Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



Apparently Finns and Esths were in the 

 habit of decking out the tall yokes about 

 their horses' necks, as well as their sledges, 

 with copper or brass cuckoos when they 

 wished to be particularly fine, as when they 

 went a-wooing or drove to a wedding. When 

 Ilmarinen, son of the air and wondersmith, 

 starts for Pohjola to secure the fair maid of 

 the North for his bride, knowing that sly old 

 Vaino is bound on the same errand, he does 

 everything to make himself acceptable to the 

 girl and her covetous mother by indicating 

 his own wealth. Thus he orders his best 

 sleigh with all its decorations — 



Take the fleetest of my racers. 

 Put the gray steed in the harness. 

 Hitch him to my sledge of magic ; 

 Place six cuckoos on the break-board. 

 Seven bluebirds on the crossbow. 

 Thus to charm the northland maidens, 

 Thus to make them look and listen 

 As the cuckoos call and echo. 



{Rtme XV J II, Crawford's translation^ 



66 



