According to the Gond, humans and animals originally all lived together in perfect harmony. One day, the gods Niranjani and Nirankali decided that all of the beings must be called together and taught what sort of foods they should eat. The Gond were allotted vegetables, the Pig was given excrement, the Tiger was provided all […]
Category: Accipitriformes
The Eagle in science lore, did it catch children ?
The Eagle and the Goose. An eagle was observed frequently to dart towards the Missouri, and then to rise again. His evolutions attracting attention, it was observed that he was endeavouring to take a wild goose, which had alighted in the river, and which dived to avoid him ; but, on rising to get breath, […]
The plucking of Eagle feathers, a Zuni ritual
The plucking of an eagle occurs in the house of a prominent shiwanni on the fourth day of a celebration. The process is as follows: The male members of the family are busy arranging plumes for their te’likinawe, when the stepson of the shiwanni is dispatched for an eagle (the eagles are kept in cages), […]
Never Kill an Eagle, he will be revenged
Once a hunter in the mountains heard a noise at night like a rushing wind outside the cabin, and on going out he found that an eagle had just alighted on the drying pole and was tearing at the body of a deer hanging there. Without thinking of the danger, he shot the eagle. In […]
The Golden Eagle, the sacred bird of the Cherokee bird tribes
The eagle is the great sacred bird of the Cherokee, as of nearly all our native tribes, and figures prominently in their ceremonial ritual, especially in all things relating to war. The particular species prized was the golden or war eagle (Aquila chrystaetus), called by the Cherokee the ” pretty-feathered eagle.” on account of its […]
How the Turtle got revenge on the Eagle
It happened thus somewhere in Cameroon. Tawny Eagle and Turtle built a village together. One day Turtle went walking in the forest, leaving Eagle at home alone. As soon as Turtle had disappeared in the forest, Eagle seized Turtle’s child and killed it. When Turtle returned from his going, he found his child dead: so […]
Icelandic folklore about the assa, White-tailed Eagle
The eagle is often seen sitting on the bank of a stream and will remain there sometimes for hours together. It is known that at these times she is watching for a salmon to swim so close to the bank that she can seize him with the talons of one foot while retaining hold of […]
How to learn to speak to language of birds
Kites have always been considered to be very unlikely vagrants to Iceland. Many men have been anxious to learn the language of birds, for they are wise and can tell many things, both of the past and future. There is but one way to learn the bird language and that is a dangerous one for […]
Folklore Namibia, the Hawk and the Leopard
Leopard and Hawk became friends. One day Leopard went to Hawk’s village to pay him a visit. Hawk said to himself, “What thing is it that I’ll cook for Leopard? I have nothing on hand.” Then he flew up into a tree. A fowl came into the village street, Kpwing! Hawk swooped down and caught […]
Bird stories, Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
In Nepal the Mustangi Gurung believe that after hanging the head of Golden eagles and Lammergeier on the main entrance it is believed that the house is safe from evil. A dead Lammergeier corpse and intestine is also an effective medicine for the treatment of diarrhea for the local people and this is still believed […]