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Author Topic: Deities associated with birds?  (Read 10423 times)

cartowheel

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Deities associated with birds?
« on: March 26, 2014, 11:11:51 am »
So I’ve been thinking and researching what kind of deity to try to contact, and I read that I should keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary for a deity trying to contact me.

The first thing I thought of was that, though in my area, there are never birds in the winter, I noticed a weird number of robins around campus starting from early February, which is out of the ordinary.  I did some research to see if this is normal, and it is in some places, but I’ve never seen birds in this area until spring, and it’s still snowing here.

I also looked up some deities that are associated with birds, and I only found Greek gods - Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis.

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2014, 11:22:42 am »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
I also looked up some deities that are associated with birds, and I only found Greek gods - Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis.

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?


Off the top of my head, the Irish Cliodhna and the Welsh Rhiannon (if you consider the characters from the Mabinogi to be deities - some do, some don't).
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cartowheel

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2014, 11:38:16 am »
Quote from: Naomi J;143693
Off the top of my head, the Irish Cliodhna and the Welsh Rhiannon (if you consider the characters from the Mabinogi to be deities - some do, some don't).

 
Oh, I've heard of them!  As actual deities, though, as I've never heard of Mabinogi.  I'll look into them, thank you.  ^_^

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2014, 03:08:33 pm »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
So I’ve been thinking and researching what kind of deity to try to contact, and I read that I should keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary for a deity trying to contact me.

The first thing I thought of was that, though in my area, there are never birds in the winter, I noticed a weird number of robins around campus starting from early February, which is out of the ordinary.  I did some research to see if this is normal, and it is in some places, but I’ve never seen birds in this area until spring, and it’s still snowing here.

I also looked up some deities that are associated with birds, and I only found Greek gods - Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis.

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?

 
Part of your difficulty might be that a lot of deities are associated with specific kinds of birds, rather than birds in general, which is harder to search for.  Likewise, the American robin is specific to this continent (robins in Europe are an unrelated species, and American robins are thrushes!), so if you're looking for Old World deities, there's not going to be a clean fit.  Hope that helps!
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veggiewolf

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2014, 11:37:55 am »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
So I’ve been thinking and researching what kind of deity to try to contact, and I read that I should keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary for a deity trying to contact me.

The first thing I thought of was that, though in my area, there are never birds in the winter, I noticed a weird number of robins around campus starting from early February, which is out of the ordinary.  I did some research to see if this is normal, and it is in some places, but I’ve never seen birds in this area until spring, and it’s still snowing here.

...

 
Robins appear to have stayed around all winter in a number of places they don't usually.  I live in SE Pennsylvania, and also noticed robins in early February...they either came back early, or didn't leave for the winter this year.

*is now wondering if robins stayed in Central Park this year.  Altair?*
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Melian Brythonia

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2014, 06:28:05 am »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?


In the Celtic pantheon, Morrigan is connected with crows/ravens and Blodeuwedd is closely connected with the owl. Llew is linked with the eagle. The Children of Lir transformed into swans. Rhiannon is the Welsh goddess of birds. Midhir also had three cranes guarding his palace.
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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2014, 06:38:21 am »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
So I’ve been thinking and researching what kind of deity to try to contact, and I read that I should keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary for a deity trying to contact me.

 
Branwen's got starlings, Odin and Apollo have ravens, Zeus has eagles, Freya and the Heru retinue have falcons, Djehuty has the ibis, and those are just off the top of my head. Birds are everywhere and seem pretty common (at least in my own Western experience) as symbols of the divine.
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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2014, 09:47:54 am »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692


Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?

 
There are many deities associated with certain kinds of birds.  Why are you basing your search criteria for a deity on this one aspect?  

Aset and Nebet Het are associated with Kites (predators who eat both live prey and carrion; also their shrill cry symbolized wailing mourners).  Aset is also associated with the vulture, hawk and falcon.
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missgraceless

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2014, 01:20:26 pm »
Quote from: Valentine;143704
... Likewise, the American robin is specific to this continent (robins in Europe are an unrelated species, and American robins are thrushes!), so if you're looking for Old World deities, there's not going to be a clean fit.  Hope that helps!

 
I know next to nothing about Native American* traditions, but that was what initially popped into my head when I read this. Surely someone at some point associated American robins with either a deity/spirit or at the very least a concept. Could anyone verify this thought process?



*I'm using 'Native American' as an umbrella term for the countless tribes that lived and thrived here long before the settlers/colonists came.
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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2014, 02:52:19 pm »
Quote from: veggiewolf;143787


*is now wondering if robins stayed in Central Park this year.  Altair?*


Agh, sorry for the tardy reply, Veggiewolf; I somehow missed this thread until now.

In NYC (robins can be found all over town, not just Central Park; my residential city block has plenty--and also plenty of little community gardens in the vicinity, which probably helps), robins winter over every year. There are also migrant robins that come and go here, but even in the dead of winter, you can find robins. This is true in many areas of the robin's range.

The important thing to remember about migration is that it's motivated by food supply, NOT cold weather directly. If a bird can find a reliable food supply, it may not risk the extreme perils and enormous energy expense of migration. This year, two Baltimore orioles wintered over in Central Park (the first time I've ever heard of that) because fruit-filled bird feeders were maintained by us humans throughout this particularly bitter winter.

Robins can switch to berries when the frozen, snow-covered ground denies them worms, so they can definitely make a go of winter.
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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2014, 03:09:08 pm »
Quote from: missgraceless;145678
I know next to nothing about Native American* traditions, but that was what initially popped into my head when I read this. Surely someone at some point associated American robins with either a deity/spirit or at the very least a concept. Could anyone verify this thought process?



I also know precious little about the various religions of the different Native American tribes, so I can't confirm that. But why reach back to their traditions, when common American traditions have long assigned significance to the robin as a harbinger of spring and therefore a sign of renewal? Why not just go with that?
The first song sets the wheel in motion / The second is a song of love / The third song tells of Her devotion / The fourth cries joy from the sky above
The fifth song binds our fate to silence / and bids us live each moment well / The sixth unleashes rage and violence / The seventh song has truth to tell
The last song echoes through the ages / to ask its question all night long / And close the circle on these pages / These, the metamythos songs

Ai

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2014, 06:16:27 pm »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
So I’ve been thinking and researching what kind of deity to try to contact, and I read that I should keep a look out for anything out of the ordinary for a deity trying to contact me.

The first thing I thought of was that, though in my area, there are never birds in the winter, I noticed a weird number of robins around campus starting from early February, which is out of the ordinary.  I did some research to see if this is normal, and it is in some places, but I’ve never seen birds in this area until spring, and it’s still snowing here.

I also looked up some deities that are associated with birds, and I only found Greek gods - Hermes, Apollo, Athena, and Artemis.

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?


The ancient Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar/Inanna was depicted as a bird-woman. She is a goddess of war, fertility, love, and sex.  She reminds me also of The Morrigan from Irish mythology.

Monstera deliciosa

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #12 on: May 12, 2014, 05:16:20 pm »
Quote from: cartowheel;143692
I noticed a weird number of robins around campus starting from early February, which is out of the ordinary.

Am I missing any, or are there deities in other pantheons that are closely associated with birds?

 
You might look into Robin O'Wood in the Wiccan imagining, or Saint Francis Assisi. Any deity commonly invoked for Ostara could be robiny as well (Herne the Hunter, Ostara Herself, etc.) if you consider robins as a portent of springtime.

Another thing to bear in mind is that, while deities and saints are all well and good and have their various avian helpers/symbols, you can go directly to bird spirits as well. Robin the greater spirit (with a capital "R") exists, as well as the everyday mundane robin, which has a spark of greater Robin within it. Make sense? Bird spirits are work-with-able, if you bear in mind that they have sparrow priorities or crow priorities rather than human priorities. Research robins, and see what they might have to teach you.

All that being said, robins in February may simply be a harbinger of the God of Global Climate Change, whom we should probably all be paying much more attention to. I shall call him Steve, and placate him with offerings of bicycling to work. All tremble before Steve!


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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #13 on: May 12, 2014, 06:27:54 pm »
Quote from: Monstera deliciosa;147365
All that being said, robins in February may simply be a harbinger of the God of Global Climate Change, whom we should probably all be paying much more attention to. I shall call him Steve, and placate him with offerings of bicycling to work. All tremble before Steve!

 
Mods, please feel free to edit this out if you don't feel it's appropriate in this space. I posted it, thought better of it, then was unable to edit that particular post. My sincere apologies.

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Re: Deities associated with birds?
« Reply #14 on: May 12, 2014, 07:29:33 pm »
Quote from: Monstera deliciosa;147370
Mods, please feel free to edit this out if you don't feel it's appropriate in this space. I posted it, thought better of it, then was unable to edit that particular post. My sincere apologies.

 
I'm not a mod, but I will say we're a sass-friendly space, here at the Cauldron, in my experience.
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