Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



joyed in India as the warner against tigers, 

 foreteller of rain, visible emblem with its radi- 

 ate flaming wing coverts and its dark-blue neck 

 of the rainbow itself Associated as it was 

 with the close of the hot term in India and the 

 coming of the rain and the cool season, doubt- 

 less they found the Paiones of the ^Egean 

 and of Thessaly, worshippers of Paian, and 

 the devotees of Faunus, Vaino and Fion, as 

 well as the Pelasgian dwellers on the islands of 

 Samos and Lesbos, ready to name it after one 

 of their most notable gods, ready to replace 

 eagle or cuckoo in favor of the beautiful new- 

 comer. 



In Crete there was localized a curious story 

 of Katreus (a name for the Indian peacock) 

 king of Crete. His son Althamenes (the 

 healer ?) discovered that he was fated to slay 

 his father, whereupon he fled to the island of 

 Rhodes and built a temple to Zeus. But he 

 could not escape his fate. All his other sons 

 having died, Katreus set sail for Rhodes, 

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