The vernal equinox has everything to do with my favorite subject: BIRDS. So much human story and mythos surrounding spring is filled with avian lore. It also has much to do with regeneration, and what a timely topic, after so much loss, so many challenges, and the need to heal with the coming of spring, for so many of us.
I would like to share two relevant avian stories that relate to this coming equinoctial time, the first being Eastern, the second Western, and one modern cautionary tale:
One fascinating story created an entire Chinese dynasty. From 1600-1046 BC, the Shang Dynasty legitimized their status as divinely ordained rulers by generating a mythical origin. It was said that Chien-Ti ingested the egg of a swallow sent from heaven. She then gave birth to Hsieh, the first ruler of the dynasty. In Chinese mythology, the vernal equinox is also called “the day that the swallow returns.”
Of course, in the west, Ostara, originally a Germanic Goddess, is the most famous tale relating to the equinox, a bird, and a hare. Apparently, she arrived late one spring and found a bird dying of the frost, and though she warmed the bird, it could no longer fly. Out of compassion she turned the bird into a snow hare named Lepus. In order that Lepus might remember his life as a bird, she allowed him to lay eggs once per year. In gratitude, he would lay colorful eggs as gifts to Ostara. In some versions he became her lover, and when he strayed (as hares may do) she flung him to the heavens to become a constellation.
A modern cautionary non-fiction tale was called Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson, who sparked the contemporary environmental movement. She worked in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Department after receiving degrees in biology and zoology, and discovered studies that revealed how pesticides were affecting whole ecosystems, especially birds. Today we understand the effect of human-made substances and structures that decimate our bird populations, and just how vital the EPA and especially the Endangered Species Act truly is to bird lives—inextricably entangled with human lives. We could not live well in a world inhospitable to birds—a silent spring is unthinkable.
One thing these tales share is a message about the importance of regeneration. The day the swallow returns was the day that meant there would be renewed prosperity. When Ostara was late, birds died of frost. Ostara’s return signals the world’s renewal. This winter has been very rough for many birds caught in winter storms, and humans caught in life’s strange storm. All brought about by the way humans are relating to the planet and other species. Spring promises warmth and the hope of possible reunions, possible healing, but those must include our efforts to heal our relations with our own and other species. How that healing happens is a very personal experience.
In my own life I have lost my best human friend of 30 years and my best canine friend of 10 years in the space of 9 months. I know that many of you have had significant losses of loved ones, as well…perhaps losses of other kinds. What has kept me going is my family, friends, but also my work—connecting with, photographing, and writing about bird lives. Studies have shown that diverse bird life makes people happier, and watching birds has physical and psychological benefits. So perhaps as we are coming out of this terrible symbolic freeze, knowing that though we are somewhat broken like Ostara’s little bird, we might be transformed and adapt to new ways, new possibilities. Perhaps we shall find new ways to heal…like birdwatching…or spending time outdoors connecting with the more-than-human world. Connecting with one another (safely) in the more-than-human world.
May we, all of us Earth creatures, find new ways to adapt and thrive.