“What does a hummingbird symbolize?” That’s what someone asked me after doing the animal symbolism exercise in my creative journal, The Book of Dreams Come True. I asked the person, “What do you think is the a hummingbird’s spiritual meaning?” and we had a great conversation about personal animal meanings and associations.
But I realize that it’s also fun to learn about traditional animal symbolism and facts about animals that suggest spiritual meanings. While “spirit animals” are specific to certain original American cultures and shouldn’t be appropriated by anyone else, all cultures ponder the symbolic meanings of animals, plants, and other natural phenomena. Animal symbolism been used for medieval coats of arms, Christianity and other faith traditions, sports teams, tattoos with personal meanings…and even the stock market, in the case of “bull” and “bear” markets.
As some of you know, I love investigating symbolism like this, and I think it can be interesting research for writers and artists. So I’ll start with hummingbird symbolism, both because I got a question about it and because we often have hummingbird visits on our patio.
(I’ll do some more animals in the future, so let me know if you got one from the journal that you want to learn more about!) I’m not an expert myself—just a researcher. I’ll link to the sources in case you’re interested, and please let me know if there’s a source I should add and reflect in the post.
Hummingbird Myths and Legends
According to Hopi legend, hummingbirds were created when a little boy wanted to entertain his sister. He made a bird out of a sunflower stalk, and Grandmother Spider—the Creator—brought it to life. In the traditions of the Wintu people, the hummingbird helped carry fire back to them, and the hummingbird always tells the truth. (Source.)
Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo peoples involved hummingbirds in rituals asking for rain. (Source.)
Hummingbirds, Love, and Romance
In ancient Mesoamerica, the hummingbird was one of the animals that represent love. More specifically, it was associated with male amorousness, because of the way a hummingbird penetrates a flower with its bill. (Source.)
Hummingbirds, War, and Rebirth
Aztecs believed that dead warriors returned to the earth in hummingbird form. (Source.) The hummingbird was a symbol of Huitzilopochtli, the god of sun and the god of war. As tiny as they are, hummingbirds are tough fighters, to this doesn’t really surprise me.
I actually came across a lot of associations between hummingbirds and the sun, especially the sun returning after winter.
Now here’s something fascinating about hummingbirds that I read about on National Geographic: during the winter, when they sleep, a lot of them go into a mini-hiberation called “torpor.” Their heartbeat (usually super-fast!) slows way down, their body temperature plummets, and they don’t move…basically, they seem dead. So it’s not at all surprising that they’d be associated with resurrection and rebirth, and I think it would make sense if they represented a spiritual renewal or rebirth in contemporary lives.
Hummingbirds and Spiritual Journeys
Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate south for the winter, and here’s the interesting thing: a lot of them fly straight across the Gulf of Mexico. This takes twenty hours at least, no stops, and they have to fly in the dark. So I think the hummingbird could be a good symbol of being guided only by your natural instincts and intuition rather than external signifiers…or persevering through confusing and tiring times to your sunny, happy destiny.
Hummingbirds and Joy
To me, personally, hummingbirds are a symbol of joy. They fly around so easily from flower to feeder, sipping on anything nectar they can find. They remind me to take life lightly and enjoy every bit of its sweetness. I’ve also come across references to a hummingbird as a sign from Heaven to enjoy and appreciate the goodness of creation.
Do you know more about hummingbird symbolism—or animal symbolism in general? Does seeing a hummingbird have a particular meaning to you? Let us know about it in the comments! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful week!
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These precious little birds visit my patio every day. After reading your post, I’ll see them in a new light! ?As a romance author I appreciate their link to love and romance, but I especially like them as the symbol of joy! Lovely post, thank you.
Hi Joy! We get them on our patio *sometimes,* but not as often as we’d like. I love them! Thanks for reading 🙂
I love and admire hummingbirds and have for a long time. I have two hummingbird feeders on my front porch and most summers I’ll have six or seven hummers fighting over them, which can be very fun to watch.
But here’s my story: about three years ago, I was weeding a flower bed in my back yard next to a large rose bush when I heard this buzzing sound. I looked up and saw a pure white hummingbird hovering over the rose bush not two feet away. I’d never seen a white hummingbird and at first I thought an angel had come for me or that maybe I was hallucinating. It seemd to regard me for a few seconds and then flew of to the treeline about 100 yards away. Because it was white, I was able to follow its flight all the way into the trees.
Now I don’t know if this has any particular meaning, but it certainly was a unique experience.
Cheers.
James Colgan
Hi James! They really are fun to watch. I have never *heard* of a white hummingbird before…that is amazing! What a memorable experience!
Hummingbirds were the messengers of Huitzilopochtli. You’re right that warriors became hummingbirds upon death in the Aztec culture, but so did women who died in childbirth. An Aztec woman who died in childbirth was accorded the funeral of a warrior and also became a hummingbird–the messengers of Huitzilopochtli, the sun god.
Hi TM! Oh, that is so interesting—I didn’t read that about the women who died in childbirth! I need to read up and update the post. Thank you!
This was a beautiful read.
Oh thanks so much, Katy! Thanks for reading!
That is so interesting. THank you so much!
Thanks for reading, Erin! I hope your week is off to a good start. 🙂 (And if not, hope it runs right around, haha!)
Thanks for reading, Erin! I hope your week is off to a good start. 🙂
I’ve heard some say it’s like the lore of seeing a cardinal, a loved one passing a message through from the other side.
I just know I have a two beautiful hummingbird crystal ornaments for my Christmas tree, and one is extra-special. It was given to me as a gift from the family I babysat for when I was a teenager.
denise
Oh, those ornaments sound really beautiful. It’s so special to have a gift like the one from the family you babysat for. I hadn’t heard that lore about cardinals…and I love cardinals!
I’ve heard that too. When my sister passed away a few years ago, we had Cardinals everyday in our yard, on fences, trees and hanging around our pool!
Hi Bryn…Hope I’m not too late for this…One of my daughters sent me a card with this insert in it…A lovely hummingbird on the front…Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird’s delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life’s sweetest creation.
…She added to this with these words…”Mom, you are a human hummingbird!”
She filled my cup to overflowing the day it arrived in the mail for no reason.
Very interesting. My daughter lives in New Mexico so I was interested to learn about the Hopi, Pueblo significance. Thank you for this.
Bryn, a terrific resource is the book Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews. I’ve used it as a resource for many years. It is fascinating how we can look at issues through the lens of animals. I work with Shana.
Bryn, thank you for this, and it inspired me to include a hummingbird in my latest book. It will be an excellent symbol to add to the scene moving from my mind to paper now!
I love to see the hummingbirds in my garden when the lavender is in bloom. I always find them so beautiful, yet fast and daring. I just did this page in your book and got a unicorn. I’m excited to discover more about this and how it might fit me.
I don’t have any new symbolism to offer (though I did find some interesting legends in Portuguese), but thought I’d share that, in Portuguese, we call them “beija-flor”, flower kissers. Hope you’re doing well! 🙂
This post is especially pertinent to me! Back in California, one day I was out watering the dry, scorching heat-blanched acre I called home, a hummingbird popped up, watched me for a while, and when he/she decided they could trust me, landed on a metal link of the fence and stared at me. I didn’t get what it wanted from me and finally; it flew up and toward the hose, trying to get wet. I said, “Oh, you want a shower!” It was weird, but we understood each other! This went on for the summer months, then it disappeared. I will assume it was flying over the Gulf of Mexico. The next summer, it had a smaller hummingbird wanting a shower too! Once the adult bird learned, it could see in my window every morning it would hover outside until I would wake up. Then the whole shower routine repeated. By the third year, I had two apparent grandparents, two parents, and 1 still a small baby bird. I’m not kidding or making this up. I worried about what would happen to them when I left, but gave instructions to the new owners’ daughter and forced myself to stop thinking about it. So far, none have ever attached themselves to me…yet. Thanks so much for the article & your research, I really enjoyed it!
Daylin
Daylin, I love this story! I was inspired to write the post because once in a great while we get a hummingbird in our backyard here in California. This story of clear communication with nature is so beautiful and magical. I never heard anything like it (but of course I believe you!) Thank you so much for sharing!
During the pandemic I was at home, like many of us, a lot. I became enamored with flowers and birds in my backyard in Maine that I had previously been way to busy to notice. I had never seen ruby-throated hummingbirds before in my life but I did that first spring. I started feeding them nectar. One day a male was insistently buzzing around my head as I sat on my patio. A female was there as well, buzzing and humming so much I couldn’t ignore them. I understood in some weird way, because they were so insistent, that they wanted something and I assumed nectar. I kid you not. And I never believe this type of thing. I cleaned out the feeders (which had probably fermented in the summer sun) and replenished them and they never did that again although when we’d have company over they’d zip around the patio as we sat outside under the cafe lights! One of my friends, who is a gardener says they pull at her hair when she’s out weeding. Little miracles of life.