Since Antiquity chickens have been considered sacred in some cultures and still are considered sacred in some cultures to this day. They are deeply embedded into systems of belief and religious worship.
Europe and the Middle East
While today they are considered cowardly, The Greeks believed that many creatures were afraid of Chickens including Lions. The Greeks rarely sacrificed chickens as they were considered exotic and was found as an attribute of Ares, Heracles, and Athena due to it's valor. Roosters were symbols of Helios, Greek God of the Sun and Hermes .Jesus made the cock a symbol of both Vigilance and Betrayal when he prophesied the Betrayal of Peter. Later he compared himself to a mother hen and Pope Gregory I declared the rooster as a symbol of Christianity. The Mesopotamian god Nergal has Etymology linking him with Roosters. In the Hall of Valhalla of Norse Myths, the Gullinkambi Rooster crows to the Æsir when Ragnarök begins. The Cockatrice, a Chicken with the tail of a snake and petrifying eyes, was feared throughout Europe. In at least One instance, a hen was believed to be a rooster and was put on Trial for laying an egg. The Cockatrice was believed to be born when a rooster lays an egg.
Asia
In Indonesia, the chicken has great significance during the Hindu Cremation Ceremony and was used as a channel for evil spirits which may be present during the ceremony. After the ceremony the chicken would go back to it's normal life without the family possessed by evil spirits
