page_title: European turtle dove
section_title: In culture
hierarchical_section_title: European turtle dove / In culture
context_page_description: The European turtle dove is a member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa to winter.
context_section_description: The turtle dove was, according to Aelian, sacred to Demeter.
  In Roman Mythology, the turtle-dove was one of the emblems of Fides (deity).
  Perhaps because of Biblical references (especially verse 2:12 from the Song of Songs), its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, European turtle doves have become emblems of devoted love. In the New Testament, two turtle doves are mentioned as the customary offering during the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.  In Renaissance Europe, the European turtle dove was envisaged as the devoted partner of the Phoenix. Robert Chester's poem Love's Martyr is a sustained exploration of this symbolism. It was published along with other poems on the subject, including William Shakespeare's poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle" (where "turtle" refers to the turtle dove).
  The turtle dove is featured in a number of folk songs about love and loss, including "There Is a Tavern in the Town". One of these is a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
  Turtle doves also are featured in the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas", as the gift "my true love gave to me" on the second day of Christmas.  If added cumulatively, by the end of the song, the recipient has been given 22.
  Turtle doves appear in the title and lyrics of a spiritual from the Georgia Sea Islands.
  In the Shaker hymn "In Yonder Valley", it is seen as a good omen and sign of growth that "The turtledove is in our land".
caption: The Turtle Dove by Sophie Gengembre Anderson.
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