Ooh, what's this ineffable biology poster 👀??
As a biology student, mythology nerd, and big GO fan, I had to apply my extensive bird knowledge to the Ineffables, because it hit me: Aziraphale is such a mourning dove, and Crowley is definitely a black woodpecker. Hear me out!
Mourning doves are gentle and resilient birds that symbolize peace, hope, and enduring love:
In Native American traditions (especially among the Plains and Navajo), their cooing is heard as a prayer to the spirit world and a voice encouraging harmony among people.
In Mexican folklore, they guide the souls of the departed to rest.
Early Christian settlers in America also saw the mourning dove as a symbol of divine peace.
Bonus: Mourning doves looove eating, and they're little peacemakers who stay calm and rarely take the bait for a fight.
The black woodpecker, in myths and folklore, symbolizes death, transformation, and untamed nature:
In Slavic traditions, they guard the gate to the underworld.
In Norse myth, black-winged birds are said to drill into Yggdrasil (the World Tree), letting the forces of destiny seep into the world.
Since they live in dead trees, they symbolize how even decay can lead to new life.
Bonus: In some Norse folklore, the black woodpecker is a wild, untamed bird that can summon thunderstorms with its drumming. It. Can. Summon. Thunderstorms!
Excuse my long rant, and please have some sketches tihi