What the albatross portends. How albatrosses manage to fly around land An albatross can fly for weeks without landing
Albatross symbolism? What is interesting about this bird? What legends and beliefs are associated with the albatross? and got the best answer
Answer from Twilight [guru]
Albatross
A typical image of a long, incessant flight and distant oceans. Albatross portends bad weather and strong winds. It can become a receptacle for the soul of a deceased sailor, therefore it is extremely dangerous to kill him, as this can bring misfortune.
Albatrosses are a family of birds of the tube-nosed order. They have a long, powerful beak with a hook at the end and, like other tube-nosed animals, tube nostrils. Paws strong, webbed. The wing bones are strongly elongated. The musculoskeletal system has a special mechanism that allows the wing to be fixed during flight in a straightened state.
There are 12-14 species in the albatross family, of which only 3 are found on the nesting site in the Northern Hemisphere, and the rest are found south of the equator. Of these, the most famous is the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), which, like the royal albatross (D. epomophora), can be considered the largest flying bird - from 2.5 to 3.4 m in wingspan! 
Many marine legends, widespread today, consider birds to be the receptacle of the souls of dead sailors. This is especially true for gulls and albatrosses. Killing this beautiful bird for old sailors and fishermen was tantamount to killing a man.
How strong the belief in such a sign is, eloquently evidenced by an incident that occurred in July 1959. The British freighter Calpian Star, after a long crossing across the Atlantic, docked in Liverpool to troubleshoot engine problems. During the voyage, the captain caught an albatross, intending to sell it to a German zoo. A few days later, the bird was found dead in its cage. Upon learning of this, the entire crew of the ship staged a sit-down strike, flatly refusing to continue sailing on the ship, the captain of which was guilty of the death of the albatross. Throughout the voyage, they were accompanied by innumerable misfortunes and misfortunes, which the sailors, of course, unambiguously associated with the capture of a bird. This case once again confirms that the beliefs and signs of hoary antiquity should be treated more carefully and thoughtfully than many modern people who prefer to simply dismiss them as an absurd superstition. Of course, suspiciousness and blind faith in prejudices will not bring anything good, but still it does not prevent us from sometimes looking at the world more broadly than we are used to, and listening to the advice and guidance of our ancestors that have come down to us through the centuries.
Bird everywhere - a symbol of freedom (the idea of \u200b\u200bseparating the spirituality from the earthly), the soul (including when it leaves the body).
In Egypt, the soul of every person was depicted as a hawk with a human head, leaving the body after death. In the epic of the Upanishads, birds sit on the Cosmic Tree: one eats, the other guards it, protects it. They symbolize the individual and the universal soul.
Birds are part of the symbolism of the tree: the power of the deity descends into the tree or onto its symbol - the trunk. Two birds on a tree (sometimes one of them is dark and the other is light) personify the individuality of the world: darkness and light, manifest and hidden, two hemispheres. Birds are often depicted on the branches of the Tree of Life with a snake at its base; this combination symbolizes the union of air and fire.
Due to the ability to rise upward, as well as keen eyesight, birds often become symbols of divinity, power, and victory. Throughout the world, birds are considered messengers (messengers) of the gods.
In addition, birds are a symbol of an enduring spirit, divine manifestation, spirits of the air, spirits of the dead, the ability to communicate with gods or enter a higher state of consciousness, thought; imagination, the ability to rise above the ordinary.
Singing bird - a symbol of happiness. The bird in the cage symbolizes the loss of freedom.
In many myths, birds play an important role in the creation of the world or control natural forces: for example, the petrel in the North American Indians or the lightning bird in South Africa. The serpent bird Quetzalcoatl in Central American mythology combines celestial and earthly power, often divided. In other myths, heavenly and earthly are separated, and then the fight of birds with snakes depicts a fundamental conflict between light and darkness, spirit and flesh. The bird and the snake in the conflict personify the solar and chthonic forces in a state of war. Legendary birds often represent the heavenly regions and powers opposed to the chthonic serpent.
Large birds are often identified with solar deities, gods of thunder and wind, and their tongues are viewed as lightning bolts.
Bird on a pole - the unity of spirit and matter, as well as the symbol of the sun god.
Birds often accompany the hero in his exploits, secretly giving him advice ("the little bird told me"), and the hero understands the language of birds. This ability involves communication with Heaven or the help of heavenly forces.
The incarnation in birds of both the human principle and the cosmic ear is symbolism determined by their ease and speed of movement, free soaring and the ability to reach heaven attributed to them. Therefore, the group of symbols is based on the idea that birds have contact with the divine realms or, like the Dove of the Annunciation, deliver messages from there. The Celts worshiped birds for this very reason. Shamans decorated their clothes with feathers, put on bird masks, trying to "fly" with their help to the highest levels of knowledge.
The ancient Romans guessed by the flight of birds and by their singing, which may have been an attempt to decipher the higher knowledge to which the birds were supposed to have access. In many myths, legends and simple fairy tales, birds bring useful information to great heroes. The Australian aborigines are therefore very suspicious of birds, fearing that they might reveal their secrets to enemies.
Birds are often endowed with the ability to predict the future. It is believed that they are embodied deities of immortality and joy.
Primitive and ancient Egyptian painters, depicting a man with a bird's head, symbolized by this the spiritual side of human nature and the hope for immortality.
In some cultures, birds are considered harbingers of disease, usually crows or vultures. However, it is more widely believed that birds are a good sign: for example, in Hinduism, they symbolize the love of the gods who sent the elixir of immortality - soma - to mankind.
Birds are associated with wisdom, intelligence and quickness of thought (which is quite a long way from the modern expression "bird brains").
Flocks of birds are magical or supernatural powers associated with gods and heroes. The image of the bird's claws signifies the dark, destructive aspect of the Great Mother.
In alchemy, two rival birds are the dual nature of Mercury, philosophical mercury; birds flying up and down have the same meaning.
For the Scandinavians, a bird is a spirit released from the body, wisdom (this especially applies to a crow).
Among the Celts, the symbolism of birds is ambiguous. They have signs of a deity of a happy "other world" or, conversely, signs of witchcraft power and ill-will. Such are, for example, crows and finches. The Celtic deity Tuatha may appear in avian form, with bright shiny feathers, hung with gold chains, when he predicts an important message.
In shamanism, a bird is a symbol of ascension to Heaven, mediumistic and magical knowledge. During the rituals, shamans wear bird robes and feathers. Dressed like a bird, the soul can gain wings.
Christians have birds - winged souls, everything spiritual, souls in paradise. The Christ Child is often depicted holding a bird in his hands. In Western art, a bird can symbolize air or touch. Birds in a cage (an image that Plato considered a metaphor of the mind) is used as an attribute of the allegorical figure of Spring.
In Islam, birds are the souls of believers living on the Tree of Life. The souls of infidels take over the carrion-eating birds.
In Hinduism, a bird means intelligence, thinking: "Thought is the fastest bird" (Rig Veda); “One who understands has wings” (Pancavimsa Brahmanan).
Buddhists have a bird as a symbol of Buddha; also means an omen.
In Taoism, the three-legged red raven personifies the solar principle of yang; he lives in the Sun and can symbolize the Great Triad, the three greatest forces of the cosmos: Heaven, Earth and Man.
Among the Chinese, most birds have such a solar nature, in particular, the crane, peacock, rooster, etc.; they belong to the yang region, symbolizing longevity and good fortune. In China, the bird is considered a male symbol (a homonym for the word "penis"); however, "wild oriole" is an idiomatic expression for "call girl".
In Japanese Shinto, the bird personifies the creative principle.
STORK
The stork symbolizes new life, the arrival of spring, good luck, daughter or son affection. The English word stork - "stork" - comes from the Greek, which means strong affection; in Hebrew the name of the stork "Hasidah" \u200b\u200bmeans "piety"; these linguistic associations arose in connection with the belief of the ancients that storks feed both their children and elderly parents (in ancient Rome, Lex Ciconaria, or "Stork's Law," prescribed taking care of elderly parents). This touching concern and association with the spring, when storks arrive, was the reason that the stork became the sacred bird of the ancient Greek goddess Hera (Juno), the patroness of nursing mothers.
In Northern Europe, there is a belief that a stork brings newborn babies to mothers. This belief comes from the ancient idea that newborn souls live in an area where there are many swamps, ponds, bogs. A stork carrying a baby is a symbol of christening.
Among the Jews, the stork symbolizes mercy, compassion. The emblem of special love and love for children.
In Christianity, the stork symbolizes purity, chastity, piety, vigilance. According to Swedish legend, the stork is named after the cry “styrca! styrca! " - “be strong! be strong! ”, with which he encouraged Christ. The stork is also depicted on coats of arms, as he fought with reptiles, especially with snakes.
For the Slavs, the stork is an ancient totem bird, a symbol of the homeland, family well-being, home comfort, love for their native land, home. The symbol of the pagan Slavic goddess of the Dawn (Morning and Evening). The punishment for an offense inflicted on a stork (ruining a nest or killing a bird) is a fire that incinerates the house of the killer or himself.
In art, storks are sometimes depicted harnessed to the chariot of Hermes (Mercury), as well as trampling and killing a snake.
ALBATROSS
The albatross symbolizes a long, soaring flight with no apparent effort. It also means the burden of guilt - a symbol that appeared when an albatross was killed, violating an ancient naval taboo. According to legend, the souls of drowned sailors inhabit these largest seabirds. Albatross rescues sailors at sea, showing a safe route; killing an albatross, according to legends, causes misfortune and death. In ST Coleridge's poem "The Tale of the Old Mariner" (1798), when one of the sailors accidentally killed an albatross, the crew members hung a killed bird around his neck in order to point out the culprit and deflect the punishment from the rest.
Traditionally, seeing an albatross is considered a good sign.
BUREVESTNIK
Among the Indians of North America, the petrel was considered a divine creature living under the clouds. The flaps of his wings caused storms, and the sparkle of his eyes caused lightning. A symbol of an approaching storm, a revolutionary upsurge.
The image of a petrel - a white silhouette of a bird on a blue background - is also used as a sports emblem, the meaning of which is daring, youthful impulse.
CROW, CROW
The raven and the crow have similar symbolism. In Europe, vulture crows have long been associated with war, death, desolation, evil and misfortune - a symbolism that is also common in India. Because of their blackness, they are considered symbols of chaos and darkness that preceded the light of creation.
In European folklore, the crow-king appears, living on the top of an impregnable mountain. Ancient (there is a belief that crows live up to 300 years) and wise, he personifies justice. In addition, the raven has a connection with the world of the dead, he is able to get living and dead water. In the Christian tradition, the raven serves as a harbinger of misfortune, symbolizes Satan and sin - because of its color, and also because, according to superstition, it pecks out the eyes of the dead. Along with this, a raven with a leaf in its beak or on a broken cup is an attribute of Benedict, the patron saint of Europe; the raven bringing food is the symbol of the Hermit Paul. The prophet Elijah is sometimes portrayed as a raven who, by order of God, brought food to Christ in the wilderness.
In Europe, the symbolism of the raven was influenced by the Celts with their goddesses of war (Badb, Morrigan, Nemain) in the guise of ravens, as well as the Vikings: their god of war Odin was always accompanied by two ravens - Hugin and Munin. These ravens not only reported events in the mortal world, but also symbolized constructive concepts such as mind and memory. Dedicated to Odin, the raven became the main emblem on the standards of the Danes (the Danes believed that a standing crow with folded wings foreshadows victory, if it spreads its wings, defeat).
Among the Paleoasian peoples, the raven was the creator of the world. He is still worshiped in Chukotka and Greenland. Crows living near human settlements feed not only on garbage - they are entitled to their share of meat. The killing of a raven is considered a grave sin. The ancient ritual dance of the Raven has been preserved in Chukotka. Shamans use the power of ravens for mystical flights.
The symbolism of the raven in Judaism is also dual in nature: as a devourer of carrion, it is considered an unclean bird, but at the same time it symbolizes discernment. According to Hebrew legend, the raven was originally white; when Noah sent him to see if the waters began to subside, and the raven returned without good news, its plumage turned black.
It is widely believed that the raven is a travel assistant and a predictor (since it can reproduce human speech), as, for example, in Ancient Greece, where it was considered the sacred messenger of the god Apollo and the goddess Athena. The raven brings messages from the spirit world. The raven is also associated with the solar cult of Mithra. In general, the raven is a symbol of the Sun, as it was believed that its shiny black plumage makes it possible to survive in close contact with the Sun. In ancient Rome, where the cry of a raven resembled the Latin word "kras" ("tomorrow"), it was associated with hope.
The ancient Chinese argued that the raven (crow) symbolizes the isolation of the person living in the higher spheres. In China, the three-legged raven is the emblem of the Shu dynasty, it symbolizes the sunrise, zenith and sunset (on which this legendary raven was believed to live). In both China and Japan, the raven is an emblem of family love. Shintoism attributes the role of the messenger of the gods to the raven. In Japanese mythology, a raven and a kite descend at the behest of God to earth to lead Jimma through the mountains to the lands of the Yamato tribal union, where Jimmu founded the first imperial dynasty.
In Africa and some other places, the raven is considered a hazard warning guide.
The hero of many tales of the Indians of North America, the raven is reputed to be a cunning and a deceiver. But at the same time, the crow is endowed with mystical powers and is considered the creator of the visible universe. Similar properties were attributed to her by the Celts, Scandinavians and the peoples of Siberia. For the Canadian Eskimos, the raven is the Father of the people, God the creator; killing a raven can ruin the weather.
The American raven, which lives in flocks and feeds mainly on grains and insects, has a positive and even heroic reputation. So, in the myths of the Tlingat Indians, the raven is considered a sunny, creative, educated bird; in the legends of the Navajo Indians, the raven is the Black God, a participant in all events in the animal world. Both American and Australian myths explain the black color of raven feathers by chance and do not see this as any bad sign.
In the Western European tradition, the symbolism of the raven also extends to its close relative, the raven. There is a belief that when crows begin to leave their nests, it portends hunger or some other misfortune; knowing the superstition of his compatriots, Winston Churchill, during the rapid German offensive in France in 1940, ordered the ravens to be fed if they decided to leave the Tower.
In alchemy, the raven is a symbol of the primordial state of matter, black and rotting. But no matter how black and stinking the decaying primordial matter was, in potency it represented the future Philosopher's Stone, and the alchemists addressed it with the words of the Song of Songs: “Daughters of Jerus are Lima! I am black, but beautiful! " A woman holding a crow in her hands is a symbol of the process of fermentation (Putrefaction), the canonical seal of the alchemical Work. The raven on the shield is a symbol of purification.
In heraldry, the raven is a symbol of prudence and longevity; drawn in black.
GOGOL
According to a legend recorded in Zaonezhie, “two gogols swam across the pre-Yul (ancient, primary) okyan-sea: the first was bel-gogol (God), and the other was black gogol (satan). The black bird pulled out a lump of earth from the bottom, from which God created the earthly world. "
White gogol, a diving duck, is the creator of the world in Finno-Ugric legends.
DOVE
Peace, purity, love, serenity, hope. Traditional Christian symbol of the Holy Spirit and baptism. There is a legend that claims that the devil and witches can transform into any creature except a dove and a sheep.
The small white bird, which brought an olive branch to Noah during the flood, became the image of God who changed his anger to mercy. Here, as in other myths, the dove acts as a messenger. In a broader sense, the dove personifies a pure soul; often it is depicted flying out of the mouth of the holy martyrs. Pigeons also sometimes symbolize souls in ancient and iconography and Indian mythology. The dove is also known as the Christian emblem of chastity, despite the more ancient and obvious associations with lust. He was the companion of the Semitic goddess of love Astarte, whose image then merged with the Greek Aphrodite (Venus), as well as the companion of Adonis, Dionysus (Bacchus) and Eros (Cupid). Pigeon cooing has been associated with both sex and childbirth. In Pompey, images of winged phalluses with doves were found. A pair of doves has been considered for many years to be a symbolic representation of sexual harmony; maybe that's why the dove became the personification of a tender wife.
In Greece, a dove with an olive branch as a symbol of the renewal of life is the emblem of Athens, a dove with a laurel branch is a symbol of peace, a dove with a cornucopia means a happy accident.
In China, the dove is one of the many symbols of longevity, as in Japan, where the dove with the sword is also considered the emblem of peace.
The widespread veneration of the dove as a symbol of peace arose, most likely, due to the mention of it in the Bible. However, already in his early commentaries to the Bible, Saint Jerome explained that the church by a dove does not mean an ordinary dove, but a "turtledove", a pure bird, always nesting on the top of the tallest trees.
The peacemaking symbol - the dove of peace (the international emblem of peace) - spread in the 20th century thanks to the famous painting by the artist Pablo Picasso.
In North Americans, the image of a pigeon is synonymous with "weakling" (as opposed to a hawk).
GOOSE
There are two groups of symbolic meanings of the goose: the first is associated with the wild goose, the second with the domestic goose.
The wild goose symbolizes vigilance, love, happiness in marriage, loyalty. It is a solar symbol, especially in Egypt. A sign of freedom, enlightenment and, thanks to seasonal flights, a symbol of autumn and spring.
In ancient Egypt, the goose was considered a bird that laid an egg, from which the sun emerged. He was also called the messenger of the gods. The goose became the emblem of the Pharaohs, who, in the minds of the ancient Egyptians, were the embodiment of the Sun. When the new pharaoh ascended the throne, the priests released four geese as messengers to all four cardinal directions. The geese sacrificed on the winter solstice symbolized the returning sun.
The sunny positive symbolism of the wild goose overlaps with the swan in many ways; in fact, they are interchangeable, especially in the Celtic tradition.
In ancient Rome, the goose was dedicated to the god of war, Mars, and then became a triumphant emblem of vigilance - after a famous incident in 390 BC. e., when the cries of the sacred geese from the temple of Juno alerted the defenders of Capitol Hill about the attack of the Gauls. The ancient Greeks associated the goose with Hero, Apollo, Eros and the messenger god Hermes.
In China and Japan, the wild goose is considered, on the one hand, a masculine, sun sign, and on the other, the meaning of the goose as a lunar, autumn bird is more common.
In the minds of Asian shamans and Indian brahmanas (Brahmins), the goose was a "riding animal" on which souls sought to escape from the continuous circle of existence.
The earliest mention of the domestic goose as a symbol goes back to the Sumerian god of household and animal husbandry, Bau. In folklore, the goose appears as a chatty, motherly caring, somewhat stupid creature (hence the expression "stupid goose"). The sexual symbolism of the goose, associated with Priapus in ancient Greece, was also widespread, and the observation of a goose stretching its neck and shaking its head in an excited state was entrenched in the expression "walking a goose."
BLACKBIRD
Blackbird in Christianity means the temptation of the flesh (sweet singing and black plumage). In the temptations of Saint Benedict, the devil appears in the form of a blackbird.
CRANE
In China and Japan, the crane symbolizes vigilance, longevity, wisdom, devotion, honor. According to legend, the cranes gather in a circle to protect their king, while with one foot they stand on the ground, and with the other they squeeze a stone: if the crane falls asleep, the stone falls and wakes it up (Aristotle describes such a crane).
In China, the image of a crane flying to the Sun is a symbol of social aspirations, its snow-white body is a symbol of purity, and its red head is the fire of life. A lonely crane, not adjacent to the flock, is considered a symbol and companion of the Taoist saint. In Japan, it is a symbol of wisdom.
The opposite symbolism is inherent in this bird in India, where the crane is a symbol of betrayal, and in some Celtic regions, where this bird is considered a harbinger of misfortune.
In Egypt, the two-headed crane is a symbol of prosperity. The ancients were impressed by the endurance and beauty of the crane, the complex mating dances, the loud voice and the brooding appearance. The dance of the cranes is one of the most ancient prototypes of round dances.
In ancient Greece, the cries of the crane during migration heralded the time of spring sowing and the beginning of harvest. In Africa, the crane is associated with the power of speech. His spring re-flights have become a symbol of spiritual and bodily rebirth. This symbolism is often borrowed by Christian art.
Throughout the world, the crane is a symbol of communication with the gods.
In Russia, cranes, along with storks and nightingales, are considered "birds of God". The symbolism of the crane is associated with the Sun. This is manifested in the close sound of the words used to denote heat: zheravik is a homonym denoting both a crane and hot coals; chewy, hot - burning, hot, red-hot; red-crowned crane. The image of these birds on ancient towels of the Dnieper region also characterizes them as a cult species of birds of the Sun. Their arrival, emergence of chicks and departure are associated with three phases of the solar cycle: the spring and autumn equinox and the summer solstice.
In ornaments, dancing cranes are often depicted together with Semargls, patrons of plants, and wolves, whose patron was St. George ("Yegoriev Day" - April 23).
The heraldic crane is depicted with a stone in one paw and serves as an emblem of vigilance: it protects the flock from enemy attacks.
Scientists in 14th century England used an arrow-like sign to indicate who was descended from whom. A similar symbol, reminiscent of the footprint of a crane on wet sand, was known in the French court as pied-de-grue (literally - "the footprint of the crane"). Over time, the term began to be used in England in a variety of forms, until the modern form of the word "pedigree" - "pedigree" ("pedigree") was established.
KINGFISHER
In Chinese tradition, the kingfisher symbolizes grace, nobility, serenity, tranquility, beauty, dignity, speed, modest nature, prone to solitude, and marital fidelity.
In ancient Greece, he was associated with a sad calmness. In the myth of Alcyon (Haokion), Zeus turned her and her husband Seiks into a pair of kingfishers. When the kingfishers decided to build a nest across the sea, Alcyone's father, the wind god Aeolus, kept the waters calm for seven days a year so that his daughter could breed.
The ibis is a sacred bird of the Egyptians. The symbol of wisdom. In ancient Egypt, the ibis was considered the embodiment of the lunar deity Thoth, the greatest god of Egypt, the patron saint of occult knowledge, who gave mankind a written language. He is portrayed as a man with the head of an Ibis.
The ibis appears frequently in Egyptian iconography; he was mummified and placed in royal tombs to explain the secrets of the afterlife to the dead.
It is believed that the ibis can live only in Egypt and, transported to other countries, dies there of melancholy.
In ancient times, black and white ibises were dedicated to the moon. But all other types of ibises were also revered, as they destroyed the eggs of crocodiles, which were the symbol of the hideous Typhon. This bird is also called the guardian of the harvest. To kill an ibis, even by accident, was considered a terrible crime.
WREN
The wren is the "little king" as it is called in Wales. In the West, he is often called the king of birds. He, like a dove, can represent the Holy Spirit, but he can also symbolize a witch. The wren is dedicated to the Greek Triptolemus and the Celtic Taliesin. In Ireland, the wren is associated with the prophetic power of the Druids. In Scotland, the wren is the Queen of Heaven's Chicken. The murder of the wren entails a very great misfortune, although in England and France in former times it was hunted at Christmas, killed and hung on a pole, after which they made a procession around it and then buried in the courtyard of the church, which was associated with the death of the old of the year.
Among the Indians of North America, this skillful songbird is revered as a symbol of happiness.
CUCKOO
Ambivalent symbol. On the one hand, the cuckoo is a symbol of a freeloader, a loafer, hence the English word "cuckold" (fooled husband). In Europe, this bird is associated with envy and adventurism. The cuckoo is also a symbol of sadness and widowhood. Yaroslavna in "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" grieves for her husband with the zigzit (cuckoo) on the city wall. The symbol of a mother abandoning her children.
On the other hand, this bird is characterized by more common positive symbolism: harbingers of spring, summer or wealth. There is a belief that when you hear a cuckoo, you have to shake it for luck with coins. This is a prophetic bird, it predicts how many years a person has left to live. Also a symbol of girlish friendship.
SWALLOW
The swallow symbolizes the arrival of spring, new life, renewal, resurrection.
It is considered a sacred bird of the goddess Isis in ancient Egypt and the goddesses of motherhood in some other cultures. Childbirth symbol. In China, where the arrival of swallows coincides with the spring fertility rituals on the days of the March equinox, it is believed that in the house these birds choose for nesting will soon take place and many children will be born. The heraldic swallow is often depicted without legs: according to medieval beliefs, this bird always lives in the sky and never lands on earth.
SWAN
A romantic image, the embodiment of poetry and beauty. A contradictory symbol: light and death, transformation and melancholy, masculine and feminine principles, especially significant in literature, music and ballet. The white swan - a solar, masculine sign - became the brilliant hero of Wagner's opera Lohengrin and other stories about the swan knight. As a symbol of feminine tenderness, beauty and grace, the swan appeared in PI Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake. This ambiguity can be traced back to ancient times: in ancient Greece, the swan was an attribute of both Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love and beauty, and Apollo, the god of poetry, divination and music.
The myth of the swan and Leda is associated with the constant theme of transformation in the symbolism of the swan: Zeus, in order to achieve the beauty of Leda, appeared before her in the form of a swan.
As a result of such myths, the symbolism of satisfied passion and fading or lost love was entrenched in the swan.
In ancient Greece, it was believed that swans sing only once in their life - before death, and this song is of unearthly beauty. In addition, swans form a pair for life, and it is believed that after the death of one bird, the second falls like a stone from a great height and breaks. Therefore, the swan is a symbol of faithful love, inseparability and romantic death.
In the Celtic tradition, the swan is associated with the inspiration of the bards (although it is sometimes replaced by a goose). In the Finnish legend of the swan, it symbolizes the waters of the river flowing in the afterlife.
And the iconography of the swan is often associated with the harp and otherworldly aspects of spiritual life.
ROBIN
The robin is one of the most commonly used symbols of Christianity. She sometimes replaces the goldfinch in the legendary story of a bird that plucked a thorn from the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ when he walked to Calvary, and was stained with his blood. This blood left a mark on her forever. In this context, the robin symbolizes trust. However, there is another interpretation that has taken shape in European superstitions: the robin portends death, and the one who kills it will face misfortune.
In a 1960 survey by the International Council for the Conservation of Birds, this bird has also become a national symbol of Britain.
EAGLE
“Of all the birds, some wise man chose an eagle to denote royal power, a bird that has neither beauty nor voice, is unfit for food, but voracious, insatiable, hating everything, a disaster for all, possessing the amazing art of harming only from whims to do it "(Erasmus of Rotterdam).
The eagle, the lord of the air, is one of the most common, unambiguous and universal symbols that embody power, speed and other signs of the animal world in all its glory. The king of birds.
The most important solar symbol of all the sun gods, rulers and warriors. Associated with greatness, power (especially imperial), domination, courage, inspiration, spiritual uplift. It personifies the midday Sun, ascension, inspiration, liberation from bonds, victory, pride, contemplation, apotheosis, regal origin, courage, strength, height, the element of air.
The eagle is not only a companion of all the great gods, but often their direct personification. As one of the Greek myths says, when the Olympian gods needed a cupbearer, the supreme god Zeus sent an eagle for the young handsome Ganymede (according to another version, Zeus flew himself, turning into an eagle). In another myth, the anger of Zeus turned into an eagle and tormented the liver of Prometheus.
In Ancient Persia and Ancient Rome, the eagle was revered as a symbol of victory, and its flight was perceived as an omen of military success. The eagle served as the emblem of the Roman emperors and generals; his images were carried on the standards of the Roman legions.
Double-headed eagles are attributes of the twin gods and can mean all-knowledge and double power.
The connection between the eagle and the gods of the sky has an ancient and strong tradition in the ancient Egyptian, West Asian, Indian, and Eastern cultures. The eagle with human hands is the ancient Syrian emblem of sun worshipers. In ancient Egypt, the eagle was a symbol of the day and sunlight, so it was made an emblem of holiness.
The eagle is often a symbol of both a storm or thunderstorm and the sun, that is, it is associated with both light and fertility.
The rivalry between an eagle and a bull, between an eagle and a lion, in which the eagle always wins, personifies the triumph of spirit and intellect over carnal nature. Garuda, the bird-man on which the Vedic god Vishnu flew, is often depicted as fighting with serpents, personifying evil.
Fighting an eagle with a snake or the image of an eagle with a snake in
claws symbolizes the victory of the spirit. In this battle, the eagle personifies the forces of good, and the serpent - the chthonic, evil forces. In addition, the eagle means unmanifest light, and the serpent means unmanifest darkness. On the other hand, the combination of the symbols of an eagle and a snake represents the unity of air and earth (sometimes a lion replaces a snake, as, for example, in alchemy), constitutes a cosmic whole, a combination of spirit and matter.
In alchemy, a soaring eagle means the liberated spiritual part of the first matter, prima materia. The eagle is also the hermetic symbol of sulfur, meaning the mysterious fire of Scorpio and the Gate of the Great Mystery. Double eagle means androgenic mercury. The crowned eagle and lion are wind and earth, mercury and sulfur, volatile and frozen principles. The crowned eagle and lion are considered to be a symbolic representation of the dual unity of the principles of mutability and immutability.
According to Jewish beliefs, an eagle can burn its wings in the sun and fall into the ocean, from where it appears with a new pair of wings. This story is one of the symbolic motives of Christian baptism. The eagle is depicted not only in fonts, but also in church pulpits - as the emblem of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, carrying the Word of Christ. In medieval Christian iconography, the eagle is associated with the ascension of Christ, with prayers sent to heaven, with the descent of God's mercy and the victory over evil (in the case when the eagle is depicted with a snake in its beak). Baptists use the image of the eagle to represent new life. On the church lectern, where the Bible is placed, the eagle is depicted with wings outstretched to the sides, which symbolizes divine inspiration and spiritual strength.
The Celts associate the eagle with healing waters.
Among the nomads, especially in North Asia, the eagle is a shamanic symbol of the Father, its feathers are used in initiation and rituals in which the shaman "communicates" with the spirits.
In Buddhism, an eagle is a bird on which the Buddha flies, an attribute of Amoghasiddhi.
In China, the eagle personifies strength, yang energy, power, warrior, courage, perseverance, keen eyesight, fearlessness. The eagle and the raven are associated with the gods of war.
In the mythology of the Indians of North America, the eagle appears as a mediator between heaven and earth and, in addition, a symbol of the day. The headdress with eagle feathers represents the Thunder Bird, the world spirit. In some cases, a white eagle symbolizes a man and a brown one - a woman.
In Central America, the eagle and jaguar symbolize the unity and opposition of heaven and earth. For the Aztecs, the eagle is the power of heaven, the shining Heaven, the rising Sun, devouring the snake of darkness.
Among the Australian aborigines, the eagle, like the falcon, is equated with deities.
In heraldry, the eagle is a symbol of power, domination, generosity and foresight. On the coats of arms, the eagle is most often depicted as flying chest first, with wings raised upward or soaring. It can be one- or two-headed. Ever since the time of the founders of Rome Romulus and Remus, he was depicted on the standards as "the bird of Jupiter." The Hittites used the image of a two-headed eagle as their emblem, which was probably perceived by the Seljuk Turks during their crusades. After the Christian conquest of Palestine, the two-headed eagle became the coat of arms of Pride. The eagle is also found as an attribute of the allegorical image of Pride.
PEACOCK
Shining glory, immortality, greatness, incorruptibility. It is also a symbol of pride and vanity.
In the ancient cultures of India and later in Iran, the magnificent peacock's tail became a symbol of the all-seeing Sun and eternal cosmic cycles. Since snakes in Iranian symbolism were considered enemies of the Sun, it was believed that the peacock kills snakes in order to use their saliva to create iridescent bronze-green and blue-green "eyes" on the feathers of its tail. Due to the sparkling splendor of the peacock's tail, it has been compared to the immortal gods. In Persia, the shah's court was called "the throne of the Peacock"; the peacock was also associated with the throne of the Hindu god Indra Amitabha (which, according to Chinese tradition, is the main one in the Buddhist paradise) and with the wings of the cherubim that support Jehovah's throne. The peacock accompanies some Hindu gods, such as Sarasvati (goddess of wisdom, music and poetry), Kama (goddess of sexual desires) and the god of war Skanda (who could also turn poison into an elixir of immortality).
When peacocks appeared in the Mediterranean (the Bible says that King Solomon brought "gold and silver, and ivory, and monkeys, and peacocks"), they became there a symbol of the stellar firmament and, as a result, all-unity and interconnectedness. In addition, in Greco-Roman mythology, the peacock is dedicated to the wife of Zeus, Hera (Juno). According to legend, when Hermes slain the all-seeing hundred-eyed Argus, Hera revived him in the form of a peacock, placing his eyes on his tail.
Peacocks also symbolize greatness, royal authority, spiritual superiority, ideal creation. In ancient Rome, the peacock was considered the emblem of the empress and her daughters, while the eagle was the emperor's bird.
In China, this bird is the emblem of the Ming dynasty.
As the Buddhist emblem of Avalokiteshvara (Kuan-yin in China), the peacock symbolizes compassionate foresight.
In Islamic decorative art, the unity of opposites (the Sun at its zenith next to the full moon) is depicted as two peacocks under the World Tree.
In Persia, two peacocks, sitting on opposite sides of the Tree of Life, served as an allegory for the polarity of the human being, based on a cosmic unity, manifested in the form of a tree.
In Southeast Asia, the "peacock dance" reflects the original idea of \u200b\u200bthis bird's solar symbolism, its figurative "death" should cause rain.
In Christianity, the "eyes" of peacock feathers sometimes symbolize the "all-seeing" church. Since this bird renews its plumage (it is believed that as the peacock ages, its feathers are renewed, becoming more and more beautiful), it became a symbol of immortality, as well as resurrection, since it was believed that its flesh did not rot, even after lying in the ground for three days. Peacocks sometimes appear in Christian art in scenes of the Nativity or drinking from a goblet, in both cases as a symbol of eternal life. On the other hand, the Christian doctrine of a humble life led to the fact that the sins of pride, luxury and vanity began to be identified with the image of the peacock, therefore, in Western art, the peacock is most often the personification of Pride.
In some countries, the peacock is considered a harbinger of trouble: its feathers are called "the eyes of the devil" and "warn" about the presence of a traitor.
The Hindus considered the peacock to be a sacred bird. Keeping a peacock on the farm meant protecting yourself from snakes. Peacocks easily tolerate a slight frost, and if a peacock is killed healthy, and does not die of illness, it is incorruptible: its meat does not rot in a hot climate, but shrinks, turns to stone.
In Russia, a different attitude has developed towards peacocks. Since only a very wealthy person could afford to breed these rare birds, all the qualities that were hated in the master were transferred to the “master bird”. Therefore, in Russia, the peacock is an emblem of arrogance, self-righteousness and arrogance.
In heraldry, the peacock is depicted with loose plumage. In "blazon" (the language of heraldry) it is called "a peacock in its pride."
PELICAN
The pelican symbolizes self-sacrifice and parental love, as well as mercy.
There are several conflicting legends. According to one of them, the female pelican strangles the born chicks from an excess of love; three days later the male appears in the nest and tears himself into blood with his beak in order to revive the chicks with this blood. According to another legend, the roles change: the male kills the chicks in anger, and three days later a female appears, tearing her breasts apart to feed them and thus revive them. There is another option: at the threat of starvation, the mother pelican tears her breasts and, sacrificing her own life, feeds the chicks with her blood. The legend may have its origins in Prguzyu ^ sh, a fantastic book about birds and animals written in a religious manner. Perhaps these legends are based on the fact that the pelican takes food supplies from its bark pouch.
Early Christian writers compared a pelican feeding offspring with its flesh to Jesus Christ, who sacrificed his blood for the salvation of mankind. Since the 13th century, the pelican has been one of the most famous allegories of Christ. In the Divine Comedy Dante calls Christ "Our pelican". That is why the pelican is sometimes depicted in scenes of the crucifixion of Christ, where he personifies the human nature of God the son and is a couple to the Phoenix bird. The so-called pious pelican was often depicted in medieval churches.
In the visual arts, the canonical image is a pelican in a nest at the top of a cross. In still lifes, the pelican is a symbol of mercy.
The pelican is also a fundamental symbol of European occultism (primarily alchemists and Rosicrucians), expressing the feat of self-sacrifice in the name of new life and eternal transformation and rebirth of life in new and new physical forms.
In heraldry, the pelican is a symbol of filial devotion, reverence for parents. This bird is usually depicted looking like an eagle or a crane, standing in a nest and trying to feed the chicks with its blood. Sometimes the figure of a lone pelican is depicted inflicting wounds on himself.
QUAIL
The quail's symbolism: kindness, ardor and bravery - is based on the reddish-brown color of the bird, its pugnacious nature and returning from wintering places among the first migratory birds. The quail is associated with the Greek island of Delos, the mythical birthplace of the sun god Apollo and the huntress goddess Artemis. The quail is a symbol of military prowess in Rome and China. The Chinese associate quail with the south, fire, fire, summer. The association of quail with light is confirmed by the Hindu myth of the twin deities Ashvin, who freed the quail (symbolizing spring) from the mouth of the wolf (winter). In Europe, night flights of quail are associated with witchcraft, but in general it has a positive reputation, especially among the Israelites, for whom it served as food in the desert during the Exodus.
COCK
It personifies vigilance, courage, courage, foresight, reliability. The herald of the dawn is a symbol of the Sun and spiritual rebirth (in the Middle Ages, a weather vane in the form of roosters was installed on the spiers of houses and churches as a symbol of readiness to meet the morning dawn). These qualities prevail over pride, arrogance, lust, which are also inherent in him.
The rooster is associated with the dawn, the Sun and light among all peoples, with the exception of the Celts and Scandinavians, where he is the messenger of the underworld: the rooster controls souls, calls the dead to battle, warns the gods of danger.
In ancient Greece, the rooster is an attribute or companion of many gods, including Zeus, Apollo, Attis, Persephone (gods and goddesses of rebirth), Ares and Athena (warlike deities), Hermes (messenger of the gods) and Aesculapius (god of healing). He is also a traditional sacrificial bird.
The Romans mean "the third watch of time": between midnight and dawn.
In Western art, the rooster can personify lust. This symbolism is observed in other traditions: among the Romans, the rooster is a phallic totem; in English jargon, the word "cock" means a male member; in the Tibetan man-dala, illustrating the teachings of the Buddha, the rooster is a symbol of lust. Among the Vatican treasures is a bronze statue of a cock with a male torso and a penis head instead of a head; the pedestal reads "Savior of the world."
In the Christian tradition, the symbolism of the rooster is generally positive. It is a symbol of light and rebirth, opposition to the darkness of spiritual ignorance. Often the rooster serves as a weather vane in churches, which symbolizes vigilance in relation to all kinds of evil. According to popular belief, night ghosts and evil spirits disappear with the first crow of a rooster. This solar protective symbolism inherent in the rooster can be traced back to ancient times, it was widespread in the Middle East.
The legend of the denial of Christ by his disciple Peter left an imprint on the symbolism of the rooster. Wishing to warn Peter against betrayal, Jesus told him at the Last Supper: "The cock will not crow until you deny Me three times." The rooster's crow marked the end of that night. The Evangelist Mark reports that after Peter's third denial, "the cock crowed a second time." It was the early morning of Good Friday. The singing rooster is a reminder of Peter's denial, but also a symbol of his repentance and service as the first pope. This legend is also reminiscent of the petuh sitting at the very top of the huge clock of the Strasbourg Cathedral. Whenever the figure of Peter appears among the apostles, the crowing of the rooster is heard. For this reason, the rooster became one of the attributes of St. Peter, who, in turn, is considered the patron saint of watchmakers.
In Islam, it is believed that it was the cock that was a giant bird, seen by Muhammad in the First Heaven of Paradise, shouting: "This is not God, but Allah." Some African peoples consider the rooster a soothsayer and possessor of secret knowledge, therefore they associate it with sorcerers.
In China, where the red cockscomb is associated with sunset and autumn, the word "rooster" is a homonym for "good fortune"; a red rooster removes the fire from the house, and a white rooster - ghosts; roosters can be sacrificed, but out of respect they do not eat. The rooster is a symbol of five Chinese virtues: dignity in war, virtue in peacetime, courage, reliability and generosity (the latter is from the rooster's noticed habit of offering found food first to chickens and only then eating it himself). A live rooster or its image is used in a funeral ceremony as a talisman to ward off evil.
In Japan, the rooster is a sacred animal. He is given complete freedom of movement in Shinto temples. The rooster calls the faithful to prayer - a reminder of how he once summoned the sun goddess Amateramu from the cave where she hid her light.
In Buddhism, the rooster personifies sensual desires and is one of the three emblematic animals (along with the pig and the snake) that accompany a person in the circle of birth and death.
In alchemy, the Rooster symbolizes the volatile part of the stone substance - living, active, dry water (contrasted with the image of the Fox). In Vasily Valentin's treatise "Twelve Keys" we read: "The salt of the Stars is protected from damage; and when necessary, he will make them fly up by a bird, and the Rooster will devour the Fox, jump into the water and drown, and then, gaining life with the help of fire, will be torn apart by the Fox. "
In the eastern calendar, this bird - the only one from the kingdom of birds - belongs to the ninth year in the twelve-year cycle.
The Gauls wore the image of a rooster on weapons and banners, and later it became the emblem of Gaul (thanks to the play on words of the Latin language, in which “gallus” means both “rooster” and “gall”). In France, it is considered the emblem of independence and freedom, as well as cocky and arrogant.
For the Eastern Slavs, when moving into a new house, the rooster played the role of a "double" of the owner. If the rooster spent the night safely, then it was possible to move in. The rooster symbolized the element of fire, and was a talisman against evil spirits. His image often adorned the gable of the roof of Slavic dwellings. A popular motif on ritual and wedding towels. The symbol of the guy: on Christmas Eve the girls were guessing "on the rooster" in a circle: if the rooster comes up and pecks a heap of grain, then the groom will be rich and economic.
Fire symbol: "Let the rooster".
As the most lively of birds (the famous "cockfighting") it serves as a symbol of struggle and combat.
In heraldry, when depicting a rooster, a comb and a beard, an open beak (singing rooster) can be distinguished with special paint. A rooster with a raised leg means a willingness to accept a fight.
A PARROT
It is universally considered a messenger, a mediator between the human and other worlds - symbolism that reflects the ability of this bird to imitate human speech. For the same reason, parrots are endowed with the gift of prophecy. In India and Central America, they are considered to be capable of causing rain. The parrot is an attribute of the Hindu god of love, Kama. In Chinese folk tales, parrots inform their husbands about their wives' infidelity; Parrot (meaning idle chatterbox) is a Chinese slang term for bar girls. In everyday life, a parrot symbolizes insincerity and a narrow-minded mind, which is expressed in the senseless repetition of other people's words.
DRAKE
In Mari folklore, the drake is considered the creator of the world: he dived into the sea and pulled out a clod of earth, from which the world was created. The drake in this myth is a symbol of God. In Russian songs, a drake and a duck are a symbol of a married couple.
OWL
The owl is traditionally a symbol of wisdom. This symbolism originates from ancient Athens, where the owl was considered a companion and attribute of the goddess of wisdom and study Athena (Athena is usually depicted with an owl on her shoulder). It is in this capacity that the image of an owl is often found on Greek coins. According to legend, Merlin, an ancient Celtic magician who helped King Arthur, gained access to invisible spaces thanks to an owl.
In Rome, the owl is the bird of Minerva in the guise of the patroness of arts and crafts.
The wise owl in European fairy tales and fables also originates from the Athenian tradition.
The emblematic image of wisdom is an owl sitting on a pile of books. "Learned owls" are called people of mental labor.
The owl can also be found as an attribute of the allegorical figures of Night and Dream.
In some ancient cultures, especially in China, the owl has an ominous symbolism, representing darkness. In China, young owls are credited with pecking out their mothers' eyes. In addition, the owl personifies the yang principle, which has a rather negative, destructive coloring. The owl has also been associated with thunder and the June solstice.
Silent night flight, glowing eyes and eerie screams contributed to the owl being associated with death and occult forces. She is credited with the gift of prophecy, possibly due to her ability to see in the dark. It was considered a bird of death in Ancient Egypt, India, Central America, North America, China and Japan, and in some traditions the owl is revered as the patron saint of the night and the messenger of the afterlife, called upon to escort souls to the kingdom of the dead (for example, in India). Among the Plains Indians of North America, owl feathers in a headdress have a protective symbolic meaning for the same reason. Tlakolot, the god of evil of the Mayan tribe, is depicted as an owl.
In Christianity, the owl, as a nocturnal and generally very mysterious creature, has become a symbol of evil spirits and witchcraft, its image in the Christian tradition is a symbol of the blindness of unbelief.
Nowadays, the owl is perceived mainly as a symbol of discernment and book erudition.
FALCON
The falcon, like the eagle, is a solar symbol of victory. Symbolizes superiority, strong desire, spirit, light, freedom.
The falcon outwardly looks like a hawk, but with longer wings and a higher flight, so they hardly differ in iconography.
In Peru, the falcon is a solar symbol, satellite or spirit brother of the Inca god, and also the progenitor of people.
In ancient Egypt, the falcon, revered as the king of birds, means the sacred symbol of the Sun. Temples were dedicated to him. The killing of a falcon was considered a grave sin. Many gods are depicted with the body or head of a falcon, including Ra - in the form of a falcon with a disk instead of a head, symbolizing the rising sun. The heavenly god Horus is also depicted in the form of a falcon or with the head of a falcon; his hawk's eye often adorns amulets, symbolizing protective power. The symbol of the human soul - the bird Ba - has the body of a falcon and the head of a man.
In Western tradition, the falcon is a hunting symbol associated with the Germanic god of the sky.
Wotan, his wife Frigga and the cunning god Loki. Falcon with a cap put on
head - a symbol of hope for light and freedom. Falcon as a symbol of aggression is much less common. The white falcon on the family coat of arms of the second wife of the English king Henry VIII) seemed to anticipate the passion of her nature and lust for power, which prompted Henry VIII to break with the Catholic Church.
In Christian symbolism, the falcon, as a wild bird hunting for hunting, means evil. The tamed falcon symbolizes the conversion of the Gentiles to the true faith.
In Mongolia, the falcon is considered one of the destroyers of the "solar werewolf". The symbolic image of a falcon - a ball (eye) with wings - the sign of the "third eye".
For the Slavs, this bird is a symbol of strength, a courageous Cossack, a good fellow. In Slavic mythology, a falcon sits on top of the World Tree. Falconry is an attribute of the princely court, the nobility. The falcon is opposed to the crow (as the embodiment of evil forces): "Where the falcons fly, the crow is not allowed there."
NIGHTINGALE
A symbol of talent, singing gift, purity, torment and ecstasy of love. Symbolism is based on the beauty of the nightingale singing in spring during the mating season. The song of the nightingale is associated with both joy and pain. Associated with the nightingale is the Greek myth of Philomela, whose tongue was torn out so that she would not tell that her brother-in-law Tereus had raped her; the gods took pity on her and turned her into a nightingale (according to another version, into a swallow).
Hearing the song of the nightingale is a good omen. Different peoples in their own way interpret the reason for the virtuoso singing of a bird: love, longing for paradise, the loss of a loved one or (in Japan) the prophecies of holy spirits. In China, "nightingale and rose" means the harmony of the beauty of three: sound, visual image and smell. The nightingale is a favorite image of poets.
There is a belief that whoever eats a nightingale acquires a beautiful voice or the gift of eloquence.
MAGPIE
Symbolizes joy, happy marriage, sexual success. In China, the cry of a magpie is a happy sign that heralds a meeting with friends. In Korea, it is revered as a bird that brings good news.
However, in the Western tradition, the image of the magpie is associated with money-grubbing (because of the forty's love for shiny objects), gossip and witchcraft. In China, there is a tradition according to which the spouses who were apart broke the mirror and kept its halves; if one of them cheated on the other, then his half of the mirror turned into a magpie and hurried to tell the news to the deceived spouse. The sign of the yang principle and the sacred bird of Manchus. The magpie is often depicted on Chinese greeting cards.
In Russia, gossips are called forty, as well as thieves or fashionistas who are greedy for everything shiny.
OSTRICH
In Ancient Egypt, the ostrich feather is an attribute of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice, the wife of the god of wisdom Thoth (the Egyptian hieroglyph "maat" means "ostrich feather"). This feather, according to legend, was placed on the scales when weighing the souls of the dead in order to determine the severity of their sins. Since ostrich feathers are the same length, they were used as a symbol of justice. The belief that the ostrich hides its head in the sand when danger appears (a symbol of avoiding problems) probably originated from the threatening pose of the ostrich when it bends its head to the ground itself.
In the Australian coat of arms, the emu is a supporter along with a kangaroo. Often used in trademarks in Australia.
OWL
Witch bird. Night symbol. Death messenger. According to legends, evil sorcerers turn into owls.
HERON
First of all, it is a symbol of curiosity. A solar bird that has much in common with the crane and the stork. In addition, it symbolizes alertness and calmness. The heron is a bird of waters. It also personifies tact and delicacy, as it takes off without muddying the water. Usually a heron is a good omen.
In Egypt, the heron is a symbol of the morning (rising) Sun and is revered as the creator of light. Therefore, it is believed that the heron is the prototype of the bird Bennu (analogue of the Phoenix), a symbol of rebirth, the return of Osiris and (like a bird of the Nile flood) renewal of life. When the Nile overflows, the heron leaves the river and flies over the fields. Among the Egyptians, in addition, the heron is the first creature that transforms the soul after death.
Christians sometimes perceive the heron as an allegory of believers, towering over life's bad weather like a heron overcoming rain clouds.
In Buddhism and Taoism, the heron shares the symbolism of the crane.
In Chinese and Japanese symbolism, the white heron, associated with the black crow, forms the opposition of yin-yang, solar and moon, light and darkness, a serious and silent essence (thinker), as well as another - malicious and talkative. The heron in China is also a symbol of ancestors.
In art, the heron is associated with willow.
GULL
Among the Northern peoples, a seagull is a symbol of a yearning woman. According to legend, the woman turned into a seagull after the death of her husband. Also a symbol of a mother's cry for her children.
HAWK
A symbol of cruelty, assertiveness, viciousness and recklessness. These qualities are fully present in hawks. They feed exclusively on live, strong and healthy animals or birds. When hunting, they try to ambush, take prey by surprise. Hawk chicks require a lot of food, and sometimes the strongest survive in the nest, simply eating their weaker brothers. At the same time, hawks are cowardly and leave the place of hunting if not only larger rivals start to interfere with them, but also, for example, flocks of small birds (for example, swallows).
In ancient Egypt, the hawk was considered a symbol of the soul. The hawk was also a symbol of victory, as it swiftly falls on its victim from a great height and bites its claws into it with fury.
Democratic journalists called the extreme right-wing representatives of the US administration, the military, and Congress “hawks” in the 1960s and 1980s.
The longest-winged and most legendary seabirds are by far the albatrosses. "RG" presents a unique photo series from their lives, made by the Kaliningrad oceanologist Alexander Remeslo, and tries to figure out what the most popular myths about these sea travelers are based on.
1. Albatross is the largest flying bird in the world
This is a moot point. Many researchers put the condor in the first place, although it is comparable in size to the albatross. But at sea, the primacy is undeniably held by the wandering and very similar to them royal albatrosses (adult birds can only be distinguished by an experienced ornithologist), which have the longest wings of all seabirds. Their span reaches three and a half meters. These birds weigh 8-10 kilograms.
2. The albatross can fly for weeks without landing
Not for weeks, of course, but for hours, almost all day, the albatross can soar: these majestic birds spend most of their lives in the air, covering vast distances over the ocean expanses. From one popular book about seabirds to another, the story is rewritten about how a wandering albatross ringed in the Tasman Sea was sighted off the island of South Georgia six months later, and about six months later it was again caught off the coast of Australia. Today, many famous ornithologists, not without reason, believe that wandering albatrosses make several round-the-world voyages during their life, flying around Antarctica with westerly favorable winds. There is evidence that this species can cover 6,000 kilometers in just 12 days.
3. Albatrosses never land on water
This is, of course, a delusion. They sit down, and often: after all, their food - surface fish, molluscs, crustaceans - lives in the water. But on the deck of ships, they really usually do not land: it is difficult for them to take off from a flat surface - long wings and short legs interfere. Therefore, it is inconvenient for them to take off from the smooth surface of the sea in calm weather: in such weather, wandering albatrosses sit on the water for a long time, take off reluctantly and hard, while they have to work hard. At first, the albatross accelerates, pushing off the surface with short legs, then flies low over the water, occasionally flapping its wings, and soon lands on the water again. The landing looks even more interesting: putting out its webbed paws, with wide-spread wings, it touches the surface of the water and, as if on water skis, raising spray, glides on the sea surface for a few more meters, after which it carefully folds its wings.
4. The appearance of an albatross heralds a storm
This sign can be considered quite justified, since strong and moderate winds are optimal for a gliding flight of large albatrosses. It is no coincidence that the albatross is a symbol of the "roaring" forties stormy latitudes of the Southern Ocean. However, resisting a hurricane is also difficult for them. In addition, it is difficult for them to find prey on the raging surface of the ocean.
5. Albatross is aggressive and bloodthirsty
This is an exaggeration, but it should not be forgotten that the albatross is a predator. There are known reliable cases when people who died in life jackets were found with eyes knocked out by sea birds and mutilated faces. A deserved acquaintance, the captain said that he witnessed a case when a sailor who slipped into the water while hauling a trawl was attacked by albatrosses. Fortunately for the victim, he was quickly lifted to the deck. And in fishing areas, for example, in the Falkland Islands and on the Patagonian shelf, the majestic wandering albatross, along with other, smaller albatrosses and petrels, turns into a banal scavenger who does not disdain ship debris and waste from seafood production.
6. Albatross flies without flapping its wings
Indeed, the albatross mainly flaps during takeoff and landing, and for flight it uses not so much muscular efforts as air currents. Therefore, it can hover for hours without a single movement of its wings. The flight of these birds is mesmerizing. You can tirelessly watch for a long time how the albatross "slides" at the very surface of the water between the shafts of heavy ocean waves, then makes several rare swings and rises upward at an acute angle to the wind. Having gained maximum height, it makes a sharp turn and again rushes down to the foaming crests of the waves. And so it repeats over and over again, turn after turn, hour after hour. Sometimes, catching updrafts, the albatross hovers over the deck of a sailing ship.
7. The souls of the dead sailors move into albatrosses
Of course, this is just an old maritime superstition from the days when the bodies of dead sailors were lowered into the sea, sewn into sackcloth. Further, it says that the albatross dies in flight, touching the wing of the young albatross, to which it transfers human souls, and itself falls like a stone into the sea. It is not surprising that the legends about the albatross are so poetic - this symbol of sea romance itself is so beautiful.
8. To kill an albatross is to bring misfortune
This point follows from the previous one. Stories about what troubles the killing or capture of an albatross brings to sailors have been around since antiquity. Nowadays, when many hundreds of seabirds die every year in the fishing areas, including wandering albatrosses, which get entangled in fishing equipment or swallow fishing bait, the omen is irrelevant. Nevertheless, it is quite possible to bring troubles: many species of albatrosses are listed in the international Red Book
In my personal photo archive, there is a shameful photograph from thirty years ago: two sailors on the deck of a ship are holding an albatross killed from a gun. Compare their sizes and you'll get a sense of the true size of a wandering albatross. But in flight over the surface of the sea, which surprisingly conceals the size and distance, even this large bird seems much smaller. The impression changes when you find yourself next to an albatross.
Albatross
ALBATROSS a, m. albatros m., eng. albatros it. Albatros. 1588. Lexis. A family of seabirds of the order of petrels with long narrow wings and a strong hooked nose. SIS 1985. During this time, seafarers have been feeding on Albatrosses, Penguins ..., seal and walrus meat. Put. Cook 247. There are many seabirds on the Japanese shores: they are the essence: albatrosses, various genera of gulls, cormorants, sea parrots, greenland pigeons, arras and so on. 1814. Golovkin 1851 3 89. Heroes, sea wanderers, albatrosses. 1918. Kirillov V. T. Sailors. // Dushenko 168. ♦ Albatross on smb. neck. Everlasting ...
Albatross
albatr \\ "wasp, -a
Russian spelling dictionary. / The Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Rus. lang. them. V.V. Vinogradov. - M .: "Azbukovnik". V.V. Lopatin (executive editor), B.Z.Bukchina, N.A.Eskova and others.. 1999 .
Albatross (Diomedea exulans) is a swimming petrel, or tube-billed bird, characterized by a lateral nasal opening at the base of the beak and the complete absence of a hind toe. A. belong to the largest known seabird, very clumsy in appearance, but very dexterous in flight. Therefore, they fly away from the coast for hundreds of hours, swim quickly, feed on sea animals, which they grab on the surface without diving. They are found in the southern seas, in the Pacific Ocean and even reach the north to Kamchatka. The common albatross is very common in the seas near Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, and therefore it has been known for a long time (Mouton du cap, Cape sheep). He chases, sailing after the ship, and falls on a fishing rod thrown from there. This bird has meat that gives off blubber and is worthless ... isp. the largest bird of the gull family, especially in flight width; totak, cape ram, large stormy bird. albatross
petrel, wanderer (seas, ocean)
albatross, m. (Arabic al-kadus - bucket, crane at the well) (zool.). A large seabird of the petrel family.
albatross
ALBATROSS -and; m. [French. albatros]. A large seabird of the order of petrels with a short body and long narrow wings (inhabits the tropical and subtropical seas of the Southern Hemisphere).
Albatross albatross o'c
Russian verbal stress. - M .: ENAS... M.V. Zarva. 2001.
Albatross (Albatros)
plateau-like elevation of the bottom of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. km from the equator to the Gulf of California. Width about 1000 km.Relative altitude 1000-1500 m. Depth above A. 3357-3871 m, over some ridges 2500-3000 m. Separate peaks form islands (Revilla-Gihedo, Clipperton) and underwater banks (Germaine, Allaire). Crossed by fault zones (Clarion, Clipperton). Named after the expedition ship Albatross (USA), on which bathymetric and biological studies of the Pacific Ocean were carried out in 1888-1905.
Albatross `Dictionary of foreign words`
(Spanish). One of the largest (4 feet in size) seabird of the petrel family; found in the seas of the southern hemisphere.
(Source: "Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language". Chudinov AN, 1910)
A 4-foot petrel bird found in the seas of the southern hemisphere.
(Source: "Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots." Mikhelson A.D., 1865)
seabird, petrel family, white with black wings; often follows ships, flying hundreds of miles from the coast.
(Source: "Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language". Pavlenkov F., 1907)
seabird of prey from the petrel breed ...
ALBATROS is an aircraft manufacturer in Germany. Founded in 1909, it became the first supplier of aviation equipment for the German armed forces. In total, this company has created over 100 aircraft models. In 1931, the Albatross factories were transferred to the Focke-Wulf.
albatross
-and
,
m. A large seabird with an elongated beak and long, narrow wings. [French. albatros]
m. Large oceanic bird of the order of petrels with a short massive body and long narrow wings.
Albatross
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