Bird Gods in Ancient Euro 



pe 



this maid of Mars, who conquers Mars, this 

 blue stocking, be the patroness of spinning ? 



In German popular songs the owl is often 

 spoken of as a weaver, perhaps because of the 

 odd movement of its head when disturbed. 



Recall that Minerva was originally a moon 

 goddess and the daughter of the sun ; consider 

 how natural a simile it is to speak of the sun 

 or moonbeams as " weaving " or of their ap- 

 pearance as that of woven cloth of silver or 

 gold. Then read the Kalevala, where the 

 daughters of the sun and moon listen to Vaino, 

 the Turanian parallel of Pan-Orpheus, while 

 he entrances the whole animate and super- 

 natural world with his minstrelsy — 



In their hands the Moon's fair daughters 

 Held their weaving-combs of silver. 

 In their hands the Sun's sweet maidens 

 Grasped the handles of their distaffs. 

 Weaving with their golden shuttles. 

 Spinning from their silver spindles 

 On the red rims of the cloudlets. 

 On the bow of many colors. 

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