior as either a peacock or a rainbow, or in some other form.

They believe Tawsi Melek to be an angel that will return to the earth at a time of great distress, and he is very important to his people, and this so is the peacock, one of the forms he may take in his return. He may be referred to as the peacock angel!

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Alright Steemians, this is about the end of the Mythology that I can find in such a short time. Have you learnt something? Can you relate to the peacocks messages? What does the peacock mean to you? I think I have learnt a ton, and had lots of fun with it too! How does the peacock inspire you to walk your talk in the new year?

I hope that if you have more insights into the peacock and myth or religion that you will share! Since I don't have first hand experience with any of these traditions or this bird, id love to hear some!

I will also share my list of resources here too, so that if you wish to do some more of your own research you have somewhere to start! Thanks for tuning in Steemit friends!

Bibliography:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/group/peacocks/

https://www.hindu-blog.com/2011/08/how-peacock-got-beautiful-feathers.html

http://www.yeziditruth.org/more-about-the-peacock-angel

http://www.buddhist-artwork.com/html/kujaku-myoo.html

http://  www.shamanicjourney.com/peacock-power-animal-symbol-beauty-watchfulness-immortality

http://www.symbols.com/symbol/peacock

http://www.crystalinks.com/peacocks.html

https://circle-of-light.com/Mantras/KuanYin.html

http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Peacock_Symbol

https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/05/13/the-peacock-in-myth-legend-and-19th-century-history/

https://mysticurious.com/what-does-peacock-feather-symbolize

http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/indian-religions/hinduism/significance-of-peacock-feather-in-hinduism/

http://academyofancientreflexology.com/resources/peacocks/history-and-myth/

https://mohanpai.wordpress.com/tag/peacock-in-hindu-mythology/

https://peacockseyes.com/2013/07/06/animal-spirits-the-peacock/

Keep on Steemin on! I hope the peacock stands with you this coming year, and will bring lots of confidence, compassion and truth your way!