The eagle symbolized a part of the soul that would be released after death and return to the world of the living in the form of a bird. It was also the animal chosen by the god Horus, god of the sky, who was represented with a hieroglyph that represented an eagle. The popular belief in more modern times that birds such as eagles or owls are heralds of death may have its roots in this myth. For the Greeks, the eagle was associated with the god Jupiter, king of the gods.
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