Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



like Baldamus, we know that this is not the 

 case. Believing as they did, they proceeded to 

 argue thus : the young cuckoo must grow up 

 ignorant of father, mother, brother and sister ; 

 when it comes to mate, what is to prevent it 

 from pairing with a near relative ? A tragedy 

 is always possible. Here is the clew to many 



a fairy story which has 

 come down from some 

 legend of a heathen god, 

 whose living symbol was 

 the cuckoo, to more than 

 one great drama, and to 

 numberless strange tales, 

 revolting to modern decency, otherwise inexpli- 

 cable in their seemingly gratuitous immorality 

 — tales that were repeated in the inglenook as 

 of historical personages, tales — 



Of elders of olde time and their avvke dedys. 



I am not aware that this provenance of 

 many folk-tales, epical songs, ballads, legends 



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