Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



origin and meaning the Irish have allowed 

 their fancy the widest range, may find their 

 analogy through the Finnish polkea, to over- 

 throw, oppress — the meaning being the op- 

 pressed tribes (palkkamies) namely the early 

 Finnic tribes subjugated and in part driven 

 westward into Connaught by their Keltic con- 

 querors. In Irish the pawns in chess, which 

 represent the lowest men in the social order, 

 are called ferbolg, as if one said serfs. And 

 when the Fir-bolgs are asked to move from 

 the west into Ulster the old Finnic hero 

 CuchuUaind takes them under his protection. 

 But they are badly treated and fly to Con- 

 naught once more. 



There is a strong parallel between Lemmin- 

 kainen or Ahti, god of the waters — who is the 

 male god of love beside Lemmetar the Finn- 

 ish Aphrodite — and Fion of Ireland, at least 

 so far as certain of their exploits are concerned ; 

 in others it is CuchuUaind who furnishes the 

 analogies. Fion and Lemminkainen are both 

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