The symbol was born out of mockery. In ancient times, foreigners laughed at the French because they knew they acted like barnyard roosters. They relied on the double meaning of the Latin word "Gallus" meaning both "rooster" and "Gaul" (old name given to France). In the Middle Ages, the French are similar to this mockery and set up the rooster as a symbol of courage and pride. In 1789, the year of the French Revolution, the revolutionaries made it the emblem of the angry people. In the 20th century, during the two World Wars, the rooster was used several times to represent fighting France against the eagle, the symbol of Germany. To this day, the rooster is still the national emblem of France.