THE PAGAN-CHRISTIAN OVERLAP OF THE WISE BIRD. 123 



The wisdom of birds has been utilised for path-finding. Even 

 as Hiisi, an ancient god of the Finns, was represented on horseback 

 preceded by a bird, so the mounted Woden follows the flight of a 

 raven. Aristophanes makes two men come upon the stage who, 

 in search of a habitation, are guided, the one by a crow the other 

 by a daw. 



In the Landnamabok we read about one " Floki, son of Vilgerth, 

 who was a mighty viking. He made ready to search for Snjoland 

 [in Iceland], setting forth from Rogaland [in the district of 

 Stavanger]. He provided a great sacrifice and hallowed three 

 ravens to show him the way. In the ship with Floki was one 

 Faxi, a Hebrides man. Then Floki sailed to the Faroes, where he 

 gave in marriage one of his daughters. And thence he sailed out 

 to sea with the three ravens that he had hallowed in Norway. 

 And the first which he let loose returned to the prow. Another, 

 having flown up into the air, also came back to the ship. But the 

 third flew away in that direction where presently they found land. 

 And they sailed along the southern coast, and as they drew west to 

 Reykja-nes the firth opened out so that they saw Snsefells-nes. 

 Then said Faxi, ' This is a great country that we have found, and 

 here, too, is a big waterfall.' And this was afterwards called 

 Faxa-oss." 



We cannot doubt that the birds were liberated in succession, 

 after considerable intervals of time, the ship still holding a 

 northerly course ; and that when the last raven rose up in the air, 

 and the horizon receded from its view, then all at once the bright 

 gleam of the snow-clad mountain caught its eye, and it flew straight 

 to the shore. 



It is noteworthy that the great Diluvial legend, however it 

 originated, contains many realistic details, such as the use of 

 bitumen for caulking the ship. The Mosaic account is, perhaps, 

 a little less intelligible than that of the Chaldeeans, but both heroes 

 adopted the same method of ascertaining the proximity of land. 

 They both employed a dove and a raven ; but Izdubar also a 

 swallow. A raven will fly towards the first land it sees, and a 



