Hey dear Hive community, first of all I would like to welcome you to my new post and hope you had a day full of positive experiences! In this post, I would like to talk a little about mythology and hope you are able to expand your knowledge a little.
Here you can see some pictures of different kinds of birds and I would like to use these pictures to discuss the general meaning of birds in the mythology of different cultures. Depending on the type of bird, the symbolism is usually quite individual and in numerous cultures it was regarded as a divine being or a companion, as in Greek mythology where the goddesses of wisdom Athena usually be seen with an owl on the shoulder. Also in Norse mythology there is talk of two ravens who always accompany the father of the gods Odin who were also known under the names Hugin and Munin and he was also often regarded as the god of the ravens and he could even talk to them. In art, the raven is often depicted and also the favorite composer of King Ludwig II. (1845 - 1886) Richard Wagner mentioned the two ravens of Odin in his works and in the visual arts he is often almost always depicted with his faithful companions. In ancient Egypt, birds had a special importance and were even mummified and some species were considered divine beings and these creatures were often seen as a connection between two worlds as well as the earth or the sky. Some gods were also represented in the form of birds in ancient Egypt and the best known of them was probably Horus who was depicted with a head of a falcon and the ancient Egyptians associated birds with freedom and also the well-known god of wisdom Thot who is also associated with alchemy and Tabula Smaragdina is often presented with the head of an ibis bird and numerous other gods were represented in the form of a bird.
Often numerous mythical creatures also appear in which birds are embodied, such as the well-known Bennu bird from Greek mythology, which is also known as the equivalent of the phoenix from Greek mythology. The phoenix is also very well known in alchemy and according to legends it burns down and stand up again from the ashes and this process is also the representation for the creation of artificial gold. Very well known in ancient Greece was also the griffin who is referred to as a noble being and there are different traditions about these mystical beings and often he is also considered a mixture of a lion with an eagle and in other legends the harpies appear which are known as a mixture of a bird and a woman. Also in other legends, women are often depicted with wings and known are the fairies who particularly often appear in fairy tales from the Middle Ages and have the ability to determine the fate of people. There are often legends in which birds are considered as messengers that come from another world and the old Celts also often regard birds as transmitters between different worlds. The Romans also revered birds such as Caladrius, which is mostly depicted as a white bird with healing qualities and the belief about this bird expanded greatly at that time and also influenced other cultures and in Roman mythology the equivalent of Athena Minerva is also represented with an owl. Birds also have an huge importance in numerous other cultures and were also revered and associated with different goddesses among the Mexican natives such as the Maya, and numerous other legends of birds appear around the globe.
Thank you very much for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about mythology! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens!