The Dove and the Olive Branch

The dove carries back a branch of green olive in its mouth to Noah, as the waters of the flood cease. Genesis 8.

A woodcut illustration depicting Noah's Ark floating on turbulent floodwaters. The Ark is a large, rectangular wooden structure with a pitched roof and several small windows. In the upper right, a dove flies toward the Ark carrying an olive branch in its beak. Dark clouds and rain are visible in the background.

Noah sends a dove out from the Ark; she brings him a green olive branch in her mouth as a sign that the Great Flood original: "Sündtflut" — literally 'sin-flood', reflecting the theological view that the deluge was a punishment for human wickedness has subsided. Genesis chapter 8.