Nelikümmend lindu eesti rahvausundis I
Forty Birds in Estonian Folk Belief

Summary/Abstract: Folk beliefs and religious conceptions of birds are based on several things: the appearance of the bird (black, white), its song (reminding of crying), lifestyle (active in the night), eating habits (carnivore), etc. There is a lot common in the belief of birds begin connected with the land of the dead. In spring, at the time of the migrant birds' arrival, one had to eat early in the morning before going out to strengthen himself against the "power" flowing from the birds. At a bird's nest, in contrast, the transition of bad power or influence or energy from humans to birds had to be avoided. Bird types have been given in the alphabetical order: the jackdaw Corvus monedula, the hooded crow Corvus corone, the quartz Pica pica, the bittern Bottarius stellaris, the raven Corvus corax, the ringdove Columba palumbus, a small grey omen-bird called the death-bird or the bird of ruin.

• Details
• Contents