Ichthys Fish Olive Wood Keyring

The Ichthys, or fish symbol, was used by early Christians for covert identification. This symbol, easy to draw, was a type of "password" during Roman persecution. A fish was a logical symbol for the early church, frequently mentioned in the gospels, like Mark 1:17: "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men," and John 21:6: "And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish."

This fish symbol is also linked to the Greek word for fish (ichthus). It is an acrostic representing ''Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior'' [Iesous (Jesus) CHristos (Christ) THeou (God) Uiou (Son) Soter (Savior)]. The Apostles were often called ''fishers of men''. Followers of Christianity were termed Pisciculi, stemming from the Latin word for ''fish''. Sacramental fish, alongside wine and bread, symbolize the Eucharist and the Last Supper in Christian art.

In a homage to this tradition, hand-carved olive wood Christian fish keyrings from Bethlehem are a unique, environmentally-friendly gift choice. Each keyring is made from the trimmings of ancient olive trees in Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, and comes with an explanation card about olivewood. The dimension is approximately 2.75" x 1.25".