Birds in Greek Mythology & mythology in general
From owlpages.com
Owls in Greek & Roman Mythology
In the mythology of ancient Greece, Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, was so impressed by
the great eyes and solemn appearance of the Owl that, having banished the mischievous
crow, she honoured the night bird by making him her favorite among feathered creatures.
Athene's bird was a Little Owl, (Athene noctua). This Owl was protected and inhabited the
Acropolis in great numbers. It was believed that a magical "inner light" gave Owls night
vision. As the symbol of Athene, the Owl was a protector, accompanying Greek armies to
war, and providing ornamental inspiration for their daily lives. If an Owl flew over Greek
Soldiers before a battle, they took it as a sign of victory. The Little Owl also kept a watchful
eye on Athenian trade and commerce from the reverse side of their coins.
Athenian silver tetradrachm
Classical style, 5th century BC.
Athenian silver tetradrachm
Hellenistic style, 2nd century BC.
In early Rome a dead Owl nailed to the door of a house averted all evil that it supposedly
had earlier caused. To hear the hoot of an Owl presaged imminent death. The deaths of
Julius Caesar, Augustus, Commodus Aurelius, and Agrippa were apparently all predicted by
an Owl.
"...yesterday, the bird of night did sit Even at noonday, upon the market place, Hooting and
shrieking" (from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar")
The Roman Army was warned of impending disaster by an Owl before its defeat at
Charrhea, on the plains between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
According to Artemidorus, a second Century soothsayer, to dream of an Owl meant that a
traveller would be shipwrecked or robbed.
Another Roman superstition was that witches transformed into Owls, and sucked the blood
of babies.
In Roman Mythology, Proserpine (Persephone) was transported to the underworld against
her will by Pluto (Hades), god of the underworld, and was to be allowed to return to her
mother Ceres (Demeter), goddess of agriculture, providing she ate nothing while in the
underworld. Ascalpus, however, saw her picking a pomegranate, and told what he had seen.
He was turned into an Owl for his trouble - "a sluggish Screech Owl, a loathsome bird."
(Names in brackets indicate the Greek names for the same Gods)
http://www.mlahanas.de/Cyprus/Fauna/Hoopoe.html
Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
The Hoopoe Upupa epops is in the same order of often
colourful near passerine birds as the kingfishers, bee-eaters,
and rollers.
However, in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Hoopoe is
separated from the Coraciiformes as a separate order, the
Upupiformes. It is the only extant member of its family,
although what are now considered subspecies, such as the
resident African form U. e. africana, were formerly
sometimes given specific status.
Hoopoes are widespread in Europe, Asia and North Africa.
They migrate from all but the southernmost part of their
range to the tropics in winter.
Hoopoe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Coraciiformes
Family:
Upupidae
Genus:
Upupa
Species: U. epops
Binomial name
Upupa epops
Linnaeus, 1758
Their habitat is open cultivated ground with short grass or bare patches. They spend
much time on the ground hunting insects and worms.
The Hoopoe is 25-29cm long, with a 44-48cm wingspan. This black, white and pink bird
is quite unmistakable, especially in its erratic flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly.
The crest is erectile, but is mostly kept closed. It walks on the ground like a starling.
The song is a trisyllabic "oop-oop-oop", which gives rise to its English and scientific
names.
The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall. Like those of its relatives the kingfishers, the nest
tends to contain copious amounts of feces and smell very foul as a protection against
predators.
The long-extinct Giant Hoopoe U. antaios, lived on the island of St Helena.
The king of birds, transformed from Tereus, King of Thrace, twitters in the following
style. "Epopopopopopopopopopoi! io! io! come, come, come, come, come. Tio, tio, tio,
tio, tio, tio, tio! trioto, trioto, totobrix! Torotorotorotorolix! Ciccabau, ciccabau!
Torotorotorotorotililix." Alfred Guy Kingan L'Estrange Ancient Greek Humour
The Hoopoe was also featured in Greek mythology. Once a man, Tereus was
transformed into the form of a Hoopoe. The character featured prominently in such
works as Aristophanes' The Birds .
Title: The nightingale is a symbol of beauty, immortality, and freedom from the world's troubles.
Nightingales are known for singing in the nighttime, hence the name. In Greek and Roman myth, the
nightingale also alludes to the Philomel (Philomela), whose tongue was cut out to prevent her from
telling about her rape, and who was later turned into a nightingale by the gods to help her escape
from death at the hands of her rapist.
Philomela (princess of Athens)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, Philomela (Φιλομήλα) was a daughter of Pandion I (King of Athens)
and Zeuxippe, and a sister of Procne. Her name is derived from Ancient Greek Φιλο philo(loving), and μέλος melos (song).[1] Therefore, her name literally means "Love Song," or
"Song Lover."
Philomela and Procne showing Itys' head to Tereus. Engraving by Bauer for a 1703
edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses Book VI, 621–647
Procne's husband, King Tereus of Thrace (son of Ares), agreed to travel to Athens and
escort Philomela to Thrace for a visit. Tereus lusted for Philomela on the voyage. Arriving in
Thrace, he forced her to a cabin in the woods and raped her.
In Ovid's Metamorphoses Philomela's defiant speech is rendered as (in translation)
"Now that I have no shame, I will proclaim it.
Given the chance, I will go where the people are,
Tell everybody; if you shut me here,
I will move the very woods and rocks to pity.
The air of Heaven will hear, and any god,
If there is any god in Heaven, will hear me."
This incited Tereus to cut out her tongue and leave her in the cabin.
Philomela then wove a tapestry (or a robe) that told her story and had it sent to Procne. In
revenge, Procne killed her son by Tereus, Itys (or Itylos), and served him to Tereus, who
unknowingly ate him. When he discovered what had been done, Tereus tried to kill the
sisters; they fled and he pursued but, in the end, all three were changed by the Olympian
Gods into birds.
As in many myths there are variant versions. In an early account, Sophocles wrote that
Tereus was turned into a big-beaked bird whom some say is a hawk while number of
retellings and other works (including Aristophanes' ancient comedy, The Birds) hold that
Tereus was instead changed into a hoopoe. Early Greek sources have it that Philomela was
turned into a swallow, which has no song; Procne turns into a nightingale, singing a
beautiful but sad song in remorse. Later sources, among them Ovid, Hyginus, and
Apollodorus (but especially English romantic poets like Keats) write that although she was
tongueless, Philomela was turned into a nightingale, and Procne into a swallow. Of these,
some omit the tongue-cutting altogether. Eustathios'[clarification needed (Who?)] version of the story
has the sisters reversed, so that Philomela married Tereus, who fell in love with
Procne.[citation needed]
The names "Procne" and "Philomela" are sometimes used in literature to refer to a
nightingale. A genus of swallow has the name "Progne," a form of Procne. Philomela can
also be poetically abbreviated to "Philomel."
The story is told by Apollodorus in Bibliotheke III, xiv, 8; and by Ovid in the Metamorphoses
VI, 424–674.
Woodpecker
Circe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Greek mythology, Circe (pronounced /ˈsɜrsiː/; Greek Κίρκη Kírkē "falcon") is a minor
goddess of magic (or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress) living on the
island of Aeaea, famous for her part in the adventures of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.
By most accounts, Circe was the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, and Perse, an
Oceanid, and the sister of Aeetes, the keeper of the Golden Fleece, and Pasiphaë, the Wife
of King Minos and mother of the Minotaur.[1] Other accounts make her the daughter of
Hecate.[2]
Circe transformed her enemies, or those who offended her, into animals through the use of
magical potions. She was renowned for her knowledge of drugs and herbs.
In later tales Circe turned Picus into a woodpecker for refusing her love, and Scylla into a
monstrous creature with six dogs' heads when Glaucus (another object of Circe's affection)
declared his undying love for her. She had one daughter: Aega, who was born from the ocean in
a shield of ice.
Circe is referred to in Dante's Divine Comedy: "Virtue is like an enemy avoided by all, as is a
serpent, through misfortune of place, or through bad habit that impels them, on which account
they have so transformed their nature, the dwellers in the miserable valley, that it seems that
Circe had them in her pasture." [9]
Shakespeare makes a reference to Circe in The Comedy of Errors. When the Duke is listening to
seemingly contradictory tails that arose due to confusion between identical twins, he says: "Why
what an intricate impeach is this? I thinke you all haue drunke of Circes cup: If heere you hous’d
him, heere he would haue bin."
Lark
Kingfisher
http://www.suite101.com/content/alcyon-bird-of-peace-and-calm-a33814
Alcyon – Bird of Peace and Calm
Halcyon Days Surround the Winter Solstice and Christmas
Halcyon birds, according to Greek mythology, bring us days of peace and calm around
Christmas time--halcyon days. The bird in the legend is the European Kingfisher.
Traditionally, halcyon days fall between December 14th and December 27th, the weeks
surrounding the winter solstice (the day with the fewest hours of daylight, the first day of
winter). The term halcyon days signifies days of calm, peace, and tranquility—our hearts’
desire. It’s a desire that those who celebrate Christmas focus on at that time of year, so
although halcyon days weren’t originally associated with Christmas, it’s appropriate that
they encompass Christmas day.
What many people don’t realize is that a familiar bird is central to the symbolism of halcyon
days: Greek legend has it that a kingfisher is responsible for those days of calm.
The Story of the Halcyon Birds, According to Bulfinch
In Greek mythology, Alcyone (also spelled Halcyone) was the daughter of the God Aeolus,
controller of the winds. Alcyone married Ceyx and the couple loved each other deeply, but
their happiness ended shortly after the death of Ceyx’s brother: Ceyx, convinced that the
gods had turned against him, decided to leave Alcyone and sail to Ionia, where he could
consult the oracle of Apollo, god of prophecy, the sun, healing, poetry, and music.
Alcyone was opposed to Ceyx’s journey, fearing that something terrible would happen to
him. She begged him not to go, but Ceyx was determined. He set sail, but didn’t get far
before a terrible storm destroyed the ship—everyone on board drowned in the Aegean Sea.
No news of the wreck came back to Alcyone, but when Ceyx did not return, she asked the
gods for a dream to tell her what had happened.
The dead Ceyx visited Alcyone in a dream, and she knew that he was drowned. Grief
stricken, she wandered down to the shore where she had last seen him. At the same time,
the waves carried Ceyx’s body to her. She threw herself into the water but the gods, seeing
her terrible grief, lifted her up and turned the couple into birds—Halcyon birds, who mate
each year at the start of winter.
The female Halcyon bird is said to build a nest of fish bones that floats on the sea, and she
tends the nest for the seven days that have the winter solstice at the center. During this time,
Aeolus keeps the winds away and the waters are calm, so that his grandchildren are kept
safe.
What is the Halcyon Bird?
Pliny the Elder, who lived and wrote during the first century, recorded the appearance of the
Halcyon bird: a small bird with a sea-blue back and a reddish breast. It had white feathers
on the neck and a long beak. This description fits the European Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis.
Read on
The European Kingfisher is found throughout Europe except in the northern latitudes, and
also in northern Africa and much of Asia. It lives near fresh water, especially where the
water is calm and slow moving, and where tall river banks provide nesting sites. The
European Kingfisher eats fish, amphibians, and insects that frequent water sources. In
Europe, it nests in the spring.
Ironically, the scientific name of the Belted Kingfisher, found throughout virtually all of North
America, is Ceryle alcyon. Greek mythology doesn’t tell us whether this bird, too, can usher
in halcyon days.
Vulture
Ares (Ancient Greek: Ἄρης /árɛːs/, Μodern Greek: Άρης /ˈaris/) is the god of war, and
a member of the Twelve Olympians, a son of Zeus and Hera, in Greek mythology.
Though often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, he is more accurately the god
of bloodthirst, or slaughter personified: "Ares is apparently an ancient abstract noun
meaning throng of battle, war."[1] He also presides over the weapons of war, the
defence and sacking of cities, rebellion and civil order, banditry, manliness and courage.
Ares had a quadriga – a chariot drawn by four gold-bridled(Iliad v.352) fire-emitting
immortal stallions. Among the gods, Ares was recognized by his bronze armor; he
brandished a spear in battle. His sacred birds were the woodpecker, the eagle owl and,
especially in the south, the vulture. According to Argonautica (ii.382ff and 1031ff;
Hyginus, Fabulae 30) the birds of Ares (Ornithes Areioi) were a flock of feather-dartdropping birds that guarded the Amazons' shrine of the god on a coastal island in the
Black Sea. In Sparta, the chthonic night-time sacrifice of a dog to Enyalios became
assimilated to the cult of Ares. Sacrifice might be made to Ares on the eve of battle to
enlist his support.
Cardinal
*********************
Quail
http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisAsteria.html
ASTERIA was the Titan goddess (perhaps) of the oracles and prophecies of night, including
prophetic dreams, the reading of the stars (astrology), and necromancy. She was the
mother of the goddess Hekate by Perses (the Destroyer). After the fall of the Titanes,
Asteria was pursued by the god Zeus. She fled his advances, transforming herself into a
quail and leaping into the sea where she became the island of Delos. Her sister Leto later
sought refuge on the isle and there gave birth to her son Apollon. Asteria appears in
Athenian vase-painting alongside the other Delian gods--Apollon, Artemis and Leto. She is
often labelled as "Delos.”
Flamingo
Water nymph
________
Hummingbird
Hummingbird Symbolism
The hummingbird symbolizes many different concepts. Because of its speed, the hummingbird is
known as a messenger and stopper of time. It is also a symbol of love, joy, and beauty. The
hummingbird is also able to fly backwards, teaching us that we can look back on our past. But,
this bird also teaches that we must not dwell on our past; we need to move forward. When the
hummingbird hovers over flowers while drinking nectar, we learn that we should savour each
moment, and appreciate the things we love.
The hummingbird has powerful spiritual significance. In the Andes of South America the
hummingbird is a symbol of resurrection. It seems to die on cold nights, but comes back to life
again at sunrise.
Hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart. When the hurt that caused us to close our
hearts gets a chance to heal, our hearts are free to open again.
With hummingbird consciousness, we learn the truth of beauty. Our life becomes a wonderland of
delights in flowers, aromas and tastes. We laugh and enjoy creation, we appreciate the magic of
the present moment, and the magic of being alive.
Hummingbird teaches us the medicinal properties of plants and how to work with the energy of
flowers to heal ourselves and others. Hummingbirds teach us fierce independence. They teach us
to fight in a way where no one gets hurt. They teach us courage. Having the courage to refrain
from creating new trauma by communicating non-violently toward ourselves and others is an
important part of healing. Recovering lost parts of ourselves enables us to become healthily
independent.
It is not commonly known that the fluttering wings of the hummingbird move in the pattern of an
infinity symbol - further solidifying their symbolism of eternity, continuity, and infinity.
By observing the Hummingbird, we see they are seemingly tireless. Always actively seeking the
sweetest nectar, they remind us to forever seek out the good in life and the beauty in each day.
Amazing migrators, some Hummingbirds are known to wing their way as far as 2000 miles to reach
their destination. This quality reminds us to be persistent in the pursuit of our dreams, and adopt
the tenacity of the Hummingbird in our lives.