Spiritual Meaning Of Hummingbird: Symbolism, Totem, Spirit And Omens (2022 Updated)
If you believe in the energy and the power of change and will, then you know that each encounter is not for nothing. If you look to discover the hidden meanings, omens, and predictions for your life, health, and fortune by seeing symbolic creatures and events, then you’ve come to the right place. Seeing a hummingbird is not very common, but if their vibrant and colorful textures caught your attention, then you’ve come to the right place.
Hummingbirds are known for their size, beautiful gradient colors, and puffy feathers. Additionally, their elongated beak that allows them to suck out the nectar from the flowers is also what attracted everyone who is a fan of these birds. Their humming, however, is what steals the attention of all people that encounter it.
Many people who live on the American continent want to have these birds as pets. That’s why they fill bottles with sugar and water to attract the hummingbirds to drink from them. What many people don’t know, however, these birds are endangered bird species.
There are different hummingbird species, with small, almost indistinguishable, differences. It’s important to mention that more than 10% of those species are endangered. In other words, 10% of the risk goes extinct. Many organizations oversee the care and treatment of hummingbirds.
This is why hummingbirds are so important to the world. Besides the importance of their presence in different ecosystems, hummingbirds have a rich cultural heritage among different civilizations from the Americans. Additionally, they are the symbol of happiness, healing, fortune, and joy.
More importantly, hummingbirds are messengers between this world and the eternal world, conveying the messages of our late loved ones and our ancestors through their songs. If you want to learn more about the hummingbird meanings and symbolism, continue reading this article about this spirit animal.
It’s also worth mentioning that the hummingbird appears through different mythology, which is why encountering the hummingbird in nature is so important to everyone who stumbles upon them. They’re more common in the mythology of the ancient civilizations in the Americas such as Mayas and Incas, as they’re not so prominent in the other parts of the world.
Hummingbirds are avian animal groups, precisely, they’re classified in the family of Trochilidae. They’re closely related to swifts, and sometimes they can be mistaken for them if the person is not so well-versed in biology. What is important is that hummingbirds are extremely small. They have small, yet swift wings that pierce through the air. Long and narrow bills help them suck the nectar out of flowers and trees.
They have reflective colors, although their colorful nature is more prominent in males. The shine on their feathers and wings shine even brighter when they’re exposed to the sun, creating a small light show. That is also probably why so many ancient people considered them meaningful and important for their energy and spirituality.
The reflective colors are explored by National Geographic in one particular hummingbird species, the ruby-throated hummingbird.
Hummingbirds have a rich spirituality spectrum, and below, we’re going to discuss all of it. Continue reading this article to learn more about these majestic birds and how encounters with them are important for your future and inner soul.
For a long time, scientists were fascinated with hummingbirds and other similar birds that can hover while flying, leading to them studying hummingbirds to set up the example.
Hummingbirds Symbolic Origin & Mythology
In this section, we’ll discuss why ancient civilizations chose hummingbirds for their totem symbol, why are they so powerful, and what all that power represents in the mythology as well as throughout the history of their existence.
Hummingbirds & Native Americans
The concept and symbol of the hummingbird are, perhaps, the most prominent among the Native Americans. It’s no secret that they sought spirituality and answer in nature, in case they were facing hardship or trouble.
There is nature, many stories formed that included the hummingbird encounters, so Native Americans started believing that these encounters meant something important, something like an omen.
A lot of Native Americans believed that the hummingbirds were their lost ancestors and that their soul lived as the hummingbird and that they provided guidance for them to travel home. After all, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the endless space of forest and the greenery, so hummingbirds providing so much help for them to get home led to the development of spirituality.
It’s also important to note that hummingbirds were considered messengers and that Native Americans used them to communicate between different tribes, as well as with their elders. Other than that, they believed that hummingbirds meant a fruitful and rich year and good luck for the entire tribe.
More often than not, they were also a sign that someone who’s sick will get better and recover, thus they were considered healers too.
Hopi & Zuni Culture
If you ever heard about the Hopi & Zuni culture, then you must know about the story about the famine that took over their land. There was no food or source of water, and people who wouldn’t leave the land would be sentenced to death.
In a story of a brother and sister who were left alone while their parents looked for food sources, the symbol of the hummingbird is mentioned multiple times. Their parents were gone for a long time, so the boy started carving a hummingbird on a piece of wood while they were gone. Once it was done, his sister threw it in the air, and the wooden bird has breathed life into it.
The hummingbird was quick to realize that the hunger was unimaginable, so it went to search for food every day and came back with a bit of corn to feed them. Seeing that an ear of corn is enough only for birds, not for humans, it traveled to the God of Fertility to end the famine and give new life to the land.
The God of Fertility listened to the bird’s cries and decided to allow it to rain, which helped the crops recover, allowing the children to eat and recover in the process too. Since then, the hummingbird was deeply respected in the culture.
Hummingbirds & Mexican Culture
Hummingbirds were very prominent in the culture of the Central American civilizations, as well as Mexico. Particularly, hummingbirds were worshipped among Mayans. Mayans believed that the hummingbird was the animal shape of the sun. They believed the sun would take that shape when it’d try to approach the moon.
They also compared hummingbirds to wedding ceremonies. Moreover, they think that the first wedding ceremony to have ever existed occurred between the two hummingbirds that loved each other. They also believed that hummingbirds were the last birds to be made by their Great Creator, and because there wasn’t much of the “bird material” left, the hummingbirds were small.
The Great Creator, however, allowed them to be super-fast and agile, to make up for their small and fragile size. They also believed that the Creator named them “dzu-nu-ume” because their wings made a sound similar to that pronunciation when they were flying. Dzunuume is also a sound that is made with humming, hence the hummingbird.
Hummingbirds & Aztec Culture
Aztecs also believed in the divine power of the hummingbirds. They believed in the God of Sun and War called Hitzilopochti. His name translated to Hummingbird Wizard, which is why all the hummingbirds were considered the protection symbol and sacred in the Aztec lands.
It was so sacred that they were never killing hummingbirds and only the tribal leaders could wear their feathers. Aztecs also believed in reincarnation. That being said, those who’d die in a war or any kind of battle were believed to reincarnate as the hummingbird in the afterlife.
Hummingbirds & The Taino
A tribe of people in the Caribbean area who lived in the so-called Taino Nation also believed in the sacred magic of the hummingbirds just like the Maya and Aztec people. They believed that all hummingbirds started their lives as flies.
However, as they’d grow and transform, the God or Father Sun would turn them into a bird we know as the hummingbird today. The Father Sun is also known as Agueybaba and his magic of turning the fly into a bird is exactly why so many people find that the hummingbird is the symbol of transformation.
East Asia & Hummingbirds
Like you know, you can’t find the hummingbird in Asia, unless they’re kept in captivity. That’s because they are not indigenous to the Asian continent. However, if we compare the meaning of the hummingbird to other important birds in the Eastern culture, you’ll learn that the hummingbirds represent freedom, fortune, prosperity, and happiness.
These traits of the hummingbirds also align with various symbols from Feng Shui, which are essentials for attracting the chi force which leads to good luck and fortune.
According to Feng Shui, everyone should hang pictures of the hummingbirds in places that contain small children, such as nurseries and kindergartens, because they represent pure energy and will bring good luck to children growing up.
Hummingbirds & Celts
Just like the hummingbirds don’t live in Asia, they also can’t be found in Europe, unless they’re being kept captive. Celts lived in Northern Europe, but they also traveled to different areas of the continent as part of the great migration.
However, if you take a close look at the Celtic symbols, you’ll find a lot of glorification for the birds, which hummingbirds are. Birds are considered messengers, according to the Celts, and the hummingbird is also considered a symbol of messenger between the living and the dead world. In the same way, Celts believed hummingbirds could convey messages from the dead to the living and vice versa.
They were also known to be the messengers of guidance to those that needed it. They could also bring omens and prophecies among Celtic families. In some representations of the Celtic culture, some druids were shape-shifters and they could transform into birds. They also believed birds had the power of healing, which is similar to the way hummingbirds were interpreted in the Native American culture.
Hummingbird Meaning & Symbolism
Now that we discussed the location and culture-related hummingbird meanings, let’s take at symbolism in different folklore. Read on to learn!
Good News
If you come across the hummingbird as you’re peacefully strolling around, that means that there is some good news expecting you. It can be anything related to you or your family.
Perhaps, you’re going to get called back by that date last night, or the company where you applied for a job is going to invite you for the interview, or you’ll pass that exam that you’ve been working so hard on. The possibilities are endless, so just be patient, enjoy the humming and prepare to receive the good news that you’ve been waiting for a while.
Healing
In some cultures, there’s a belief that if you get visited by a hummingbird after your family member or someone close to you died, you’re going to heal from the pain and grief that you’re dealing with. Moving on and healing is nowhere near easy, especially when it’s someone close to you that passed away.
Still, the hummingbirds bring the power and energy of healing, along with the hope that never dies. There are still things worth fighting for, and you should never give up. That’s what this hummingbird encounter is supposed to tell you.
Patience
In some folklore, the hovering associated with the hummingbirds is the sign that you should be patient and wait for the positive energy of the universe to manifest to you. Making quick decisions is not a good idea if you have short temper and can easily lose compass and patience.
Hummingbirds also visit those who tend to burn out. Not only do they offer the healing energy that flies your way, but they’re also conveying the message that you need to be patient and hustle quietly. Only that way, the good things will come your way and reward you for all the hard work you’ve done. Stay humble. Stay patient.
Optimism
Even though they’re so small, the hummingbirds are energetic and vigorous, with their fast humming wings, they can make you feel energized and optimistic. Encounter with them will take off the negative energy that you may be carrying for different reasons and inspire you to fight on for the better days.
Even if you’re feeling blue and under the weather, an encounter with hummingbirds should be the sign for you to look at the brighter side of the world, and focus on things that bring you happiness and you alone.
What Does It Mean to See Hummingbird in a Dream?
If you recently dreamt about the hummingbird, that doesn’t have a bad meaning. It’s the contrary. It means that you should let go of whatever weighs you down and focus on positive things in your life. In some dream-reading books, hummingbirds are seen as the harbinger of happiness, joy, and a positive change.
You’ll be followed by good luck no matter what you do and where you go. You should use these times to study for the exam or develop new skills. It can also mean that your love life will reach the next level, as well as advancements and promotion in your career. For those looking for a job, seeing a hummingbird in their dream also means the potential to find the job from your dreams.
