Birds in the Horror Genre

And I had done an hellish thing,
And it would work 'em woe :
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch ! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow !

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Albatross

Immortalised in that classic poem, the albatross has become enshrined in modern culture, featuring in genres as diverse as music (Pink Floyd), comedy sketches (Monty Python) and film (Serenity). And proving just how influential writing can be the modern day metaphor used to describe someone with a problem is derived from this poem. In tribute to the punishment meted to the mariner who killed the albatross a person with a seemingly insurmountable problem is said to have “an albatross around his/her neck”. Before the poem sailors frequently killed and ate albatrosses, but after it was first published in 1797 perceptions changed. Sailors believed an albatross flying around a ship in the middle of the sea was a sign bad weather was on the way. A fearful premonition, made worse because thanks to the poem sailors believed the birds to be the souls of dead sailors.

This superstition is not restricted to ancient days. In 1959 a cargo ship, the Calpean Star, docked at Liverpool with engine trouble – the latest in a series of misfortunes that had occurred during the voyage from Antarctica. 50 crew members went on strike, refusing to complete the voyage unless a certain piece of cargo was removed - an albatross, destined for a zoo. The captain claimed it had taken great courage to bring the albatross on board, and most of the crew said they were convinced the bird was connected with the souls of the dead, and would bring the ship nothing but bad weather and bad luck.

According to one John Hulligan: “The ship suffered major generator engine failure on the return trip to Antarctica in 1959. It smashed the rudder and one screw on the rocks at South Georgia. It was towed to Montevideo and then as it was leaving AFTER repairs it sank in the river Platte! I KNOW because I was on the ship!"

Owls

The ancient Greeks considered owls sacred to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and learning. This connection meant owls were considered wise and kind. Sadly this perception changed during the course of history, and owls are today mainly synonymous with bad luck. Simply the sound of an owl’s hoot will bring bad luck, but you can protect yourself and those close to you. Throwing salt, hot chilli peppers or vinegar into the fire ensures the owl will get a sore tongue and stop hooting. A more drastic solution is to pull your clothes off, turn them inside out and put them back on…

Owls have developed a few superstitions surrounding childbirth. An expectant mother who hears an owl hooting can be certain she will give birth to a daughter. Pregnant women must check their attics and evict all owls that might be living there to avoid the risk of miscarriage. When the time comes to give birth there should be no owls in the delivery room – if they hoot at the moment of childbirth the child will have a miserable life. There should also be no owls flying around during funeral services, because if they hoot the deceased will rise from the dead to haunt the living.

Anyone who looks into an owl’s nest is guaranteed to have an unhappy life. Owl’s bad luck isn’t just restricted to their nests – they bring bad luck to our houses too. Owls landing on the roof of hooting constantly near a house indicate someone is going to die. Owls that nest in empty houses are a sure sign that the house is haunted, because they’re the only creatures that can put up with ghosts. An owl that makes the mistake of flying into an Irish house must be killed immediately, because if it flies out again it takes with it the house’s good luck.

I found two good superstitions concerning this unfortunate bird. Sufferers from gout can be cured by eating salted owl, and any man that eats roasted owl will be obedient, and a slave to his wife…

Magpies, Ravens, Crows, Rooks

These birds are all part of the same ornithological family, and are mainly associated with unhappiness and misfortune. This is probably because of their colouring, their harsh calls and their affinity for carrion in their diet.

According to an old English folk tale all the world’s birds wept and sang to comfort Jesus in the agony of his crucifixion – all except the magpie, which was forever cursed as a result. An old Scottish tale reviles magpies for carrying a drop of Satan’s blood under their tongues. There’s also an old children’s counting poem that seems to pay some respect to the belief that magpies can foretell the future. One variation reads:

One for sorrow, Two for joy.
Three for a letter, four for something better.
Five for silver, six for gold.
Seven for a secret never to be told.

Finally, a related superstition seems to confirm the fear of seeing one lone magpie. One should be friendly to the bird, greeting it thus: “Hello, Mr Magpie.” This should immediately be followed by a reference to his wife/partner, because two magpies are better than one: “How and where is your fine wife?”

Two ravens, Hugin and Munin, feature in Norse mythology. They sat on Odin’s shoulders, giving him the world’s news. An ancient Celtic religion associates the goddess Morrigon and Welsh God Bran the Blessed with the raven. Bran’s head was buried in London’s White Hill to guard the country against invasion. His name translates to raven, and over time a famous legend evolved, claiming that England will not fall to a foreign invader as long as there are ravens at the Tower of London. Another Welsh belief bestows good fortune on any members of a household that has a raven sitting on its chimney. It’s considered bad luck to kill a raven, because the spirit of King Arthur supposedly visits the world in the guise of a raven. If a raven is seen near a sick person it’s a sure sign that the patient will not recover.

Native American folklore puts the crow in the same category as the coyote. This can be traced back to the days when survival was hard, and the crow was a crop pest. Where ravens are symbolic of the negative aspect of death the crow is associated with the spiritual side of death – the transition of the spirit. The neopagan cults considered the crow to be very psychic, a tribute to the bird’s intelligence.

Another bird often associated with death and misfortune, the rook is supposed to escort all virtuous souls to Heaven. They are apparently good weather forecasters and can sense Death’s approach. The nesting area of these birds is called a rookery, and if you have one near your house take great care of it. If the rooks decide to look for a home somewhere else bad luck will descend upon the owner of the land they’ve just left!

© Copyright 2006 Sarah (UN: zwisis at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Sarah has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.