Abstract
The myriad of symbols which have characterized the History of politics renders the aim of studying this imagery ever more arduous. Hence, it appears relevant to focus on the place which has been allotted to animals by Men in order to represent their own standpoints or rulings. In fact, a large majority of regimes have intended to depict the same peculiarities as the animals that stood for them. Amongst the "political fauna", the eagle seems to have appeased the ego of numerous nations, as it is often associated with power, beauty and independence. However, is the eagle an accurate symbol of political power? How impelling has it been when related to a political philosophy? This essay will pore over Spain as a specific case study, in which the same animal has been depicted across History and has been useful to very contrasting regimes. Its purpose will be to draw a brief synthesis of the evolution of the myth surrounding the eagle, and then to analyze its symbolic impact during the reign of the Catholic Kings compared to the Francoist dictatorship from the focus of its contribution to both ideologies.
