Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



It was on the island of Samos that the pea- 

 cock became later specialized as the bird that 

 drew the car of Hera and decorated the prows 

 of her galleys. It was Lesbos, first inhabited 

 by Pelasgians, that produced one of the seven 

 wise men of Greece, also two of her greatest 

 poets. Alcaeus the poet and Sappho the poet- 

 ess, who gave their names to special rhythms 

 in verse ; Pittacus the wise, whom Alcaeus 

 satirized — these are called historical persons. 

 But their names cast a suspicion on the rest of 

 Greek history. Two bear the names of birds. 

 Alcaeus is the halcyon, the kingfisher, fabled 

 to cause the winds to cease until its eggs are 

 hatched in its floating nest ; Pittacus is psitta- 

 cus the parrot. Pythagoras, the mystic, far- 

 travelled philosopher, was born in Samos, and 

 though no well-defined bird traits are recorded 

 of him, he seems to have flitted bird-like about 

 the world — India, Crotona, Sicily — and cer- 

 tainly had the attributes of Vaino. He pre- 

 dicted storms and earthquakes, tamed with one 

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