The Swallow-Magick history

~ 0 min
2016-02-03 21:59

 

                The swallow is a small bird and always seems to find a way to make its nest.  And the swallow is also a small subject in some ancient history.   One interesting mention of the swallow dates back to Greece. Aristotle mentioned the swallow in writing ‘One swallow does not make a summer.’ And there are other mentions as well, some in song.  But one story of ancient Greece referred to the swallow in the tragic story of Philomela*.  In short, Philomela along with Procne and Tereus were turned to birds by the end of the story.  Procne was a swallow, Tereus into a hoopoe, and Philomela into a nightingale.  Unfortunately for some swallows, they were thrown into water in hope for some rain.  This was part of ancient China, as sometimes when a swallow is flying low there is the belief that the weather’s forecast is looking bad. However, there was also the Snag Dynasty relating to the swallow. As a poem once said that swallows will give birth to the Shang Dynasty, so it is proclaimed by heaven. The egg supposedly made the ancestress of Shang line to be pregnant.   Also, ancient beliefs say that a human’s soul may take form in as a bird.  The swallow also represents great power in healing. Great values of medicine were to be found in red or white swallow stones.  This idea developed in the Middle Ages when it was witnessed that a swallow fetched a pebble from shore to restore sight to its newly hatched, this was mixed with an older belief that the swallow would retrieve herbs to give to the newly hatched for restoring sight.  And again, the swallow does have the share of bad things, such as in some European regions, a drop of Devil’s blood will form in the cow’s veins if a swallow flew under the cow, or the cow may give horrible bloody milk. And it is considered to brig death if a swallow were to come down a chimney.  And finally, a wave of bad luck will come upon you if you ever mistreat the swallow.

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