Bird Gods in Ancient Euro 



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magic word the Daunian bear, taught the trans- 

 migration of souls, was said to have learned his 

 philosophy in " Scythia." And whatever may 

 lurk beneath the great name Sappho — perhaps 

 Shamas, the sun god, perhaps also the Sampo 

 of the Kalevala — it is a name associated with 

 that of Phaon, the peacock. 



Phaon, it will be recalled, was a favorite of 

 Aphrodite. She presented him with an oint- 

 ment, by applying which to his person he 

 became the most beautiful of living men. 

 Sappho had a hopeless passion for him and 

 threw herself from the Leucadian Rock into 

 the sea, where Aphrodite was said to have 

 drowned herself for Adonis. The connection 

 of birds with Phaon and with the Leucadian 

 Rock is dimly felt through the story Strabo 

 tells of criminals being thrown from this rock 

 as a punishment. Their friends were allowed 

 to attach birds to them, and if, thus buoyed 

 up in the air, they reached the water alive, 

 they were picked up by boats in waiting and 

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