Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



the sun, they shared the sun's power to reveal 

 secrets of darkness. The eagle was said to 

 bring them to his nest in order to cause the 

 eggs to hatch quickly ; another proof that heat 

 was associated with the stone. 



The Simurg of Persia, as we have seen, was 

 a god-like bird that discussed predestination 

 with King Solomon, as the Eagle of Gwernabwy 

 held dialogues with King Arthur. When 

 Roodabeh is about to bear Rustem, this bird 

 is called in by Zal and helps the princess — 

 doubtless by bringing her an aetite stone. 

 The Simurg was a prophet of the good or bad 

 to come, lived for fifteen hundred years and 

 revived to live another fifteen centuries. This 

 poetic form of the eagle lived on the mountain 

 Kaf at the world's edge. He appears in India 

 as the garuda, the eternal foe of the naga or 

 serpent nymphs, whom he clutches in his talons 

 and carries off to his eyry, just as the dark- 

 colored swamp eagle seizes and feeds on ser- 

 pents. His connection with the sun is plain 



214 



