Water as Fertility
Water as Fertility
Water is also often used as a symbol for fertility. Monet, for instance, did many paintings of water lilies, and many of these paintings show lush, watery landscapes, like this one here:
In Egypt, the flooding of the Nile was responsible for creating fertile soil. This made water especially important to the Egyptians. In fact, they even believed that everything in nature was generated out of water. Sobek, the crocodile god who also represented the four main elements, was said to have come from the "Dark Waters" to arrange the world; this would explain how all things come from water. Therefore, we can see why fertility, which comes from water, would be a central theme to the Egyptians. Sobek looks like this: 
Fertility could also be taken to be a means of perpetuating life, in that fertile soil will allow things to grow which in turn will allow other creatures to live longer by eating. In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail is the term for the chalice used at the Last Supper, Christ's final meal with the apostles where he is said to have turned wine into his blood and bread into his body. This Holy Grail, legend has it, will bestow immortality on anyone who can drink from it. Furthermore, it is said that when one drinks from the Grail, the entire land will be restored. Thus, the water from the Grail is an important symbol of immortality and fertility. Here is a painting of one of the main players in the legend, Parzival, as he sees the Grail and the angels of the Grail:
One can see that the symbol of water as fertility is not limited just to the simple watering of plants, but instead has a far-reaching effect on the base of symbols which involve water. Fertility implies, again, a rebirth, as everything which grows must die, but in doing so, leaves seeds for the next growing season. The same can be said of people, society's, and the population as a whole.
Water as Cleansing
Water as Renewal and Rebirth
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