The Folklore of Birds of Prey: Companions and Competition

Birds of prey have an interesting relationship to humans, having been both competing predators and avian companions for leisure pursuits. They've provided omens through the practice of augury, or divination by flight pattern. They appear in heraldic badges or become associated with deities in mythology. But they also have links with ordinary people who shared the landscape with these fascinating hunters. Who wouldn't be stunned by the speed of an osprey as it accelerates towards a lake, pulling free of the water with a huge fish in its talons? Or marvel at the flight prowess of a kestrel, hovering in mid-air even in the face of a gale? Let's find out more about the folklore of red kites, falcons, hawks, buzzards, ospreys, and shrikes in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/birds-of-prey/ 21st Century Ghosts, Morbid Anatomy class: https://www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/21st-century-ghosts-exploring-the-history-and-continuing-experience-of-ghost-stories-with-folklorist-icy-sedgwick Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick