Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



rose up near him in the water. In his fright 

 he dropped the chain, when swan and chain 

 as suddenly vanished. At Kemnitz in the 

 Mark a nightwatchman averred that he could 

 always tell when some one in the village was 

 about to die. On such occasions, just before 

 he cried midnight, a white swan came up out 

 of Plessow lake and walked to the churchyard. 

 When he saw it he did not dare call the hour. 

 Once it appeared, went to the churchyard, 

 but passed on to the residence of the baron. 

 He ran home, roused his family and told them 

 of the portent. Sure enough, within the week 

 the baron died ! 



These superstitions belong to the old region 

 where Radigast was worshipped, the god whose 

 metal effigies found on the site of Rhetra bear 

 the swan on their heads. The Valkyrs lin- 

 gered down to this century as flying women 

 with ice-cold hands who plague men at night 

 and ride the fattest of the horses on farms 

 until they lose their appetites and flesh. A 



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