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The eagle was the bird of fire, and in
many European cultures were venerated as the
'king of birds'. In Celtic culture it was
superseded by the trickster wren, but there are
still remnants of supernatural qualities in many
old folk tales. (ref. A.E. Armstrong "The
Folklore of Birds" 1977)
The Welsh
sun hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes, when shot by his false
wife's lover, takes the form of an eagle until
life is restored to him by the wizard Gwydion.
(see Owl)
Folk
legend has it that King Arthur's sleeping place
is guarded by eagles and in Norse mythology the
eagle is said to shelter the hero with its wings.
It
was believed that the eagle flew towards the sun
with its eyes open, thus getting its power of
vision from the fire of the sun. My eagle design
comes from approximately 7th century AD and
depicts the eagle flying up to the sun.
From
the Aberdeen
Bestiary (circa 14th c):
"...The eagle is so called because of the
sharpness of its eyes, for it is said to be of
such keen vision that it glides above the sea on
unmoving wings, out of human sight, yet from such
a height sees small fish swimming below and,
swooping down like a missile thrown from a siege
engine, it seizes its prey on the wing and
carries it to land. When the eagle grows old,
however, its wings grow heavy, and its eyes grow
dim. Then it seeks out a spring and, turning away
from it, flies up into the atmosphere of the sun;
there it sets its wings alight and, likewise,
burns off the dimness in its eyes in the sun's
rays. Descending at length, it immerses itself in
the spring three times; immediately it is
restored to the full strength of its wings, the
former brightness of its eyes. In the same way,
you, O man, with your old clothes and dim eyes,
should seek the spiritual spring of the Lord and
raise the eyes of your mind to God, the fount of
righteousness, and your youth will be renewed
like that of the eagle..."
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Colours: Yellow
Soyer 15 Size:
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