Pavo

[1] The Peacock (pavo cristatus) is a male peafowl of the pheasant family, its feathers are marked with iridescent eyelike spots and that can be spread in a fanlike form. The peacock was endowed with the power to kill snakes, and apparently they are known to eat small poisonous snakes [2]. Because of its ability to swallow snakes and assimilate their venom, it was seen as a symbol of transmutation, and the venom gave its flesh an immunity to decay. It also accounted for its colorful plumage: "The shimmering colors of his tail feathers were explained by his supposed ability to transform snake venom into solar iridescence" [3].  

[Indus and Pavo in Corbinianus Thomas, Firmamentum firmianum, 1730 4]

Juno (Hera) placed the eyes of Argus Panoptes 'who sees all', was 'all eyes', on the peacock's tail. These 'eyes' are said to represent the stars in the night sky, or the whole starry sky. Argus' name is said to be cognate with the Argo of Argo Navis (Jason entrusted the building of the ship to Argus, after whom it was named), and also with Latin argentum, silver, and it was said that Indus, a neighboring constellation was the discoverer of silver. Argus, or Argos, surnamed Panoptes (pan-, 'all', + optes, 'eyes'), was a giant covered in eyes, depending on the version of the myth he had a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand eyes. Argus never slept, he always had half his eyes open and half closed in sleep at any one time, this might relate to the fact that the Sun is shining on half the earth at any one time while the other half is in darkness under the night stars. Mercury/Hermes, messenger of the gods, (a planet travelling close to the Sun, sometimes appearing before and with the Sun's rising, at other times with the Sun's setting), cut off Argus' head and thus quenching the lights of the eyes; the lights of the stars. Then Juno put his eyes on the Peacock's tail. The adjacent constellation Indus might represent Argus. Indus and Pavo, the Indian and the Peacock, are usually depicted together. Indus, king of Scythia, first discovered silver, Latin argentum, the word is cognate with the word Argus, and the argus pheasant (according to Klein).

The word peacock is related to Pavo, pavan or pavane (peacock dance, a processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century). Taos is the Greek name for the peacock, the French word is paon. Pavonated means peacock blue. Latin paupulo, is 'the natural sound of the peacock'.

Ponceau is the 'corn poppy' from Old French poncel, a derivative of paon, 'peacock', from Latin pavanem, accusative of pavo, 'peacock'. French paon was used in some North French dialects in the sense of 'poppy' (Klein, p.576.) "The word poppy, is from Vulgar Latin *papavum (whence also Old French pavo)" [Klein, p.577]. The word poppy also comes from Latin papaver, 'poppy'. Opium is the solidified juice of the opium poppy, from Greek opos (<*hopos), juice. The peacock was put in the heavens by Juno and the eyes of Argus Panoptes 'who sees all' was 'all eyes' (ocelli, eyespots) were put on its tail. [There is a resemblance between Greek ops, genitive opos, 'eye', opsis, 'sight' (the first o is omega), and Greek opos, opium (the first o is omicron)?]

"The peacock is called pavo, therefore, from pavor, fear, since its cry produces fear in those who hear it" [Aberdeen Bestiary]

Latin pavor is related to Latin pavere, to fear, and the word pavid, 'exhibiting or experiencing fear', from the Indo-European root *pau-² 'To cut, strike, stamp'. Derivatives include: putamen (an outer layer), putative (supposed), account, amputate, compute, computer, count¹ (in numbers), depute, dispute, impute, repute, (these words from Latin putare, to prune, clean, settle an account, think over, reflect), computer (computer comes from Latin computare which means 'to reckon together', from com- 'together' and putare 'to think, to reckon'), deputy, recount, reputation. b. Possibly Latin puteus, well: pit¹ (a hole or cavity in the ground.), pave or pavé (pavement, from Latin pavire, to beat), pavid (timid, from Latin pavire, to fear < 'to be struck'), raconteur ( re- + aconter. One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit). [Pokorny 3. peu- 827. Watkins] Klein sees the word paean, 'a hymn, a song joy and triumph', from Greek paian, as a likely cognate, a paean is hymn of thanksgiving, often addressed to Apollo, literally 'one who touches', whence used in the sense 'one who heals by a touch', from Greek paio, paiein.

Isidore gives his view on how many of these words are related to each other:

“Pavements (pavimentum) that are worked out with the skill of a picture have a Greek origin; mosaics (lithostratum) are made from little pieces of shell and tiles colored in various hues. They are called pavements because they are 'rammed down' (pavire), that is, beaten. From this also comes the word 'dread' (pavor), which strikes the heart” [p.312.]. "Alarmed (pavidus) is one whom agitation of mind disturbs; such a one has a strong beating of the heart, a moving of the heart - for to quake (pavere) is to beat, whence also the term pavimentum (beaten floor; cf. pavire, 'ram down')" [p.227.]. [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD]

Pavements are often made with pebbles and counting was done with pebbles. The word pave can also have the meaning 'pave the way', to prepare a smooth easy path. Hermes amputated the head of Argus, and his eyes were put on the tail of the Peacock by Hera. The peacock represents the starry heavens, the counting of stars is mentioned in the bible:

"Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." (Genesis 15:5). "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens" (Exodus 32:13 4)

The outer dark layer of the lenticular nucleus in the brain is called the putamen. It appears to play a role in reinforcement learning. Putamen is also a botanical term for the stone in a fruit, such as a peach [5].

One of the attributes given to the peacock is compassion [6], from the Indian story of a peacock taking pity on Indra and to hide him from his enemies, raised its tail to form a blind or screen behind which Indra could hide himself. As a reward for this act of compassion, the bird was honored with the jewel-like blue-green plumage that it bears to this day [7].

"Patient (patiens) is so called from 'striking' - for pavere (i.e. pavire) is 'strike' - for such a one is beaten and endures it.” [p.225.] [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD]

The words patience and compassion come from the Indo-European root *péi- Also pe-, pi-. 'To hurt'. Derivatives: fiend (a diabolically evil or wicked person, from Old English feond, enemy, devil, hating, hostile), passible, passion, passive, patient (Latin patiens), compassion, (these words from Latin pati, to suffer). [Pokorny pe(i)- 792. Watkins] 

Julius Schiller united Pavo with Indus in his biblical figure 'S. Job.' Job is a character in the Book of Job in the Bible. The devil inflicted great suffering on him. "You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is merciful and compassionate" [James 5:11]

"Then Hermes told this story [of Pan and his pursuit of the Nymph Syrinx] … The tale remained untold; for Cyllenius [Hermes] saw all Argus’ eyelids closed and every eye vanquished in sleep. He stopped and with his wand, his magic wand, soothed the tired resting eyes and sealed their slumber; quick then with his sword he struck off the nodding head and from the rock threw it all bloody, spattering the cliff with gore. Argus lay dead; so many eyes, so bright quenched, and all hundred shrouded in one night. Saturnia [Hera] retrieved those eyes to set in place among the feathers of her bird [the peacock, Pavo] and filled his tail with starry jewels." - Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.624 [8]

The pa- of Pavo, might relate to the god Pan. "Originally an attribute of Pan, he yielded it [the peacock] to Hera/Juno as symbolizing the starry firmament; the Argus eyes are scattered over the tail by Hera" [J.C. Cooper, p.127] (or perhaps the word Pa-vo might also relate to 'gift of Pan'). According to Ovid Mercury told a story to Argus [Argos Panoptes] as he was trying to put him to sleep; about how the amorous god, Pan, chased the chaste nymph, Syrinx, and before he could catch up with her she was transformed into reeds of which Pan made his pan-pipes [9]. This happened before Mercury cut off Argus' head and before his eyes were scattered on the tail of the peacock by Hera/Juno; maybe suggesting that this story relates to what was about to happen. (Aigipan, the goat-fish of Capricorn, is distinct from Pan [10]). The French for peacock is paon, Welsh, Serbo-, and Romanian, have paun, for peacock.

Pan, Greek god of the shepherds, is also the prefix in the word pa-on, which means 'shepherd' and shares its prefix with the modern English word 'pasture' [11]. In Mesopotamia and the ancient middle-eastern regions the terms sheep or flocks was a metaphor for stars. "Tammuz, the moon god, was given the title of shepherd, the stars being his flock" (Penguin, p.874). Various groups of stars were referred to as sheepfolds. The 'straying sheep' was a metaphor for the 'wandering planets'. This Jupiter Project website explains that the meaning of the biblical passage Luke 2:8, "shepherds watching their flock by night" meant star-gazing.

"The peacock, as Isidore says, gets its name from the sound of its cry. For when it starts, unexpectedly, to give its cry, it produces sudden fear in its hearers. The peacock is called pavo, therefore, from pavor, fear, since its cry produces fear in those who hear it" [from Aberdeen Bestiary webpage].

Latin pavor (which Isidore thinks is related to Pavo) is often translated into English as panic [12], though these two words are not recognized cognates. Pan inspired sudden fear in lonely places; "For causeless terrors are said to come from the god Pan" (Pausanias), which gave us the words panic and pandemonium (the screeching of a harem of peacocks might sound like pandemonium). Pan sometimes appeared to travelers startling them with a sudden awe or terror. Hunters owed their success to him, and if they were unsuccessful they used to scourge (pavire, to beat?) his statue [13]. The word pan means 'all' and some believe that the whole starry sky influences all things. He seems to be most often referred to as 'the god Pan'.

© Anne Wright 2008.