Dissecting Dragons: Episode 184: Auguries and Omens - Bird Symbolism in Myth and Speculative Fiction

Episode 184: Auguries and Omens - Bird Symbolism in Myth and Speculative Fiction

 

Birds of many different species show up in mythological pantheons from all over the world, not to mention folklore and folksongs. It's become so much a part of our subconscious appreciation of storytelling, that writers often include birds in books and films as part of scene setting, without realising that they have picked a bird based on an unacknowledged and very large body of lore that dates back centuries. An additional branch of this lore is the use of birds and flight patterns in divination. This week the dragons take a look at this phenomenon. From wrens to buzzards, Jules and Madeleine are talking bird lore and mythology.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic