Explore Bird Superstitions and Myths

At this time of year, early summer, the air is full of birdsong and the garden is full of birds flying around to make their nests and feed their chicks. We tend to take the presence of our feathered friends very much for granted, so you may be surprised to find out just how many myths and superstitions there are around the world concerning birds. A lot of these superstitions regard luck; either good luck or bad luck. For example, a bird that flies into your house is supposed to mean that an important message is on its way, and if the flying bird happens to be white it means that there will be a death. As it is good luck that most of us wish for, it is widely regarded as being very lucky if a bird deposits it’s droppings on you, although you might not think so at the time! In my experience, it generally happens when you have got a clean, ironed shirt on and are going somewhere fairly important! Even the direction a bird calls from has a meaning; a bird calling from the north means a tragedy is on the way, from the west brings good luck, from the south means the harvest will be plentiful and from the east that you will find true love. So lets go and have a look at some of that traditional bird folklore.

Ravens have long been associated with the infamous Tower of London. It is believed that if the ravens leave the Tower of London, that the kingdom will fall and disaster will ensue. To this day ravens are kept at the Tower, and their wings are clipped to ensure that they cannot leave. The birds are paid for by the British government and one of the Tower’s beefeaters is appointed as Ravenmaster to care for the birds. The Ravenmaster looks after the raven fledglings in his home for about six weeks to build up a relationship with the growing birds, and when they are fully grown the ravens are comfortably lodged near the Wakefield Tower. The most dangerous period for the ravens in the Tower of London was during the Second World War, when many of them died of shock during the German bombing raids. There was one survivor called Grip, and when the Tower of London reopened to the visitors in 1946 the government of the time ensured that a new generation of ravens had already been installed to reassure the public that the kingdom was safe.

Pelicans are regarded as birds that symbolise self-sacrifice and the love of a parent for their children. Pelicans store food in their pouches and then retrieve the food for their chicks when they return to the nest. This simple action was misinterpreted in times gone past and people believed that the pelican was making the ultimate sacrifice of tearing open its own chest to feed the youngsters on its own blood. There are many variations on the story of a male pelican who’s young have died or been killed, and that after three days of mourning and wailing the father pelican kills himself so that the young pelicans can arise from the dead hale and hearty. These stories were used as allegories during the Middle Ages of the Christ’s passion and suffering, especially of the wound that he suffered when a lance pierced his side. Thomas Aquinas wrote of the ‘Pelican of mercy, Jesu’ and St Gertrude had a vision of Jesus as a pelican feeding the hungry with his blood. It was also thought that pelicans would only eat just enough food to keep themselves alive, so they also became associated with those who fasted and purified themselves for religious reasons. As I have watched pelicans being fed, I can assure you that this last pelican superstition is not true!

Robins with their cheery red breasts adorn many of our Christmas cards and decorations, and there are several stories as to how the robin acquired its red breast feathers. In the Christian tradition, it is thought that a robin tried to remove the thorns from Jesus’ head during the Crucifixion, and that drops of his blood fell onto the bird and stained his breast feathers red forever. In another myth, the robin gained his red breast from flying into the fiery wastes of hell to carry water to the stricken sinners who were suffering there for all eternity. The robin is another bird where it is believed that if they are seen tapping on the window or flying into a room that a member of the household will soon be dead. It is considered to be very unlucky to kill a robin, and if you break a robin’s eggs expect something important of yours to be broken very soon. Make a wish when you see the first robin of the year for good luck, and note that if you see a robin singing in the open that good weather is on its way, but that if the robin is seen sheltering among the branches of a tree that it will soon rain. Also, if the first bird that you see on St Valentine’s Day is a robin, it means that you are destined to marry a sailor!

Peacock Feathers

It is often considered unlucky to bring the beautiful, iridescent feathers of the peacock into a house. This is because of the markings on the end of the feathers that resemble an eye. It was thought that the eyes on the peacock feather was a sign of the ‘evil eye’ and so would bring bad luck and ill fortune into your home. In the theatre it is considered bad luck to have peacock feathers on the stage or comprising part of a costume, prop or scenery. Stories have been told of disasters occurring during a performance, such as scenery falling down, when peacock feathers have been present on the stage.

Doves

Doves have always been seen as significant religious and spiritual symbols, and it is believed that the dove is the one bird that the Devil cannot change himself into and the one bird that is immune to the Devil’s curses. The dove is the Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit and nowadays is regarded as a symbol of international peace. Doves are very much associated with lovers and some couples have white doves released when they celebrate their weddings. This maybe is because doves are supposed to mate for life and be devoted to each other. Doves were regarded as the messengers of the Roman goddess of love Venus, and Indians regard killing a dove as unlucky, as doves are thought to hold within themselves the soul of a lover. Having a dove flying around or tapping on the windows of a house that contains a sick person is seen as sign that the sick person will shortly die, and miners regard seeing a dove near their mineshaft as an omen that there will be danger if they descend into the mine.

Sailors used to believe that if an albatross flew around their ship while it was in the middle of its voyage, that this was a portent of bad weather and windy conditions to come.  It was considered to be very bad luck to kill an albatross, as sailors used to think that albatrosses were really the souls of departed mariners that were still restlessly flying over the waves.   In 1959, the presence on board the cargo ship Calpean Star of a caged albatross destined for a zoo was blamed for the misfortunes that the ship had experienced on it voyage from the Antarctic.   Many of the crew staged a strike because they felt that it was too risky and unlucky to continue the voyage, and on the Calpean Star’s return voyage to the Antarctic, she foundered off South Georgia after suffering engine failure.  The ship was towed into Montevideo for repairs, but as she was setting off to resume her voyage, the Calpean Star sank on the River Plate.  So was the poor old albatross to blame for the fate of the Calpean Star, by bringing bad luck? Some sailors obviously did not believe in the albatrosses’ bringing bad luck if they killed them, as they used to use the feet of the albatross to make tobacco pouches!

Magpies

It used to be believed that magpies were the Devil in disguise, and that if you saw a lone magpie around your home it meant that the Devil was trying to stir up trouble for you. To ward off this trouble, you had to say ‘Good Morning Mr Magpie, how is your wife today?’ as this showed the Devil that you had recognised him, and then he was not able to cause any mischief. Or another way to banish the evil demon if you spot a solitary magpie is to doff your hat and cross your fingers. Another reason why magpies have a reputation for wickedness is because they are said to have been the only birds who would not give Jesus solace as he was dying on the cross by singing for him. However, in Korea the magpie has an entirely different reputation as it is their national bird and thought be a bringer of good luck. Seeing groups of magpies is said to divine the future and inspired the rhyme ‘One for Sorrow, Two for Joy, Three for a Girl, Four for a Boy, Five for Silver, Six for Gold, Seven for a Secret that is Never to be Told’.

Blackbirds

If you see two male blackbirds perching next to each other this means good luck, and if blackbirds nest near your house you will be lucky enough to look forward to a whole year of good fortune. Blackbirds are also regarded as the messengers of those who have died.

Owls have featured in many myths and superstitions since ancient times, and in some cultures owls are regarded as bringing good fortune and in others they are thought of as harbingers of bad luck and even death. In Ancient Greece the owl was thought of as a wise bird who was closely associated with the goddess of wisdom Athena. Athena was adopted as the patron deity of the city of Athens as she won a contest with the god Poseidon to provide the city with the most useful gift. She gave the city the gift of the olive tree which provided the Athenians with oil, wood and food. Athena was often shown with an owl perched on her head and so the owl became one of the symbols of Athens. The species of owl associated with the goddess was the Little Owl and during antiquity many of them lived protected and honoured lives on the Acropolis.

Birds generally are regarded as messengers between the world of spirit and our material world, and because owls are nocturnal birds and fly during the hours of darkness they have also been associated with witches and magic. It used to be thought that seeing an owl flying around your house portended a death in the family.The Romans also thought that hearing an owl hoot at night foretold an impending death, and they believed that the deaths of several prominent Romans such as Agrippa, Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar were predicted in this way.

So the next time that you hear a bird singing in your garden or tapping at the window, maybe you should check out what breed of bird it is. There is no doubt that these myths and superstitions surrounding birds used to be widely believed, but will you take off your hat and cross your fingers the next time that you see a magpie?

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