The Palestines tell tat when the female vulture was ready to lay an egg, her mate would fly off to search for a hadjar al-nasr, a vulture’s stone. This precious rock was to be found only on a select few mountains, and the male vulture sometimes had to fly as far as the islands of […]
Tag: Asia
Bird stories, Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)
The Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan, believe that the owl is an omen of good luck and that if a person hears the sound of rain falling when walking beneath a branch where an owl is perched, he will become rich. Other Ainu stories explain why owls hate rats. An owl had put […]
Bird stories, Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
The nomadic Bedouin of the Sinai Peninsula believed that if the body of an Egyptian Vulture was buried for forty days, then dug up and boiled until all of the flesh had dissolved, a single bone would stick up among the others, signifying that it held great power. All that was required to win the […]
Bird stories, Common Buttonquail (Turnix sylvatica)
A fowler once caught a Quail. The Quail said, I know four things that will be useful for you to know. What are they? asked the Fowler. Well, said the Quail, I don’t mind telling you three of them now. The first is : Fast caught, fast keep; never let a thing go when once […]
Bird stories, Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
The Buryat people of Siberia say that the gods first brought the vulture to the world for a very specific purpose. After the deities had created the first people, they sent a vulture to protect them from any harm that might befall them at the hands of evil spirits. But the people didn’t know of […]
Bird stories, Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)
An old and very odd legend of the Kirghiz tells of the treasures that awaited those who plundered a Himalayan Griffon nest. It was said that after an appropriate period of incubation, the Griffon’s egg hatches – and an axe emerges from the shell. Not just any axe; an axe that can cleave anything on […]
Bird stories, Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
The Nage tribe of Indonesia believe the bapu spirits that reside atop the volcano Ebu Lobo assume the guise of a Brahminy Kite (jata) or a large, high-flying hawk (jata jawa) when searching for human victims, whom they characteristically kill in the form of spirit buffalo. The following fable is told by the Visayan tribe […]
Bird stories, Blakistons Fish Owl (Bubo blakistoni)
Blakiston’s Fish Owl (Ketupa blakistoni) is one of the most important gods of the native Ainu people of Hokkaidu, in Japan. It is called “kotan kor kamuy”, which means the “god of the village” or “god who defends the village”. The next story stems from the Ainu. The tortoise in the sea and the owl […]
Bird stories, Bengal Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera)
The belief of the hill-tribes in north-eastern India, the natives of Furredpore in eastern Bengal say that whenever this bird descends to the water’s edge for a drink it holds a twig in its claws ; it prides itself on living altogether on trees, and in order that it may not be accused of perching […]
Bird stories, African Grey Parrot
There was once a Banker who taught his Parrot the speech of men. The Parrot made such progress that he was soon able to take part in any conversation, and he astonished every one by his intelligence. One day a Parson came by the Parrot. My respects to your Reverence, said the Parrot. O reverend […]