#cuckoo birds

[susanoos-wife]

Cuckoo and Full Moon, by unknown artist

[abstractdogwolfthing]

Cuckoo birds are awesome guys, stop being mean to them :,((

[fyreflys]

Doing some research for Swan Upon Leda. Looking into Greek mythology and stuff, and stumbled across something kind of interesting, and I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not. So let me info-dump for a moment.

Hera, the goddess of marriage, women, family, and childbirth, has 3 main animals that are designated towards her. One of them is the cuckoo bird. It is not clear which species is meant to represent her, but some species of cuckoo birds are considered to be “brood parasites”. Essentially, they will lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. When the baby hatches, the “adoptive” parents treat the cuckoo chick as their own, because they believe it to be theirs. The cuckoo is often bigger, and will intentionally shove the real chicks out of the nest so it can get more attention from the parents. Survival of the fittest, and all that.

I found this kind of ironic, that the goddess of childbirth and family is associated with something that kind of represents the exact opposite. But then I thought a little bit more about Hera, and what other stories I know about her.

Another goddess, named Leto, is known to be the goddess of motherhood (similar to Hera, but a distinct difference). Her and Hera have an interesting background.

Zeus, Hera’s husband (and brother), took Leto as a bride and got her pregnant. Hera was furious with her husband’s infidelity, and as per her usual, took it out on the woman who stole her husband’s affections rather than her husband. She forced everyone to shun Leto from their lands and refuse to shelter her, and also sent a giant serpent after her. This made it impossible for Leto to settle down in order to give birth to her children. Leto eventually came across the island of Delos, which was said to be a floating island. This made it a safe haven, and there Leto finally gave birth to the twins Artemis and Apollo.

This is not the first time Hera is said to have gone after those who were unfortunate enough to steal her husband’s attention. In fact, all of if not most of the gods have stories where they are incredibly mean and revengeful, so Hera’s treatment of other women, despite being the god of women, is not entirely surprising. If anything, this is just yet another example of the complexities (and sometimes the very contradictory nature) of the gods within the Hellenistic religion. (Also, just another example of the misogyny that exists in many tellings of the myths, or the misogynistic perspective/twist that authors who wrote these tales down took)

With this story in mind, I do think the cuckoo’s unique nature might actually fit Hera after all. Hera is there as the protector of mothers giving birth, NOT of motherhood (Leto) or children (Leto, Artemis, &/or Hebe, depending on the interpretation). Just as the cuckoo, who gives birth, but does not care for its children, or care about the survival of others’ children.

So. Again. Not sure if that was at all intentional, but found it interesting :)

[balkanradfem]

As a bird lover I cant help but feel that people’s hatred for the cuckoo bird is rooted in misogyny? Which might sound crazy but hear me out: people are totally fine with carnivores eating other animals. Many people understand that it’s what they need to do to survive, that predators keep prey species in check, balance of the ecosystem etc etc. For cuckoo birds it’s the same thing, it’s in their DNA to be brood parasites and by getting rid of the parent hosts’ chicks, they’re also keeping the population of other bird species in check. But because cuckoos accomplish this by doing the “feminine” action of making other birds raise her children instead of the totally manly masculine action of killing and eating another animal, the cuckoo is demonized. To humans, the cuckoo embodies everything society hates about mothers— single mothers, mothers who abandon or neglect their children, mothers on welfare, the male fear that his children arent actually his because his wife cheated, etc...

I have to admit I have very little comprehension of what was written here, I had no idea people hate the cuckoo bird and I believe, that you have put some coherent points together, but my brain is going completely blank in trying to see it the way you see it. I'm going to let it post in case someone else can take this discussion, I am without words.

[antiqueanimals]

Mein bunter Tier-Atlas. Written by Ernst W. Bauer. Illustrated by Hermann Fay. 1994.

[unofskylanderspages]

"SMASH!"

- Cuckoo Clocker

[cincylibrary]

Great spotted cuckoo. From The birds of Europe, v.03, 1837. By John Gould, plates drawn from life and on stone by J. and E. Gould and E. Lear.

[simply-beautiful-world]