Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016

Crane: Sandhill Crane, Whooping Crane
The Profiles

Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

The genus name Grus is actually the Latin name for this bird, and the common name crane is said to have been derived from their haunting calls.⁵⁴ The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America and its trumpet-like call can be heard for several miles. Cranes are known for their flamboyant courtship dances that include wing flapping, head tossing, and dramatic leaps into the air. This elaborate performance is sometimes used to daze predators, but it also seems to take place for no apparent reason.

According to Greek and Roman mythology, flying groups of cranes inspired some of the letter shapes in their alphabets. In Egypt, the sun bird deity Benu was depicted as a crane, and images of cranes have been found in ancient temples and tombs. Folklore throughout the Mediterranean region mentions cranes ferrying smaller birds on their backs to cross wide expanses of water. Native Americans in Montana have similar stories.

In Japan, cranes were referred to as marsh gods and have been considered auspicious creatures. Wishing someone “one thousand cranes” means to wish them good luck, happiness, and longevity times one thousand.⁵⁵ Throughout Asia an origami crane symbolizes good fortune, and chains of paper cranes are hung in temples as offerings. According to Vietnamese legend, cranes lift the souls of the dead to heaven.

Celtic myth abounds with stories and references to cranes. Many legends tell of women shape-shifting into cranes. The famous crane bag of Manannan mac Lir was made from such a bird when the woman died. The bag was said to hold magical objects and things of power. According to legend, Manannan added the fifth group of characters, called the forfeda, to the ogham. The forfeda is sometimes referred to as the crane bag.

Magical Workings

Found throughout Celtic myth, the crane is associated with death, rebirth, understanding deep mysteries, and truth. Through Manannan’s crane bag, this bird is associated with the ogham and divination in general. Buy or make a drawstring bag for your divination tools and decorate it with the forfeda characters and the name Grus. Refer to table 1.1 in Chapter 9 for the bird ogham.

Crane provides support for astral travel and shamanic work and becomes a guardian when connecting with the otherworld. Call on this bird for magic involving justice, honor, and the protection of children. As a symbol of grace and endurance, crane can help us find peace and patience.

When seeking self-knowledge or wisdom of the ancients, crane brings focus for introspection. It teaches us how to be independent and to keep secrets. Call on crane for spells of abundance or reversal and to stoke creativity. This bird also brings healing, longevity, and well-being. Cranes are beautiful symbols of balance that go well on an Ostara or Mabon altar.

Make Connection

In Celtic myth, a ritual crane posture of standing on one leg with one eye closed was said to have been employed by Lugh and the Dagda. While this was used for general spellwork, it was also instrumental in performing a form of magic known as corrguinecht, “crane-wounding.” ⁵⁶ I mention this not to advocate the use of retributive magic but to illustrate the power associated with this bird. Use this posture as you visualize yourself being graced with the stately presence of a crane. You will know it is with you when you feel firmly grounded yet lifted by an energy from outside of you.

Associations

Element(s): Air, earth, fire, water

Sabbat(s): Ostara, Mabon

Goddesses: Artemis, Athena, Badb, Cailleach, Hera, the Morrigan

Gods: Apollo, Benu, the Dagda, Hephaestus, Hermes, Lugh, Manannan, Midir

Solar system: Moon, Sun

Tree: Willow

Magical beings: Fairies

Ogham: Forfeda

Bird Identification

Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)

Size: 34 to 48 inches

Wingspan: 72 to 78 inches

Comparative size: Goose to very large

Description: Long neck and legs; gray or somewhat reddish body; red forehead; white cheeks; tufted rump feathers

Range: From Alaska east through most of Canada to Quebec, south through the plains states into Texas and Mexico, and west to the coast; also parts of the Midwest to Florida

Habitat: Open grasslands, meadows, and freshwater marshes

Eggs: Pale brownish, irregularly marked with darker brown

Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

Size: 45 to 50 inches

Wingspan: 84 to 90 inches

Comparative size: Very large

Description: Long neck and legs; white all over with black wingtips; tufted rump feathers; red forehead and cheeks

Range: A narrow band from Alberta, Canada, through the Dakotas to the Texas Gulf Coast

Habitat: Freshwater bogs and coastal areas

Eggs: Light brown with variable brown blotches

Collective noun(s): A dance, a family, a flock, a herd, a sedge, or a siege of cranes, and a kettle of Sandhill Cranes

54. William Young, The Fascination of Birds: From the Albatross to the Yellowthroat (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2014), 63.

55. Ibid., 42.

56. Sharon Paice MacLeod, Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems, and Songs (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2012), 120.