Hen that lays golden eggs

Hen that lays golden eggs

A hen or chicken that is usually depicted laying golden eggs for its owner. The idea of such a mystical creature has been encountered in fairy tales such as "Jack and the Beanstalk" as well as the occult with the story of "The Black Pullet" - teaching an individual how to create such a creature through talismanic magic.

There have also been references to other creatures that produce golden eggs or are of a golden nature, such as Aesop's fable "The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs", the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Golden Goose", and in cinematics, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory".

An expression which loosely corresponds to Alchemy referring to the ideal of gaining pure gold from lead (something from nothing through magical means), thus a person who has suddenly come into a lot of money is said to have a "hen that lays golden eggs".

In the later period of Egyptian history, a cult of Thoth gained prominence, thus giving rise to the adjustment of mythology in order to give Thoth a greater role. This included varying the Ogdoad cosmogony myth so that it was Thoth who gives birth to Ra/Atum/Nefertum/Khepri, as a result of laying, as an ibis, an egg containing them. Later it was said that this was done in the form of a goose - literally as a goose laying a golden egg.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs — is one of many fables attributed to Aesop, and one that can be found in a compilation of his works cited and sourced at the bottom of this article. It is very popular, as are many of his fables, which also include The Fox and the Grapes, The Boy… …   Wikipedia

  • Jack and the Beanstalk — For other uses, see Jack and the Beanstalk (disambiguation). Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Illustration by Arthur Rackham from a 1918 English Fairy Tales, by Flora Annie Steel Jack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by… …   Wikipedia

  • Magic (paranormal) — For related ideas, see Magic (disambiguation). Magia redirects here. For other uses, see Magia (disambiguation). Magical redirects here. For the song, see Magical (song). Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses by John William Waterhouse Magic …   Wikipedia

  • Into the Woods — Infobox Musical name=Into the Woods caption= Original Cast Recording music= Stephen Sondheim lyrics= Stephen Sondheim book= James Lapine basis= Inspired by Bruno Bettelheim s The Uses of Enchantment productions= 1987 Broadway 1988 United States… …   Wikipedia

  • Black Pullet — The Black Pullet is a grimoire that proposes to teach the science of magical talismans and rings , including the art of necromancy and Kabbalah. It is believed to have been written in the late 18th century Fact|date=December 2007 by an anonymous… …   Wikipedia

  • Jack and the Beanstalk — a traditional story often told to children and used as a pantomime. Jack is a boy who sells a cow for three magic beans. He plants these and they grow into a very tall beanstalk (= bean plant). He climbs up the beanstalk into the clouds where a… …   Universalium

  • Jack and the Beanstalk — [Jack and the Beanstalk] a traditional story often told to children and used as a ↑pantomime. Jack is a boy who sells a cow for three magic beans. He plants these and they grow into a very tall beanstalk (= bean plant). He climbs up the beanstalk …   Useful english dictionary

  • Alien (film) — Alien …   Wikipedia

  • egg — Ⅰ. egg [1] ► NOUN 1) an oval or round object laid by a female bird, reptile, fish, or invertebrate and containing an ovum which if fertilized can develop into a new organism. 2) an infertile egg of the domestic hen, used for food. 3) Biology the… …   English terms dictionary

  • eggy — Ⅰ. egg [1] ► NOUN 1) an oval or round object laid by a female bird, reptile, fish, or invertebrate and containing an ovum which if fertilized can develop into a new organism. 2) an infertile egg of the domestic hen, used for food. 3) Biology the… …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”