In his 1836 book On the Mental Illumination and Moral Improvement of Mankind, Reverend

Thomas Dick calls the peacock the most beautiful bird in the world. There are few that
would dispute this description; however, throughout history, there has always been more to
the peacock than its dazzling plumage. At various times and in various cultures, it has served
as a symbol of good and evil, death and resurrection, and of sinful pride and overweening
vanity. And much like its avian brethren, the crow and the raven, the peacock has figured
heavily in folktales and fables, as well as in countless superstitions that still exist today.
First originating in India, peacocks can trace their history back to biblical times. They are
mentioned in the Bible as being part of the treasure taken to the court of King Solomon.
They are also associated with Alexander the Great. In his 1812 book The History of Animals,
author Noah Webster writes:
As early as the days of Solomon, these elegant fowls were imported into Palestine. When
Alexander was in India, he found them in vast numbers on the banks of the river Hyarotis,
and was so struck with their beauty, that he forbid any person to kill or disturb them.
Some folktales assert that peacocks were actually in the Garden of Edenand not in a good
way. In the 1838 Young Naturalists Book of Birds, author Percy St. John relates the Arab
belief that peacocks were a bird of ill omen. There are two reasons for this, the first of
which, as he explains, was that the peacock had been the cause of the entrance of the devil
into paradise leading to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden. The second reason
was that it was believed that the devil watered the vine with the blood of the peacock as
well as with that of the ape, the lion, and the hog. Which is why, as St. John writes:
a wine-bibber is at first elated and struts like a peacock; then begins to dance, play, and
make grimaces like an ape; he then rages like a lion; and, lastly, lays down on any dunghill
like a hog.

Peacocks were an important symbol in Roman times, most commonly representing funerals,
death, and resurrection. In the Encyclopedia of Superstition, author Richard Webster
explains:
This came about when people noticed that peacocks feathers did not fade or lose their
shiny lustre. This was seen as a sign of immortality or resurrection.
Because of this belief, Webster states that early Christians decorated the walls of the
catacombs with pictures of peacocks and peacock feathers to illustrate their faith in
resurrection. This link with resurrection was carried over into artwork of the period which
often depicted peacocks in relation to the Eucharist and the Annunciation. According to
author Christine Jackson in her 2006 book Peacock: