Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



and birds were talismans at the same time. 

 An impression placed the object sealed under 

 the protection of the god or demon repre- 

 sented. The owl seals tacitly invoked the 

 wrath of the moon goddess or valkyr on a 

 thief bold enough to break them. 



The owl goddess of the Mediterranean had a 

 parallel on the Baltic in comparatively recent 

 times. Of the stone idols fashioned by the 

 heathen Lapps some centuries ago Niurenius 

 has stated that they were for the most part in 

 the shape of birds. A god worshipped in Livo- 

 nia is said to have flown in the shape of an owl 

 to the island of Oesel when Christian soldiers 

 appeared in his temple. This god was invoked 

 by tho^e going into battle. In 1219 priests 

 from Germany destroyed this temple and in 

 1225 the Esthonian inhabitants of Oesel are 

 said to have thrown out the idol at command 

 of the Christians. The name of the god was 

 Tarapilla, so we are told, but that name is the 

 Finnish word tarhapollo, which means the owl. 

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