The kite is one of Oden's birds. Traditionally, it wasn't very popular in the farming community, as it would often prey on hens and chickens. But as one of the birds of Oden, the kite couldn't be killed without repercussion. Therefore, people tried other methods to keep them away from the farms:
"Glänta, flyhänta,
Skam skall dig hämta,
imorgon skall du hänga,
med alla dina dränga,
med lever och med lunga,
med talg och med tunga,
med alla dina unga!
Flyg bort du gässlingatjuv!"
"Kite, [you] dextrous,
Shame* will take you,
tomorrow you will hang,
with all of your hodges,
with liver and with lung,
with tallow and with tongue,
with all of your offspring!
Fly away, you gosling thief!
- chant from Halland, as told by Bengt af Klintberg in Svenska trollformler
*Skam was a common noa-name for Satan
"Glada, glada, glänte!
Fan ska dej hämta
och föra dej över stock och sten
och hugga av dej båd klor och ben,
att smådjur du ej ska gripa!"
"Kite, kite, kite!
The devil will take you
and bring you across log and rock
and chop off your talons and your legs
so that you can't prey on small animals!"
- chant from Sörmland, as told by Ebbe Schön in Folktrons ABC
Like many of the other birds of Oden, kites could predict the future. However, they don't seem to have been associated with misfortune, but with love:
"Gladan, gladan!
Flyg västan, flyg östan!
Flyg norr, flyg sör
Flyg ända till min kärestas dörr."
"(The) kite, (the) kite!
Fly west, fly east!
Fly north, fly south
Fly all the way to the door of my [female] sweetheart."
(ibid)
The red kite used to be a common bird in most of Scandinavia. In the 20th century, it almost disappeared completely. In Skåne, a successful conservation project has restored the local population of red kites. Outside of Skåne, it is still a rare sight.
