Ancient Greek Myths about Birds

 

 

 In ancient Greece, birds represented power, freedom and wisdom and show up in numerous Greek myths and legends where they most often appear as messengers of the gods, oracles and even gods themselves.

Metamorphosis is a typical theme in Greek mythology, where gods as well as mortals, had the power to transform into different creatures, allowing them to trick and manipulate, so it was with birds which were endowed with the same magical power.

 

Ornithomancy:

The Practice of Reading Omens from the Actions of Birds In Ancient Greece

 

 

It’s a known fact that ancient Greeks practiced ornithomancy; (augury) the reading of the actions of birds, which they considered talented soothsayers.

Homer tells us, in his epic poem; “The Odyssey”, of how an eagle revealed the imminent arrival of Odysseus, by flying three times overhead and then three times to the right.

Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, had his own personal bird diviner at his side to give him divine guidance and Greek philosopher Anaximander, used ornithomancy to predict an earthquake in sixth century Sparta.

Birds conveyed predictions through their flight formation, their songs and on some occasions, through speech, not always in human languages.

However, many tales tell of people who possessed the power to understand the language of birds, such as the fortuneteller, Cassandra, who, after having her ear licked by a snake, discovered she could understand perfectly every word birds said to her.

 

Winged Messengers:

Harbingers of Life and Death

 

 

With their power of flight, these winged creatures were perceived as symbols of the soul, making its way to heaven after a person died.

Ravens and crows, were symbols of war, death and destruction, whilst on the other hand, doves represented rebirth, eternity, peace and love.

The answer “The stork brings them”, to the eternal question asked by small children “Where do babies come from” harks back to the belief that a person’s soul arrived on earth in bird form.

 

 

Symbolism of Birds

 

Many birds in ancient Greece took their meaning from the qualities associated with gods and goddesses who usually had certain birds as their symbols, the most well known being Athena, goddess of wisdom, who had the owl as her sacred bird, therefore the owl came to symbolize knowledge and wisdom.

 

 

In the same way, the eagle, personal messenger and companion and symbol of Zeus, who also had the ability to transform himself into an eagle, came to represent strength, determination, control and authority.

 

 

The dove, associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love, symbolizes (as well a peace), love and fertility.

The peacock, the symbol of the Hera, goddess of marriage, childbirth and family, the wife of Zeusrepresents royalty and power.

Other birds in ancient Greece took their symbolism from myths and tales, such as the story of Apollo, god of music, poetry, art, prophecy, truth, archery and much more, who’s said to have sent a white raven, or crow, to spy on his lover, Coronis.

When the raven returned with the bad news that Coronis had been unfaithful to him, Apollo, in his anger, charred the bird’s feathers, turning them black, hence, ravens or crows, are associated with bad news, bad fortune and disaster.

Below are the most popular ancient Greek myths about ten different birds, which may help you to understand, how various birds came to represent different things.

 

Ancient Greek Myths about Birds:

 

 

1. Owl – Greek – koukouvágia (κουκουβάγια)

 

 

One of the best-known symbols of ancient Greece is the Owl of Athena, goddess of wisdom, warfare and handicraft, daughter of Zeus and also patron of the city of Athens, which was named after goddess Athenawhen she won a contest with the sea-god Poseidon.

Thus, the owl became a symbol not only of the goddess Athena but of the city of Athens itself.

 

 

To see an owl, in ancient Greece, was a sign that the goddess Athena, was at your side, protecting you and leading you along the right path in life.

Considered intelligent birds, strategic hunters and possessors of secret knowledge, the owl continues to be a symbol of wisdom to this day; through the ages, quite a few philosophers, including the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, have taken the owl of Athena as their logo.

The owl of Athena also became the symbol of the notorious secret society, the Illuminati.

 

  2. Scops or Strix Owl – Greek – Stringa (Στρίγγα )

 

 

The Strix, plentiful in southern Europe, generally known as the scops owl, is also known as Striga, Strigula and Strzyga.

They have red-colored wings, black legs, clawed feet, long golden beaks and suck the blood of their prey.

Their eyes, which differ from the eyes of all other owls, are large, round and yellow without pupils.

In Greek mythology the strix, depicted as a malevolent creature; a bird of ill omen, said to feast on humans and quench its thirst with their blood, is associated with witchcraft, witches and vampires.

According to Pliny (Roman author, naturalist and philosopher AD 23/24 – 79), the word strix was used as a curse and its feathers were used to make magic love potions.

 

The Myth of Polyphonte and the Strix

 

 

In Greek mythology, Polyphonte, whose name in ancient Greek means “slayer of many”, the granddaughter of Ares, the god of war,

Polyphonte’s misfortune came about after she angered the goddess Aphrodite, when, to avoid the attention of boys and in order to remain a virgin, she ran away to the mountains to become a companion of Artemis (Diana), goddess of the hunt.

Aphrodite took this as a personal insult, after all, wasn’t she the goddess of love and procreation and wasn’t Polyphonte disregarding her womanly duties?

As revenge, Aphrodite cast a spell on the disobedient girl, which stirred up in Polyphonte, an irresistible lust for a bear!

Artemis, coming upon Polyphonte and the bear, in let’s just say, a compromising position, was so disgusted; she used her powers to turn the bear against Polyphonte.

Polyphonte ran for life and with nowhere else to go, returned to her father’s house.

 

 

Agrius and Oreius

 

Not long after returning home, the consequences of Polyphonte’s lustful goings on with the bear came to light when she gave birth to two bear-like sons, Agrius and Oreius.

 Agrius, whose name means, in Greek, wild or savage and Oreius, meaning mountain man, grew up to be man-eaters, attacking anyone who happened to cross their path.

Watching from his throne on Mount Olympus, Zeus, thought it was about time he rid his kingdom of this troublesome duo and sent the messenger Hermes to deal with the bears in any way he wished.

However, before Hermes had chance to carry out his task, Ares, now great-grandfather to the terrible twins, Agrius and Oreius, came to their rescue.

 

The Outcome

 

 

Whatever dastardly deeds these two bears had got up to, they were still family and so Aries struck a deal with Hermes; together, they would transform Agrius, Oreius, Polyphonte and her female servant into birds.

Polyphonte was transformed into the evil, owl-like strix, a symbol of doom and gloom.

Oreius was turned into a bird called lagōs, loosely translated, an “eagle owl”, an ill omen indeed and Agrius became a vulture, the  loathed carrion-eating bird.

After overhearing the female servant’s prayer, explaining to the gods of how she had played no part in the bear’s decadent behaviour, Ares and Hermes took mercy on her.

Rather than transform her into a bird which would predict evil for mankind, they turned the servant into a woodpecker; a sign of good luck.

(You’ll see, further down the list, this is not the only occasion in Greek mythology, where a woodpecker plays a part)

 

3. Eagle – Greek – Aetós (Αετός)

 

 

Eagles, to the ancient Greeks, were divine birds, messengers of victory, a symbol of strength, control and authority, so it comes as no surprise that Zeus (Jupiter), chose the eagle as his messenger, friend and emblem.

Some say, Aëtos, (the Greek word for eagle), was a childhood friend of Zeus, who, after Zeus became king of the gods, was transformed into an eagle by Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, as she suspected her husband was in love with him.

Others would have it that Aëtos is really Ganymede, the Trojan whom Zeus abducted, after transforming himself into an eagle.

 As it was a sign of strength and authority, the eagle became an emblem of numerous rulers, including the Achaemenids (the First Persian Empire), Alexander the Great, the Diadochi (rivals of Alexander the Great) and finally, the Roman emperors.

 

The Omphalos – The Navel of the Earth

 

 

Zeus, so they say, released two eagles at opposite ends of the Earth and ordered them to fly towards each other.

At the point where the eagles met, Zeus dropped a large stone from the sky, declaring that wherever the stone fell, was to be the center of the world, the “omphalos”, meaning “navel of the earth”.

The stone fell upon what is today known as Delphi, the location of the most famous oracle in Greece and the “navel of the earth”!

 

The Myth of Zeus and Ganymede

 

 

In Greek mythology Ganymede, was thought to be the most exquisite mortal youth you could ever wish to lay eyes on.

 Zeus, king of the Greek gods, thought exactly the same.

It was love at first sight for Zeus; he had to have Ganymede at all costs. (In ancient Greece it was the norm for an older man to take a ‘young boy’ as a lover) and so, without further ado, Zeus transformed himself into an enormous eagle, swooped down on the unsuspecting Ganymede, hooked him up with his talons and flew back to Mount Olympus with him.

 

 

Once they arrived, Zeus took Ganymede as his lover and and gave him the position as cupbearer to the gods; basically meaning, their slave, responsible for keeping the cups of the Olympians, filled to the brim.

Ganymede put up with a lot until, finally, one day, he could take no more and in a fit of temper, emptied out all the nectar from the jugs, which fell to earth as torrential rain, flooding the whole world.

 Zeus raged and roared at Ganymede but deep down, in his heart, he was a fair and kind man and on reflection, realized he had been rather hard on Ganymede.

In return for his unfair treatment of the boy, Zeus immortalized Ganymede as the Aquarius constellation, which depicts a boy with a jug.

 

The Myth of Zeus and Prometheus

 

 

Prometheus, creator of mankind even though the son of a Titan, helped Zeus gain victory in the “Titanomachy”, the war between the Titans and the Olympians, led by Kronos, the father of Zeus and the Olympian gods.

 The war resulted in Zeus claiming the throne from his father, securing his reign as king of the gods of Mount Olympus.

Prometheus, who wanted to teach mankind the art of survival, journeyed to Earth, taking with him the gift of fire, presented to him by Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths.

Once on Earth, he taught man, how to hunt for food, how to build houses, how to read and write and I’m sure he regretted this one; the ritual of sacrificing animals to the gods.

As man made their sacrifices to the gods, Prometheus noticed that they seemed to get the short end of the stick,the gods inevitably chose the choice cuts of meat, leaving the bones and fat for man; to turn the tables, Prometheus thought he would show man a trick or two.

 Prometheus cut an ox into two pieces, saying to man, “Watch closely, this is how you are to perform your next sacrifice, you’ll come off much better, trust me” and with that, he made a small parcel, using the best cuts and larger parcel, consisting of the skin and bones, which he concealed in fat.

 

Mankind Tricks Mighty Zeus

 

 

 Sure enough, at the next sacrifice, the greedy gods chose the larger parcel, unknowingly leaving the lean meat for man.

On realizing what had happened, Zeus thought “I’ll teach those tricksters a lesson, let’s see how they like raw meat” and with that, snatched that wondrous thing called fire, from earth and from mankind.

Seeing what had happened, Prometheus felt bad, this was all his doing, he never should have taught man to trick the gods.

“I must make amends, they needed that fire, I must find a way to return it to them.” He thought.

 In the dead of night, Prometheus broke into Hephaestus’ workshop and stole the fire.

The next morning, on discovering that, thanks to Prometheus, man, once again had possession of his treasured fire, Zeus’ anger knew no bounds.

He ordered Hephaestus to capture the immortal Prometheus, chain him to a rock, where, an eagle would eat his liver, which would grow again during the night, only to be nibbled at by the eagle again, the next day.

Prometheus’ punishment was to continue for all eternity but ended when he was eventually freed, many years later, by Hercules, the Greek hero of the twelve labours fame.

 

4. Dove – Greek – Peristéri (περιστέρι)

 

 

Doves, symbols of love and peace, when it comes to Greek mythology, are most famously linked to Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of love and fertility, who is invariably shown with doves fluttering around her or resting on her hand, or riding her golden chariot which was drawn by doves.

 

How the Dove Became the Sacred Bird of Aphrodite

 

 

Ancient Greeks named the dove peristera ( περιστερα), as a consequence of Eros (Cupid), transforming the nymph, Peristera, into a dove.

One spring day, Aphrodite and her son, Eros, accompanied by the nymph, Peristera, were frolicking happily in a meadow brimming with sweet-smelling flowers.

They thought it would be fun to see who could gather the most flowers.

Eros had the advantage; his wings, which enabled him to move speedily over the meadow, plucking great handfuls of blooms as he went.

Peristera, seeing that Eros was about to outdo his mother, quickly handed the flowers she had picked, over to Aphrodite, making Aphrodite the winner.

Eros, seeing his victory suddenly snatched away from him, in a fit of jealous rage, turned Peristera into a bird, which later took her name; Peristera, the Greek word for dove.

Aphrodite, feeling responsible for the fate of Peristera, took the little bird under her protection; and the rest, so they say, is history.

 

The Doves of Dodona

 

 

Dodona, is an ancient Greek oracle, second only to Delphi, located close to the modern city of Ioannina, in western Epirus, which was dedicated to Zeus and Dione.

Dione; “the divine one”, is the priestess and mother goddess who presided over the oracle there, she is also regarded as the mother of Aphrodite.

Dodono, an idyllic spot, with natural springs, swift running rivers and green meadows for as far as the eye could see and where prophetic doves resided in a hollow oak tree, is the place Zeus chose as his oracle.

 

 

Famous Greek historian, Herodotus, in his works “Histories” 430 BC, begins his story of the doves of Dodona, by saying; “This I heard from the priests at Thebes and what follows is said by the prophetesses of Dodona” and goes on to tell us:

They say that two black doves left Thebes in Egypt; one flew to Libya and the other to present day Dodona, where it settled in a hollow oak tree.

The dove, speaking in a human voice, then told the people, here is where an oracle dedicated to Zeus must be established.

The people, believing this dove to be Zeus himself speaking to them, at once set to work to creating the Oracle of Dodona.

The second dove, the one who had flown to Libya, again, speaking in a human voice, advised the people of Libya to create an oracle at Ammon, to be dedicated to the hybrid god called Zeus-Ammon.

This they did; the Oracle of Ammon was located in the Siwah Oasis, deep in the northern Sahara desert, about 500 km west of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt.

 

5. Crow – Greek – Koráki (Κοράκι)

 

 

In ancient Greece, crows (and ravens) were believed to be cunning and evil birds, bringing bad luck and even death.

The Greek word for crow is corone, which comes from Coronis, who was the mistress of the god Apollo.

In the version of the myth told by Appolodorus, Greek scholar and historian (180 -120 BC), Coronis left Apollo to marry Ischys, a mere mortal.

 A gossipy crow that was white in colour at the time flew off to inform Apollo of his mistress’s marriage.

 (For the Greeks, the crow was too gossipy which is why Goddess Athena replaced him with the owl as her sacred bird).

In a fit of rage, Apollo scorched the crow’s feathers, turning them black and burned the cheating Coronis to death.

 

 

In other accounts, it’s Coronis who’s transformed into a black crow by Apollo, either way, the crow, who was originally white, was now, forever more, black in colour.

In yet another myth concerning Apollo and crows, the god had sent a crow, or raven, depending who’s telling the tale, to bring him some water, on his way to a nearby stream, the crow spotted some unripe figs upon a tree.

 

The star constellations –  Hydra –  Crater and Corvus

 

 

Apollo sends a crow to collect water from a stream, on his way the crow finds a fig tree and tempted by the fruit, waits for the figs to ripen.

He knows that he is late and will be punished, so the sneaky crow catches a snake from the stream and collects the water.

 On returning to Apollo with the water the crow blames the snake for his lateness.

Apollo, who can spot a lie a mile away, throws the crow, water and snake into the sky where they are said to have formed the star constellations Hydra, Crater (cup) and Corvus.

 

6. Swan – Greek – kýknos (κύκνος)

 

 

Swans are a symbol of pure love and beauty and are known to mate for life making them a symbol of fidelity and longevity.

In Ancient Greece the swan depicted the soul and was associated with Apollo, the sun god.

 

Leda and the Swan

 

Leda was the beautiful wife of Tyndareos of Sparta in Greece and Zeus, the god of all gods, husband of Hera, and goddess of marriage, women and family, notorious in ancient Greece for his infidelity.

Zeus had long lusted after Leda, who showed no interest in him at all, he must come up with a plan which would enable him to approach Leda.

After having a big think, he decided to transform himself into a swan, which he did and waddled off to seduce the luscious Leda.

(In some versions Leda was already transformed into a goose with the intention of avoiding Zeus)

Upon finding her, he gave Leda a story of how he was being chased by a bird of prey and asking for her protection, Zeus, now in the form of a swan, lay down beside her.

Taking pity on the swan, Leda took it in her arms, here was his chance; Zeus pounced upon the unsuspected Leda and had his wicked way with her.

 

 

The result of this coupling was that Leda laid two eggs which produced four offspring; Helen, who became the beauty of Troy, Clytemnestra, wife of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and the twins, Castor, who was mortal and Pollux who was immortal, who later came to be known as the the Dioscuri.

Now here, things become a little complicated as on the same day she had been ravished by Zeus the swan, Leda had also slept with Tyndareus, her husband.

There are many versions of this myth but It was generally considered that Helen and Pollux were children of Zeus and Leda, whilst Clytemnestra and Castor, were the offspring of Tyndareus and Leda.

 

Apollo and Leto

 

 

In this tale Zeus, is at again, doing what he does best; having an affair with Leto, a Titan goddess, who becomes pregnant.

When Hera, Zeus’s wife finds out about this, she goes into a jealous rage, Leto, aware of the vengeful reputation of Hera, fearing for her life, makes a run for the island of Delos.

On the island Leto gave birth to twins, Artemis, who became goddess of the hunt and Apollo, who became god of god of the sun, arts and music.

It’s said that at the moment Apollo was born, seven sacred swans flew seven times around the island, which goes a long way in explaining why the swan became sacred to Apollo.

 

The Star Constellation known as Cygnus

 

 

Again, as with all Greek myths, there a many different versions, so it is with the story of how the Star Constellation known as Cygnus originated.

One version is that of Phaethon, son of Helios, the sun god and his friend Cycnus (the Greek word for swan), a king of Liguria in northern Italy.

Phaethon was desperate to have a go at driving his father’s sun chariot, when he did finally get the chance, it turned into disaster.

Unable to control the chariot, Phaethon flew too close to the Earth which caused all rivers to run dry resulting in deserts forming and outbreaks of wild fires.

Hearing the commotion, Zeus came to the rescue, shooting the inexperienced charioteer, Phaethon, with his thunderbolt, killing him instantly.

Phaethon fell into the River Eridanus (now the River Po), where a devastated Cycnus, dived into the water to retrieve his friend’s dead body.

Zeus, seeing the terrible sadness of Cycnus, took pity on him and transformed into a swan, which he placed him in the sky as the Star Constellation known as Cygnus.

 

 7. Kingfisher – Greek – Alkyóna (Αλκυόνα)

 

 

Also known as the Halycon, the Kingfisher is a symbol of peace and prosperity.

In ancient Greece, the body of a dried kingfisher was said to ward off thunderbolts and storms.

 

Alcyone (Halcyon) and Ceyx

 

Long ago, in ancient Greece, Ceyx, son of the morning star and Alcyone (Halcyon), daughter of Aeolus, god of the wind, fell madly in love, a love so passionate, it not only became a legend, known all over the ancient lands but also caused the wrath of Zeus.

Their love was so strong, they jokingly called each other Zeus and Hera, after the king and queen of Greek Gods, who were famous for their passionate love for each other, this was classed as sacrilege and through the grapevine, it didn’t take long to reach Zeus’s ears.

Alcyone and Ceyx must be punished for their audacity.

One stormy morning, Ceyx set sail to visit The Oracle at Delphi, as was the norm in those days, when advice and forethought were needed about pressing matters.

Alcyone, knowing all about the treacherous ways of the weather, begged him not to go, or at least, to take her with him.

Ceyx, said not to worry, he would be fine and be home before she knew it, little did either of them know, that Zeus had been keeping his eye on the couple and here was his chance to punish them.

Alcyone was left alone on the shore to watch Ceyx disappear into the misty, darkening sea.

 

The Death of Ceyx

 

 

Ceyx was not long out to sea when tragedy struck.

A terrific storm blew up (no doubt the doings of Zeus), tossing his ship around in the furious waves, the ship was wrecked and Ceyx drowned, his last thought being of his true love, Alcyone and with his dying breath, he pleaded with the sea-god, Poseidon, to return his body to the arms of his love.

Meanwhile, Alcyone, not knowing of the terrible fate of Ceyx, prayed to the goddess Hera, pleading with to her, to keep him safe and send him home quickly.

Hera, feeling sorry for Alcyone, as she already knew of the death of Ceyx, sent her messenger, Iris, to Hypnos, the God of sleep, to demand that he send a vision to Alcyone, revealing the death of Ceyx, Hypnos, then sent his son Morpheus, God of dreams, to visit Alcyone.

Morpheus appeared at Alcyone’s bedside in the form of Ceyx, wet and naked, and recounted the story of the shipwreck and his death.

On awakening and, finding herself alone, Alcyone rushed to the shore, where she recognized something floating in the sea, it was the body of Ceyx.

 

 

Heartbroken, Alcyone threw herself into the sea.

Before she had chance to drown, Zeus, who had been watching the drama, took pity on the couple and  transformed both her and Ceyx into Halcyons, a type of kingfisher.

The two lovers, united again, flew off into the horizon.

Zeus was not about to let them off lightly though and ordered that Alcyone should make her nest and lay her eggs in the winter, on the shore, at the spot where she had discovered Ceyx’s body.

 But when Alcyone made her nest on the beach, the fierce waves of winter washed it away.

 Again, Zeus’s heart softened,and he ordered Aeolus, Alcyone’s father, to restrain his winds, which he kept imprisoned in a cave and calm the waves for fourteen days, seven before, and seven after the Winter solstice,usually 21 or 22 December, allowing Alcyone to lay her eggs.

These fourteen days became known as the ‘Halcyon Days’.

 

8. Crane – Greek – Geranós (Γερανός)

 

 

The Crane, a bird of omen, symbolizes grace, devotion, faithfulness, travel, open-mindedness, aspiration, longevity, immortality and transformation.

 

Ibycus and the Cranes

 

 

Ibycus an Ancient Greek poet, a citizen of Rhegium in Magna Graecia, whist on his way to Corinth, was set upon by a group of bandits who robbed and then murdered him.

As he lay dying, a flock of cranes flew overhead, upon seeing them, Ibycus, with his last dying breath, declared  the cranes would avenge him.

Meanwhile, the bandits were wandering around the market place about to spend Ibycus’s money, when one of them happened to glance up and saw the cranes, which had followed the attackers to the market place, cried out:

“Look, the avengers of Ibycus!”

The authorities, on hearing the name Ibycus, at once realized these were the bandits who had robbed and murdered the poet.

 (The word Ibis or ibyx, is the ancient Greek word for a group of long-legged wading e.g. the crane)

They confessed to their crime and consequently paid the penalty.

From this, came the ancient Greek proverbial expression; “the cranes of Ibycus”.

 

Mountains of the Cranes

 

 

The Gerania Mountains (Gerania Ori), a mountain range in Corinthia and West Attica, Greece, is so called as in Greek mythology, during the Deucalion Floods, Megaros, son of Zeus, was saved from drowning, after being led to these mountains by the call of a flock of cranes; the Greek word for crane is gerani – plural – geranial.

 

Dance of the Crane

 

 

The dance of the cranes, still performed today, was first danced on the island of Delos by Theseus and the young Athenians, on their return from Crete, after he had freed them from the Labyrinth by following Ariadne’s thread.

The dance of the crane, a ritual dance in ancient Greece, consists of a lot of twisting and turning, meant to represent the labyrinth, the beginning and the end, the visible and the invisible and the human and the divine.

Just as the crane, a bird of prophecy, knows the path from birth, which leads to the great beyond, so Ariadne’s thread, showed the path from imprisonment to freedom; from the beginning of the thread to the end of the thread; beginnings and endings

 

9. Peacock – Greek  – Pagóni (Παγώνι)

 

 

According to the ancients, the peacock, a symbol for immortality, did not decay after death and that it replaced its feathers each year, making it a symbol of renewal and resurrection, this accounts for why it appears regularly in Christian iconography.

 Pythagoras, (c. 570-495 BC), mathematician, world influencer and Ancient Greek cult leader, claims the reason peacocks became so popular, was that the soul of Homer, the Greek poet  (8th century BC), moved to the peacock after his death.

Alexander the Great himself was said to have been so dazzled by the beauty of peacocks that he made it illegal to kill them.

In some cultures, in England for example, it’s thought that that keeping the feathers indoors will bring bad luck.

There are many versions of peacock story in Greek mythology; in early Greek myths, the peacock is said to have sprung from the blood of Argus Panoptes, the hundred-eyed giant.

 Later versions have it that it was Hera, goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth, who either, upon the death of Argus, placed his eyes in the peacock’s tail, or actually turned Argos into a peacock herself.

 

The Peacock – The Symbol of the Goddess Hera

 

 

Hera became jealous; when her husband, Zeus, who was notorious for his love of women and multiple affairs, began spending more time than she thought he should, with Io, one of her own priestesses’.

To keep Zeus away from her priestess, Hera ordered her servant Argus, a giant with one hundred eyes, to guard Io.

However, Hera hadn’t reckoned on Zeus killing Argus, in order to free Io.

Taking pity on her faithful servant, Hera repaid Argus, by immortalizing him when she turned his hundred eyes into the images on the tail of the peacock.

Forever after the regal peacock pulled the chariot of goddess Hera.

 

 

In another version of the same myth, Zeus transformed Io into a heifer, in order to hide her from Hera; however his plan failed, the cunning Hera,asked for the heifer as a present.

Not being able to think of an excuse to refuse his wife’s request, Zeus, reluctantly handed over the animal.

Hera is then said to have ordered Argus to keep his one hundred eyes on Zeus, to prevent him getting anywhere near the heifer, which she had known all along was really her priestess Io.

Not to be outdone, Zeus then sent Hermes, messenger of the gods, to slay Argus.

Disguised as a shepherd, Hermes first put all of Argus’ eyes to sleep and then beheaded him.

The death of Argus freed Io, who wandered the earth being chased by a gadfly sent by Hera, until she reached the Ionian Sea (named after her) and swam from there to Egypt, where, it’s said, she gave birth to Zeus’s love child.

 

10. Woodpecker – Greek – Dryokoláptis (δρυοκολάπτης)

 

 

 Woodpeckers, considered intelligent birds, symbolize wisdom, resourcefulness and cleverness.

Their drumming is said to represent the beating heart of the earth and all living creatures.

Black and white woodpeckers symbolize the simplicity of life, whilst coloured ones indicate spiritual strength and inspiration.

Woodpecker are sometimes depicted sitting on the throne of Zeus and the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, states that woodpecker was a symbol of Ares, the mighty god of war, claiming the woodpecker is so strong, it could fell a tree with its beak.

 

Picus and the Witch Circe

 

 

 Picus, a Roman god, was, in Greek mythology, a companion of the Greek god of war, Ares (Mars) and was the founder of the first Latin settlement, Laurentum, a few miles outside Rome, it’s said he got his name as he frequently used a woodpecker as a means for predicting the future.

However, in another version Circe, Greek sorceress and enchantress, has set her sights on the handsome god Picus but whatever potions she fed him and regardless of how many spells she cast, she was not able to seduce him.

After he rejected her numerous advances, Circe turned him into a woodpecker.

It’s said, that after he managed to return to his human form, Picus had somehow acquired the powers of prophecy, owing to his new-found ability to understand the speech of woodpeckers.

 

Celeus king of Eleusis Angers Zeus

 

Celeus or Keleus, in Greek mythology was the king of Eleusis in, one of the original priests of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and one of the first to ever learn the secret rites and mysteries of Demeter’s cult the Eleusinian mysteries.

Celeus had once attempted to steal honey from the Diktaean Cave (in some versions the Ideon Cave) in Crete, where Zeus had been born, on Mount Psiloritis (or Mount Ida).

Zeus wanted to kill Celeus for daring to step on sacred ground in order to filch the sacred honey, however, it wasn’t done for anyone to die in this hallowed place and so the Moirai, the personifications of fate,sent their foot soldiers,the Keres, female death-spirits; dark beings with gnashing teeth and claws and with a thirst for human blood, to stop him.

Celeus’s retribution for his disrespectful deed was that seeing as he couldn’t kill him, Zeus transformed Celeus into a green woodpecker.

 

 

Finale!

 

Well, the finale to this rather longish post is that I now have birds on the brain; read that again, I said birds on the brain, not that I’m a bird-brain, right?

I’m now seeing birds everywhere; especially in flocks! Is that significant?

It also took me back a couple of years, to when the sweetest little wren flew into my room and kept me company for a while, flying from here to there, alighting on this and that, showing no fear whatsoever, before finally coming to rest on my bookshelf.

 

 

Now at the time, I didn’t really give much thought to the books the wren had landed on, however, after being up to my ears in bird myths for the last week or so; I’m wondering, was trying to tell me to read all my Jo Nesbo, best-selling, Harry Hole detective novels all over again?

What would be revealed to me if I did; the meaning of life, or that I should have been a detective, or maybe who committed that unsolved murder?

And do I really want to know?

 

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