In fact, they provide enough light that just one could make a room as bright as day. The firebird is described as having glowing plumage the color of a burning flame, and its feathers continue glowing upon being removed from the bird’s body. Just ask General Motors and Gibson Guitars. Its Russian name, жар-пти́ца, literally means “heat-bird,” but I suppose English translators thought “firebird” sounded more impressive. The firebird appears in Slavic mythology and fairy tales. The myth has been linked with supposed sightings of giant birds in America, making the thunderbird a cryptid as well as a mythological animal.
It has been proposed that the origin of thunderbirds might have something to do with large birds that travel in the updrafts that precede storms, making it look as if they actually CAUSED the storms. Eventually, Whale escaped to the deep ocean, and Thunderbird abandoned the fight. Their constant fighting left its toll on the land, causing tidal waves and earthquakes. So Thunderbird had a series of fights with Whale, starting in the water and then moving to land, after which Whale would escape back to the sea. Killer Whale was destroying other whales, thus depriving the people of food and oil. Possibly related to this is a popular legend, told by the Quillayute and other Pacific Northwest peoples, telling of Thunderbird’s battle with Killer Whale.
In the Midwest, thunderbirds were said to be the enemies of water spirits, directing their lightning at these beings much as Thor would use his hammer to battle giants and trolls. They can be found on totem poles, which generally depict them as multi-colored, and the tribes of British Columbia believed that they could take human form. Their wings flapping created thunder, and the flashing of their eyes resulted in lightning. Thunderbirds come from Native American culture, being most prominent among the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, but also appearing in the mythology of the American Southwest and the Great Plains.īasically, they were giant birds that could cause storms. I tend to pair them mentally, despite the fact that they come from myths originating in totally different parts of the world. The Thunderbird and Firebird are probably best known today as types of cars, but both have their origins in folklore and mythology.
0 kommentar(er)
