I recently read that cranes, which are large, strong birds, have been credited as benevolent birds that allowed smaller, weaker birds to ride on their backs, during migration:
“In The Evening Post, of New York City, dated November 20, 1880, a long letter appeared on this topic, written by an anonymous correspondent who gave his own similar experience in Crete in the autumn of 1878, part of which reads:
‘On several occasions the village priest—a friendly Greek with whom I spent the greater part of my time—directed my attention to the twittering and singing of small birds which he distinctly heard when a flock of sand-cranes passed by on their southward journey. I told my friend that I could not see any small birds, and suggested that the noise came from the wings of the large ones. This he denied, saying ‘No, no! I know it is the chirping of small birds. They are on the backs of the cranes. I have seen them frequently fly up and alight again, and they are always with them when they stop to rest and feed.’ I was still sceptical, for with the aid of a field-glass I failed to discover the ‘small birds’ spoken of. I inquired of several others and found the existence of these little feathered companions to be a matter of general belief. ‘They come over from Europe with them.’ One day, while fishing about fifteen miles from shore, a flock of cranes passed quite near the yacht. The fishermen, hearing the ‘small birds,’ drew my attention to their chirping. Presently one cried out, ‘There’s one!’ but I failed to catch sight of it, whereupon one of the men discharged his flintlock. Three small birds rose up from the flock and soon disappeared among the cranes.'” Ingersoll, Ernest. Birds in Legend, Fable, and Folklore. 1923
This tale touched me. I am heartened by a species who readily lends a hand [or a wing] to another, and I decided to seek more information about Cranes–especially about Cranes in Folklore and Myth.
“The Cree Indians are said to observe the same habit in the white crane.”
“Now there is no good reason to deny the honesty or sneer at the value of these widely distributed observations [pg. 87] so long as they are regarded as descriptive of exceptions and not of a rule of migration. Neither the observers nor the reporters had any motive for deception, and are not likely to deceive themselves in every case—moreover, new witnesses continually arise. For example: Mr. E. Hagland, of Therien, Alberta, wrote to me as follows in a casual way, without any prompting, in April, 1919:
“One fall a flock of cranes passed over me flying very low, and apart from their squawking I could distinctly hear the twittering of small birds, sparrows of some kind. The chirping grew louder as the cranes drew towards me, and grew fainter as they drew away; and as the cranes were the only birds in sight I concluded that little birds were taking a free ride to the south.”
“The manner of flight of sandhill cranes as described by Dr. Elliott Coues[50] suggests why they might well be utilized as common carriers by small birds going their way. “Such ponderous bodies, moving with slowly beating wings, give a great idea of momentum from mere weight … for they plod along heavily, seeming to need every inch of their ample wings to sustain themselves.” This would make it easy and tempting for a tired little migrant to rest its feet on the crane’s broad back—and once settled there, why not stay?'”Ingersoll, Ernest. Birds in Legend, Fable, and Folklore. 1923
“Cranes are featured in many cultures’ folklore, with different meanings and associations:
Japan
Cranes are a symbol of good fortune, longevity, loyalty, and honor. They are often depicted at weddings because cranes are said to mate for life. In Japanese folklore, cranes are said to live for 1,000 years. There is also an ancient legend that says that if you fold 1,000 origami cranes, you will be granted a wish.
In ancient Greece, cranes were considered intelligent and were thought to be messengers of the gods, especially Apollo. Their dance was seen as a celebration of life.
Africa
Cranes represent love, long marriage, and happiness. The Blue Crane is the national bird of South Africa.
Celtic
The Celts attributed supernatural qualities to cranes, believing that they were symbols of secret knowledge. They believed that the sacred alphabet of druidic tradition, ogham, was created by Celtic Ogma through watching the bending of a crane’s legs.
Native Americans
Cranes are symbols of longevity and good fortune.
China
Cranes symbolize wisdom, nobility, longevity, immortality, and determination. They were also used as rank badges in the Imperial Court.
“Inspired by the true story of a crane that rescued a Chinese village, and graced with sensitive watercolor illustrations, this lovely book about respecting nature offers deep emotion and delightful surprises.
“A winter illness left Lotus, a little girl, without a voice and without friends. A hunter’s bullet left Feather, a crane, injured and unable to fly. As Lotus nurses Feather back to health, their bond grows. Soon Feather is following Lotus everywhere, even to school! The bird dances to the girl’s reed whistle, much to the delight of the other children. One day, when the village floods, Feather helps raise the alarm as Lotus and her grandfather urge their neighbors to get to high ground. Feather is a true friend to Lotus, but the time comes when Lotus must be a true friend to him — by encouraging him to migrate with the rest of the cranes. The next spring, Feather miraculously returns, and that’s not all . . . he has brought new life to the nearby lake.” Amazon
Aesop & Cranes
THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE
“A Peacock taunted a Crane with the dullness of her plumage. “Look at my brilliant colours,” said she, “and see how much finer they are than your poor feathers.” “I am not denying,” replied the Crane, “that yours are far gayer than mine; but when it comes to flying I can soar into the clouds, whereas you are confined to the earth like any dunghill cock.”
THE WOLF AND THE CRANE
Illustration by Arthur Rackham
Crane Fables from Jones, Vernon. Aesop’s Fables: A New Translation.
“A Wolf once got a bone stuck in his throat. So he went to a Crane and begged her to put her long bill down his throat and pull it out. “I’ll make it worth your while,” he added. The Crane did as she was asked, and got the bone out quite easily. The Wolf thanked her warmly, and was just turning away, when she cried, “What about that fee of mine?” “Well, what about it?” snapped the Wolf, baring his teeth as he spoke; “you can go about boasting that you once put your head into a Wolf’s mouth and didn’t get it bitten off. What more do you want?”
Cranes in Celtic Folklore
“Cranes and herons fly, fish, fight, and dance their way through myths and legends in every land. They guard underworld castles, bring murderers to justice, save infant heroes who fall from cliffs, invent languages, marry poor men, and conceal magic treasures in bags made from their skin. Cranes are found from China to North America, Siberia, Africa and Australia. The British Isles have no native cranes; instead, the gray heron (close cousin to North America’s great blue heron) takes her place. Large herons look very much like cranes, filling the same ecological––and mythological––niche. The heron/crane is a magical bird with mastery over the three worlds of air, land and water. Excellent fliers, they nest and forage on land, and fish for their suppers in coastal waters, rivers or lakes; some even swim.
“Cranes wear the magical colors of red, black and white. Even the gray heron shows red during the mating season, when its bill takes on a reddish hue. Cranes and herons were hunted for food, domesticated in ancient Egypt, and kept as pets in Pakistan and Ireland. Cranes and herons are familiar in the everyday, homely sense of the word. In England, gray herons are Skip Hegrie, Jack Hern, Jenny Crow, Tammie Herl and Frank Hanser. In Ireland, they are called Long Mary, Long Katey, Bog Nora, Rough Sheila and Throat Juny.
The Crane is Associated with the Healing Crone
“With few exceptions, mythic cranes are associated with women and goddesses. Most often, the power of the crane is the power of the crone. Like crones, cranes are often seen as ugly and difficult. Celtic scholar Miranda Green dismisses cranes as “associated with unpleasant females.” At the same time, cranes are associated with longevity. One of the ancient wonders of Ireland was a solitary crane who lived on Inis Kea since the beginning of time. Longevity brings wisdom and esoteric knowledge. Cranes inspired alphabets, those magic letters that allowed knowledge to be encoded in ways that few could decipher. Mercury created the Roman alphabet by watching flights of cranes. It is said that Ogma created ogham from watching how crane’s legs bent and crossed to form patterns. It is also said that corr (heron or crane) was omitted from the bird ogham to honor the secrets of cranes. Druid lore is sometimes called crane knowledge, and monks like St. Columba, who combined skill in the old ways with the new path, were called crane clerics. \
“Crane dances, which mimic their elaborate mating rituals, may also contain secrets. The crane dance Ariadne taught to Theseus mapped the path through the Cretan labyrinth, allowing him to escape. Some believe Theseus was a historical figure, a petty king who captured Ariadne, queen and last living representative of the Mother Goddess. Knowing her world was ending, Ariadne encoded a message from the Goddess into her dance; if this is so, we have yet to find the key.
“Sacred to Artemis and to Kali, cranes are fierce defenders and skillful predators. Patient in stalking, they are deadly when they strike. Cranes appear on the crests of battle helmets, on shields, and in Roman and Celtic military images. At the Second Battle of Moytura, Lugh used a corrghuineacht, a crane-prayer, to curse his enemies, strengthen his troops and call for victory. He performed the craneprayer on one leg, with one eye closed and one hand behind his back, in imitation of the crane’s stance.
“Cranes are the messengers of the gods and often viewed as psychopomps; not, as crows and ravens, after sudden or violent death, but for transitions to the Otherworld, secret initiations, and (sometimes) the journey back. The crane-like stork delivers babies even in modern cartoons. Ariadne, creatrix of spiral dances, is linked to the constellation Corona Borealis. Arianrhod, Queen of the revolving castle Caer Sidi, whose name resembles Ariadne’s, shares with her that same constellation. In Ariadne’s story, the stars represent the crown she gave Theseus to light his way through the labyrinth. In Arianrhod’s, the stars represent Caer Arianrhod, which some say is the same as Caer Sidi, the castle where souls rests between incarnations. If cranes are not sacred to Arianrhod, they should be.
“The Irish warrior woman and goddess most closely linked with cranes is Aoife, whose skin became the crane bag. And what is the crane bag if not a container of hidden knowledge? This bag, held by men, is made from woman. Evidence in northern European ballads suggests that in ancient times, men could not engage in any magical activities without the teaching and support of women. Irish myths record that the best warriors were trained by women with strong Otherworldly connections, even as Aoife trained Cuchulain. Some tales suggest that the warrior Aoife who trained Cuchulain and bore his son was not the same Aoife whose skin holds the magical tools of Manannan mac Lir.
“These tales say the crane bag came from a different woman, cursed by a jealous rival into taking the shape of a crane, or turned into a crane by mac Lir for her jealous behavior toward his son. The third Aoife, wife of Lir, must be one of the most hated women in all of Irish mythology for turning her stepchildren into swans. All three women named Aoife surely fit Miranda Green’s profile of “unpleasant” women. All were marred, some would say ruled, by jealousy. Aoife the warrior may have sent her son deliberately to his death to pay back CuChulain for leaving her. Only one woman is said to be the source of the powerful crane bag, but I find this hard to credit. Personal jealousy could not form the basis of serious magic, whatever the tales say.
“The crane bag must have come from a woman of deep and powerful magic, who knew much more than she told, more than the tales tell us. Perhaps one Aoife, like many Irish gods and heroes, lived many lifetimes. Consider Aoife, third wife of Lir. Of her early life, we know only that she had two sisters. After the death of Lir’s first beloved wife, Aoife and her sister were offered to him in a political marriage. Lir, still grieving, said he didn’t care who he took and so chose the elder. She bore him two sets of twins, three sons and a daughter, and also died. So Lir comes back for Aoife, a consolation prize taken to warm the king’s bed and care for his and her sister’s children. Things went well at first, but when the children grew in grace and beauty, jealousy filled Aoife’s heart. Perhaps Lir lavished love on his children that he denied to her. There must have been signs all was not well, for Lir’s daughter Fionnuala suspected her stepmother of treachery, and neither Lir nor Aoife’s foster father Bodb Dearg were surprised at her betrayal. S
o Aoife cast the spell that changed her niece and nephews into swans. Immediately, she regretted her action, but it could not be undone.
Aoife appeared before Bodb Dearg, who struck her with a Druid wand and changed her into the worst thing she could name: a witch of the air. Consider what a ‘witch of the air’ might be: Perhaps she took the form of that unpleasant, crone-like bird, the crane. Imagine a version of the story in which this is what happens. Aoife lives in crane form for hundreds of years, many crane lifetimes, and becomes very wise. In this story, Aoife the warrior is one incarnation of Aoife the stepmother. In that life, she is doomed to fall in love with a man who leaves her, bear him a son, and know her son has been killed by his own father. This becomes part of her working out of the consequences of her earlier actions. Eventually, she retires to the castle under the sea with Manannan, the son of another husband who is now a god. In each incarnation, Aoife had a warrior’s heart. The women who trained the great fighters of Irish myth were hard, unrelenting and difficult. What better form than a crane could Aoife take, when she left this world for the land under the waves? During the hundreds of years she lived there, what marvelous things must have been accomplished, what journeys taken, and what knowledge gained for Manannan to choose her crane skin to contain his own magic. Many of the magic things hidden in the crane bag are tools of transformation. Shape-shifting is often accomplished by putting on the skin, or a portion of the skin, of whatever one seeks to become. There is the belt or girdle of the de Dannan smith Gobhniu, along with his smith-hook. Another item is described as “a strip from a whale’s back” or a “belt of fish skin.” Then there is Manannan’s own shirt, and the King of Lochlan’s helmet. What is the holder to do with such items if not put them on? And what is likely to be the result, if not to transform the wearer into the whale, the magic smith, the god of the sea, or the Otherworldly king? Aoife is not a mortal woman, but a goddess. No mortal woman could live for so long and experience so much. So it seems likely that the crane skin became the crane bag not on Aoife’s death, but when she no longer needed that particular form. Perhaps she gave Manannan mac Lir her crane skin as a parting gift. Even now she may rest on the Isle of Apples––or perhaps not resting, but training new warriors for another day of battle. Thus say the crane women: We live with arcane lore, secret knowledge, and contra-diction, the speaking of opposites. We love the edges, the fringes, the places where things grow and die, ravel and unravel, where ideas from different places mix and merge. If you seek crane knowledge, learn patience. We are secretive and do not volunteer what we know. The deepest answers come only to the skillful questioner.” Lynch, Pat. Crane Women in Celtic Myth published in the 2010 Witches’ Calendar, Llewellyn Publishing
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