In the mythology of different nations there is a bird with a human face. This fabulous creature can be both good and evil, help people, or, conversely, prevent them from achieving their goals. We all know about Odysseus, the ancient Greek hero of the Trojan War. On his way home, he sailed past the island of sirens, half-women and half birds. And only cunning and ingenuity helped him save the ship and comrades from death. But our Slav ancestors also had mythical birds.
Birds of the Slavs
The Slavs also had a bird with a human face or head, and not one. Such creatures differed among themselves in the color of plumage, habitat, and other features. But in mythology, the birds were assigned a special role: it is the duck (s), according to legend, that took part in the creation of the world. Having been born from the foam of the ocean or hatched from the acorns of heavenly oaks, they dived into the depths of the sea and got the earth. According to one version, they cemented twigs and leaves with silt, thus building a nest, and on the other, a magic alatyr stone was raised to the surface, where it began to grow and turned into earthly ground. The appearance of the birds was often taken by the souls of the dead, the duck, for example, was strongly associated with the goddess Makoshu.
Magic birds
A bird with a human face is a special character. But besides them, other birds also inhabited the world. This is the Phoenix, or Finist, the Firebird, as well as a number of other creatures with outlandish names: Mughal, Griffin, Skop, Kuva, Rattle, Boil, Nogai ... Let us dwell on the most famous of them.
Phoenix. No, this is not a bird with a human face, but, nevertheless, the character is quite interesting and symbolic, however, like everything in our tales and legends. She personifies immortality, eternal happiness and youth. Her plumage is fiery red, gold, she is fast, like lightning, like a ray of light. The finist symbolizes renewal and rebirth - nature, man, everything. According to legends, the Phoenix takes on a bird-like appearance during the day, and at night appears as a beautiful prince. Sometimes he falls asleep, and wakes up only from the tears of a girl in love. The finist is a warrior, fighter, defender, guardian of justice and traditions, a messenger of the gods and their assistant. Aged, he burns himself to be reborn and become even more beautiful, even younger.
The firebird is another character in Slavic tales. It lives in Heavenly Iria, has a golden plumage that sparkles throughout the district, and crystal eyes. This radiance dazzles, but does not burn. This bird sings wonderfully, sometimes speaks in a human voice, sometimes it turns into a beautiful girl. A creature can enchant a person with a look or voice, but in captivity it rarely pleases people with its singing, it can fulfill a desire, and its feather brings happiness. The firebird guards a tree in the Garden of Eden with the golden apples that it feeds on.
Broadcasting Gamayun
This is a fabulous bird with a human face. She is the messenger of the gods, the messenger of heaven, that is, she conveyed to the people a higher will. Gamayun was born with our planet, so she knows everything and can even portend the future. People go to her for advice, but you need to be able to ask her, and the answer must be understood. And this fabulous bird with a human face lives near the sea, near the island of Buyan. When it flies through the sky, a storm rises on the earth. The cry of her promises happiness to every person.
Alkonost Bird
This is another bird of paradise with a human face. Please note: it is always bright! Has the head of a beautiful woman and rainbow plumage. It symbolizes joy and happiness, treats people well, helps, warns of misfortunes. She sings so melodiously that the listener forgets about all the troubles in the world. Alkonost - a fabulous bird of paradise with a human face - winters in Heaven of Heaven, and in the spring returns to earth along with outlandish flowers. Happiness will come to those who see it, but it is very fast and flies away instantly.
Sirin
This dark bird with a human face in Slavic mythology symbolizes sorrow, sadness, it is the messenger of the king of the underworld. If a person meets her, it means that in the near future he is in danger. Sirin has a female head, her face is beautiful, but her body is birdlike. Her song is a consolation in grief, because it causes oblivion, can predict fate. At the same time, singing Sirin is dangerous for humans, although it is very melodic. This bird is similar to Alkonost, and together they often travel.
Stratim, or Strafil
Another bird with a human face is known in Slavic mythology - Stratim, or Strafil. This is a kind of progenitor of all mythical birds. She is gigantic and very mysterious, lives on the sea and the whole world can obscure with her right wing. When it flaps its wings, the waves cover the surface of the water, and the cry of a bird causes a storm. The flight of Strafili causes a terrible flood, a flood that is dangerous not only for ships, but also for cities.
Instead of an afterword
We examined only the most famous miracle birds in which they believed in Russia. As can be seen from the article, a meeting with each of them promised a person changes. And whether they were good or not, it already depended on fate, as well as on the wisdom of the traveler. If he managed to correctly understand the song - he was saved, if not - well, then, this is his destiny.
Many birds of paradise are familiar to us from fairy tales, epics, legends. But there are also such characters that were mentioned in the annals. They flew into the cities, sat in temples or huts, sang their enchanting songs. They came to the rulers in dreams, warned of changes in the state. Maybe some of the readers will be able to hear the sweet singing of one of them. Just be careful, do not frighten away a fabulous creature!