Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



male god of love, like the male Venus of Italy, 

 and has his female counterpart in Lemmetar. 

 It is from this word that old English got 

 " leman " female lover. A closer parallel still 

 to the male and female Venuses of Italy are 

 Vaino and Aino in the Kalevala, brother and 

 sister demigods, and the old Italiot deities of 

 agriculture called Pales, also brother and 

 sister. Venus and Vaino are indeed the same 

 word. In his form of Ilmarinen, air god, 

 Vaino has the attributes of Vulcan, and just 

 as Vulcan is unable to please Venus, so Vaino 

 is not fortunate with Aino. 



No stated bird is given to Lemminkainen 

 in the Kalevala ; but his nickname Kauko 

 and the general looseness of his morals point 

 to the cuckoo. Nor is it expressly said that 

 Vaino the old singer, half bard, half demiurge, 

 who is the chief actor of divine and human 

 parts in that epic, has a particular bird as- 

 signed him. Rather are all birds obedient to 

 him and he understands through his magic 



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