Bird Gods in Ancient Euro 



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waters. The father Eetion is plainly Greek 

 aietos, eagle. 



Doubtless these legends can be ultimately 

 based on the floating nests which swans some- 

 times build, and on the fact that parent birds 

 and their young will have nothing to do with 

 each other after they have once been separated 

 for any length of time. 



A very singular trio in Greek mythology 

 is that of the Graiai, called the Phorcydes 

 because they were the daughters of Phorcus 

 and Keto. They were hoary or gray from 

 their birth, like the cygnets of the swan ; they 

 had swan shapes, but only one eye and one 

 tooth among them ! The single eye may 

 allude to a habit of gregarious creatures of 

 keeping one of their number ever on the alert 

 like a vedette, though Schwartz considers it the 

 lightning flash. 



Their names suggest that in their case the 

 idea of the Valkyr or conductor of souls from 

 the body to the under-world was very near 

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