All About Water

Water has played an important role in many major religions in both ceremonial and mythological aspects.  In fact, while the term “holy water” is derived from Christianity, many religions have linked water to spirituality.

Hinduism

One of the oldest living major religions, Hinduism has long used water for cleansing and ceremonial purposes.  Seven rivers are considered sacred in India, and every day many Hindus follow these rivers on pilgrimages to holy places near riverbanks, coasts, and shores.  Rivers are also used in funeral ceremonies; Hindu funerals are almost always located near a river, and the ashes are scattered in the river after cremation. Further, many stories in Hindu mythology associate rivers with gods and goddesses.

Judaism

Many of Judaism’s most important stories prominently feature water.  In the book Genesis, God destroyed humanity by casting a great flood upon the earth, and Noah was tasked with building an ark to save all of the earth’s animals.  Water also played a significant role in the tale of Moses.  Leading the Israelites in escape from the Egyptian army, Moses used divine powers to part the Red Sea and ensure the freedom of his people.  Judaism, like Hinduism, also recognizes water as a purifier.  Judaism states that, in order to achieve spiritual purification, followers must immerse themselves in a ritual bath (called a mikveh) connected to a natural source of water.

Christianity

In Christianity, many stories depict control over water as a symbol of divinity.  For example, Jesus Christ was said to have performed miracles such as walking on water and turning water into wine.  Further, Christianity uses holy water for a number of ceremonies.  In a ceremony called baptism, a priest initiates an infant into the religion by pouring or sprinkling holy water on the infant’s head.  Further, in some churches, priests provide basins of holy water or sprinkle holy water on denizens in preparation for Mass.

Islam

In Islam, water is similarly used for purification.  Some mosques have fountains or clear pools of water to symbolize purity or for use in cleansing.  Muslims must perform the major ablution, or the washing of the whole body of water, before touching the Koran or conducting important ceremonies.  Further, the minor ablution, or washing of the face, head, and arms, must be done before each of the five daily prayers.

The Element of Water

Philosophically, the element of water has symbolized many things, both good and bad: it symbolizes cleansing, washing, drowning, and thirst. Water is mentioned in the first verse of Genesis, the first book of the Torah and the Bible: “…And the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters,” (Genesis 1:2). Water’s immediate presence in both Jewish and Christian scriptures testifies to the extent to which water influences Western philosophy.

The Element of Water as a Symbol

As a philosophical symbol, the element of water has been interpreted variously. The element of water has been associated with emotion and intuition. It has been associated with the season of Winter, because water cools and moistens. It has been associated with the phlegmatic temperament, the feminine, the brain, the western compass point, and purification. Water itself is denoted by the alchemical symbol of a downward-pointing triangle.

The Classical Element of Water

Many ancient philosophies from all around the world outline a set of “classical elements” that constitute the simplest and most essential parts of everything. These philosophies predate our modern periodic table of elements. The element of water is included in virtually all of these ancient sets. The Ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles believed there were four classical elements, earth, water, air, and fire, and a fifth element that described transcendent matters, aether. Plato and Aristotle later expounded on Empedocles’ teachings. This five-element system recurs in Hinduism and Buddhism.

The Element of Water in Western Religion

Religious thought heavily impacts philosophical thought, and the element of water figures heavily into both Western and Eastern religions. The Bible famously describes “the flood,” a story that recurs in the mythologies of many societies all around the world. In the deluge myth, an enormous flood destroys all existing life. In Genesis, God spares Noah by instructing him to build an ark in which Noah, his family, and pairs of every animal species survive. Water in the flood story is at once a symbol for punishment, as it kills all evildoers, and for cleansing, as it leaves alive only the pure. Afterward, God sends down the symbol of His covenant, a symbol that is also made of water, the rainbow. Although God had previously used water to destroy, he later uses it to create beautiful colors. Water functions in Western religions as a philosophical symbol for both creation and destruction.

The Element of Water in Eastern Religion

Many Chinese thinkers perceived water differently. The Chinese Taoists idealized water as their role model in their quest for perfection, as water always bends, but never breaks. The Chinese, too, saw the element of water as one of the most basic substances of human existence. This is especially true because most Chinese people were crowded into aquatic landscapes, like river valleys and deltas, as most of China’s topography was too mountainous to inhabit. Additionally, several Chinese cosmogonic myths (myths about the origins of the universe) center around water.

Art Is Inspired by Water

When we produce art, we express what we find important. It is unsurprising, then, that there is so much art about water. Philosophers from such disparate places as Ancient Greece and China have long considered water one of the basic elements that make up our world. Water figures prominently into religions and architecture all around the world, emphasizing the extent to which humanity centers around water.

Art About Water Over Time

Over thousands of years, water has been represented in art in many ways. In primitive art, like cave paintings, it was often represented by stylized symbols, like triangles for waves. Later in art history it was represented more realistically. Different bodies of water were represented in different ways that were appropriate to them. Rivers and waterfalls were rendered as water in motion, but lakes and calm seas were rendered as tranquil waters.

Religious Art About Water

Water is central to worship in several world religions, which almost universally perceive water as a purifier. Ritual washings are central to many religions; baptism is the rite of admission into Christianity, Judaism, and Sikhism. Some religions instruct their adherents to bathe their dead in water. It is then logical that there is so much religious art about water. Western art frequently depicts parts of Jesus’ life that relate to water, as when he turns water into wine, calms storms, and walks on water. Pagan art frequently personifies water deities, especially bathing water nymphs. Religious art about water visually encourages the belief that water is sacred.

Water-Dependent Art Media

Some art media are inherently water-related, especially architectural media. For instance, the Romans built the aqueducts to carry water across their nation. These aqueducts are also artistically notable for employing the Roman innovation of the arch. The Romans also built baths, which used the soothing effects of water to create a cultural rallying point. These public baths employed another Roman architectural innovation, the dome. Additionally, sculptors from all around the world utilize hydrodynamics to create fountains.

Literary Art About Water

Water is a common subject of literature all across the world, religious and secular. Water is central to several religious texts. For instance, water is considered the elemental role model of Daoism. According to the Tao Te Ching, “The highest excellence is like that of water… There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it.” Water also thematically recurs throughout secular literature: Ophelia drowns herself in Hamlet, and a river comprises a central motif in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.