Almost all of us have already seen an Arowana fish because these fishes are commonly shown on TV shows, magazines and on animal web pages. They are also common sights on Chinese restaurants and Chinese business offices and many people all over the world also keep them as aquarium pets. So what is so special about these fishes? Is it true that they have strong representations to wealth, luck and fortune? While this question can evoke many different answers from people of different backgrounds, we have done some research to know specifically what makes Arowanas to become special.
Arowanas are now scattered all over the world as aquarium pets but their predecessors originally came from Southeast Asian rivers particularly in Indonesia. They became popular because the Chinese see their features as great resemblance to their Chinese dragon. Their large metallic scales, double barbels (whiskers) and their large pectoral fins that appear to be like wings are also similar to their dragon. Because of these resemblances, myths have it that they also have the power to balance the energy of nature.
Myths about the Arowanas abound but the most popular of them all is about their attraction to positive Feng Shui. Because they are associated with water which is the only element among four earth elements that captivates people, their colors are also given certain meanings. The red and gold Arowanas, for example, are believed to have the “yin” energies while water posses the “chi” energies. When these two energies combined, the result would be positive energies and this is why the Arowanas are seen as energy neutralizers because they can turn negative energies in their surroundings into positive energies.
There are also myths and stories about Arowanas giving their lives to their owners. In some Asian countries, some people tell the stories of Arowanas exchanging their lives in behalf of the ones who keep them. For example, an owner of a gold Arowana suddenly recovered from a fatal accident then finding his Arowana dead the next day. Although this is just a myth, there are Asian people who believe that once the Arowanas are reared as pets, they connects themselves to the life energies of their owners and will serve as guardians of their souls. There are also stories that the owners meet unfortunate circumstances and make miraculous escapes and then finding their Arowanas dead almost the same time when the accident happened. Well, stories and myths always remain in our midst but we always cannot tell real things from folklores. However, Arowanas and myths are always here to enrich and enliven our lives.
