Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



£rst canto of Kalevipoeg opens with the in- 

 vocation — 



Steer, O bard of honied accents. 

 Steer the shallop of your ballads. 

 Of your song the slender shallop. 

 Turn it deftly to the seacoast. 

 Where the eagle, golden proverbs — 

 Where the raven, silver stories — 

 Swans, their hero-lays of copper 

 Have from ancient days kept hidden. 

 That were formerly outspoken. 

 Cry it forth, ye birds of wisdom. 

 Utter it, ye ocean billows. 

 And, ye winds, the secret publish — 

 Where may lie the Kalev's cradle. 

 Where the homestead of the heroes ! 



The birds here mentioned are valued in de- 

 scending scale by the adjectives golden, silver, 

 copper ; which reminds one of the South 

 American legend of the origin of chiefs, nobles 

 and people from three celestial eggs, of gold, 

 silver and copper respectively. The eagle and 

 raven are favorites of mythology; the swan 

 is of that Siberian variety which makes rich 



72 



