It is that time of year again — Spooky Season is upon us, and as we get ready to hunker down by the fire for some ghost stories, let’s take a flight into the mythological world of bird lore. We’re fans of big birds (obviously!), an, you might say, obsession, but they’ve been both something of fascination and fear throughout human history for centuries. We’re diving into the strange tales that have knitted birds into the fabric of Halloween.
closeup selective focus shot beautiful american crows group
Crows, often found in urban settings, play a major role in Halloween folklore. They have both fascinated and terrified people throughout time. In Norse mythology, they were clever birds that served as the eyes and ears of Odin, representing wisdom and insight. However, in other cultures, crows have appeared as harbingers of death and darkness.
In Norse mythology, that crows were Odin’s loyal scouts, collecting information about human behavior, conflicts and activities. This is one of the reasons Odin is known as god of wisdom — because he is willing to do whatever it takes to increase his knowledge. This association has led to the crow being linked with knowledge, insight and wisdom.
Crows are unique in Britain and notably for the British royal family. For example, a group of crows, like those at the Tower of London, is protected by the royal guards who protect the Tower. According to legend, should these crows leave or die, it would signal the collapse of the Kingdom of England.
In Irish myth, a crow is only truly dead when it settles on a dead human being, something it never does with the living. In Welsh superstition, a crow flying over a human habitation was an omen that someone in the house would die.
Crows and ravens have long been linked with death, pestilence, and darkness. In the Medieval ages, they were portrayed as ravens and even associated with plague doctors who wore long, beaked-shaped masks to filter the air and protect against infectious disease.
Often associated with witches, stories of ghostly owls trace back to Greek and Roman mythology. Ọwls are viewed as the harbingers of bad luck, as the sight, and especially the call, of an owl is considered ominous or threatening. In ancient times, the sound of an owl’s hoot was held to be a portent of imminent death, and owls were said to have correctly predicted the deaths of several Roman emperors, including Augustus and Julius Caesar.
In Germany, it is said that if a newborn child hears the hoot of an owl at birth, the child is destined to lead a life of misfortune. The Greeks, also, had deep reservations about owls, regarding them as shape-shifting witches with the ability to drain a child’s blood.
Dracula parrot It refers to a parrot-like bird with scientific name ”Pterodroma vulturina”, more common known Palm Cockatoo or Goliath Cockatoo. This colorful bird with a parrot-like appearance is known for its unique features and behavior.
The Dracula parrot is a medium-to-large-sized bird with a broken black body and a one-of-a-kind ivory white beak. What sets it apart, though, is its bright-butted head and crown of fluffy feathers, which has earned it the nickname of “Dracula parrot” because it looks like a vampire who is living on top of a wingspan. Though the name brings up some certain imagery, the Dracula parrot is not about to drink your blood. It subsists predominantly on fruit in particular figs (especially certain kinds) but also may eat flowers, and perhaps, in small amounts, nectar.
Note that vampire ground nuthatches, another species, have a penchant for sucking blood. They reside in the Galapagos Islands where they suck up blood from other birds — mainly Nazca Boobies and Blue-footed Boobies — when other food sources like seeds and insects are too hard to find.
The Gu Huo Bird, in Guo Pu’s Xuanzhongji, flies during the night, showing its form as a bird when it wears its feathers but turns into a woman when it removes the plumage. It has many titles, including the Maiden of the Celestial Empire and the Nocturnal Wanderer. Oddly enough, this bird does not have its own chicks it raises; rather it specializes as an adoption service by raising the chicks of other birds as its own.
There is an odd belief that if a young child’s clothing is left outside to dry at night, the Gu Huo Bird will leave a bloodstain as a sign, taking the child away. That’s why people often call it a “ghost bird.” As such, it is a common practice to refrain from hanging out the clothing of toddlers before bed to avoid this fate.
Alongside these mythologies, the Ghost Bird is said to collect people’s clipped nails, which the bird consumes to hear about their past misfortunes. If the bird recognized that a man would encounter a great disaster, then it would alight on that man’s roof and chirp, admitted in Ling biao lu yi, vol.
In Ireland, there are many folktales about seagulls, who are thought to be the spirits of drowned men. Among the birds considered to be beloved in Irish culture, sailors at sea treated them reverently. This was so important, so necessary to be respectful to the seagull spirits when out fishing, it was believed hunting their kith was an auspicious ceremony well honoring the spirits of those already sunk.
They would tie a bird, let us say, to the dead body of the deceased and sacrifice the bird instead, you see. This belief stemmed from the notion of the bird being a guide that would transport the dead person’s soul into the underworld. It has been believed since antiquity that by killing the bird, the spirit or soul of the bird would be set free and would be able to perform its job better by assisting the departed soul in reaching the afterlife. This ritual ensured the smooth transition of the dead into the afterworld.
As the crisp winds of Spooky Season begin to rustle the leaves, as we prepare to huddle by the flickering firelight for ghostly stories, let’s take a fascinating flight into the myth and lore of birds. We love birds (of course!), if you read this up to October2023, have been both a source of fear and fascination throughout human history for thousands of years running. So click with us as we crack the mysterious tales that have stitched birds into the special fabric of the widely celebrated Halloween.
And speaking of avians, if you’re just as obsessed with these feathered creatures as we are, why not add a little touch of their world to yours? Check out Birdfy’s line of wide range of bird feeders, designed for your backyard, and make your own bird tales this season! Happy Halloween and happy bird-watching!
