The Bird
Among certain African tribes the Hammerkop is believed to be the lightning bird. Among others the lightning bird is believed to manifest itself only through lightning, except to women, to whom it reveals itself as a bird. In these instances the bird is of imaginary nature and may take several forms. In one instance a village girl described a black rooster-like bird that ran up her hoe and left claw marks on her body before it flew back to the clouds. In other instances it is described as having iridescent feathers like a peacock's or a fiery red tail, bill and legs.
Read more about this topic: Lightning Bird
Famous quotes containing the word bird:
“but as an Eagle
His cloudless thunderbolted on thir heads.
So vertue givn for lost,
Deprest, and overthrown, as seemd,
Like that self-begottn bird
In the Arabian woods embost,
That no second knows nor third,
And lay ere while a Holocaust,
From out her ashie womb now teemd
Revives, reflourishes, then vigorous most
When most unactive deemd,
And though her body die, her fame survives,
A secular bird ages of lives.”
—John Milton (16081674)
“A Bird came down the Walk
He did not know I saw
He bit an Angleworm in halves”
—Emily Dickinson (18301886)