Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Loon: Common Loon
The Profiles
Common Loon (Gavia immer)
The sound of the loon has been described as eerie, haunting, and otherworldly. According to author John McPhee, if the sound were human it would be “the laugh of the deeply insane.” 89 Despite the phrase “crazy as a loon,” the word loon is not related to lunatic but comes from the Old Norwegian lom, meaning “lame” or “clumsy.” 90 While it is somewhat clumsy on land, in the water it’s a whole different story, as this bird’s scientific name reveals. Gavia is Latin for “aquatic bird” or “seabird,” and immer comes from the Latin immergere, “to dive.” 91
Sometimes called a rain goose, loons are truly waterbirds and only go ashore to nest. The reason for their ungainliness on land is that their legs are placed far back on their bodies. This makes them great swimmers and powerful divers able to catch fish in underwater chases. The loon’s only swimming equal in the bird world is the penguin.
While loons can fly, they need a long runway for takeoff because, unlike most birds, loons have solid bones. This makes them less buoyant in the water and enhances their diving abilities. Loons can dive about a hundred feet deep, earning them the name great northern diver in Britain.92 Most loons ferry their hatchlings around on their backs until the young ones develop swimming skills.
In a Siberian creation myth, a loon and golden-eyed duck continually dove under water to collect mud and create land. Loons have also been featured in the legends of the Lakota Sioux and the Tsimshian of Alaska. The sound of the Ojibwa flute is said to have been inspired by the loon’s call.
Being heard most often around sunset and calling to each other after dark has earned the loon an association with the night. In addition, this bird symbolizes the wildness and solitude of the north and has come to represent spiritual awakening.
Magical Workings
Loon is the bird to call on when you find yourself in a state of longing. Its hauntingly beautiful call expresses that deep, soul-felt tug at the heart from a source that is often unknown to us. Because of this, loon can help us reach new levels of consciousness and spirituality and help us find what we long for. Call on it for guidance with introspection and in finding solace.
As a bird that dives beneath the surface, loon can aid with dream work, help reveal and interpret past-life memories, and provide support when exploring the astral realm. It is a conduit to the imagination, inspiring satisfying expressions of creative energy. In addition, this bird helps us establish a deep connection with the natural world. Loon helps us find and kindle the spark of wisdom that flickers in the solitude of nature.
Make Connection
To connect with loon energy, place a tealight candle in a scallop shell or clamshell and float it on peaceful, calm water. This can be in a pond, a backyard pool, or even your bathtub. Sit in the dark and gaze at the candlelight as though you are gazing into the flame of your soul. Listen for the call of loon if you are within its range or hear it in your mind. Feel its call penetrate your soul with an ancient longing to understand the great mysteries. Hear loon call your spirit to follow and experience the natural world more deeply than you ever thought possible. When it feels appropriate, end the session, blow out the candle, and sit in silence to experience the solitude and solace of loon.
Association
Element(s): Water
Bird Identification
Common Loon (Gavia immer)
Also known as: Diver, great northern diver
Size: 26 to 36 inches
Wingspan: 41 to 52 inches
Comparative size: Goose
Description: Rounded head; red eyes; daggerlike bill; long, heavy body; short tail usually not visible; white throat and breast; black head and bill in summer, gray in winter; black-and-white spotting or striping on the back in summer, plain gray in winter
Range: From Alaska throughout most of Canada and the United States
Habitat: Seacoasts, inland reservoirs, and lakes
Eggs: Brown with dark splotches
Collective noun(s): A cry or a raft of loons
89. John McPhee, The Survival of the Bark Canoe (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982), 30.
90. Mark Nuttall, Encyclopedia of the Arctic (New York: Routledge, 2005), 497.
91. Sandrock and Prior, The Scientific Nomenclature of Birds in the Upper Midwest, 63.
92. Laura Erickson, For the Birds: An Uncommon Guide (Duluth, MN: Pfeifer-Hamilton, 1994), 22.