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

Ostrich
The Profiles

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

The ostrich is the largest and heaviest bird in the world. Its scientific name comes from the Greek strouthos, meaning “bird,” and kamelos, “camel.” ¹⁰⁴ As its name suggests, the ostrich was known as the camel bird. This is because of its long neck and prominent camel-like eyes that are fringed with sweeping eyelashes. Like camels, this bird gets along fine in high temperatures and can go without water for extended periods of time.

The biggest myth about the ostrich is that it buries its head in the sand to avoid danger. This is a misconception of a defensive behavior that is used especially in its nesting area when it lies down with its head and neck along the ground to be less visible. Despite its size, this maneuver, along with its coloring, actually allows it to blend in with the surroundings. At other times when threatened, the ostrich will run away or stand and fight. With long legs and sharp claws, it can kill a human or a lion. Speaking of lions, the male ostrich has a warning call that has been likened to the sound of a lion, although it’s not a roar.

Weighing around three hundred pounds would require monumental wings to get this bird off the ground. Instead, the ostrich uses its rather small wings as rudders to aid in changing direction while running. This bird can sprint up to thirty-eight miles per hour.¹⁰⁵ Because it is flightless, the ostrich has no need for typical flight feathers, which are asymmetrical and heavier on one side than the other. Instead, it has fluffy plumes, which give it a shaggy appearance. The ancient Egyptians regarded these symmetrical, balanced feathers as a symbol of truth. Maat, the goddess of justice, was usually depicted wearing an ostrich plume headdress.

Ostrich feathers were a prized commodity for thousands of years. Plumes adorned the helmets of medieval knights, women’s fashions, and the robes of royalty. The craze for ostrich plumes almost led to this bird’s demise in the early nineteenth century.¹⁰⁶ At that point, ostriches began to be raised on farms where their feathers could be plucked without having to hunt and kill the birds.

Since ancient times, ostrich eggshells have been prized and were a commodity for trade around the Mediterranean. Over time, ostrich shell becomes hard and shiny and looks almost like ivory. Ostrich eggshells have been found in Mesopotamian and Etruscan tombs as well as burials in Egypt and other areas of Africa. In Egypt, they were also fashioned into drinking cups and perfume containers.

Magical Workings

Ostrich’s long association with truth makes it an ideal aid in divination practices. Call on this bird to guide you to the right interpretation of messages during any type of reading. When seeking justice in legal matters, place an ostrich plume on your altar as you state how you would like events to unfold. Ostrich is a bird of practicality and can help you as long as your desired outcome is based in reality. Also call on it for courage and protection. For grounding and centering your energy after ritual, visualize ostrich stretched along the desert sand.

Make Connection

Place a picture of ostrich on your altar and gaze at it as you bend your elbows and tuck your thumbs under your arms. Move around the room as you slowly and gracefully raise and lower your elbows out to the sides as though your arms are the small wings of ostrich. Hold your head high and visualize yourself as this bird with majestic plumes. Your feathers and eggshells are prized items for their beauty, but you know it is also because they hold the energy of knowledge and truth. Dwell in the thought of being able to produce such exquisite objects. When you find the truth in this, ostrich may speak to you.

Associations

Element(s): Air, fire

Goddess: Maat

Bird Identification

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Size: 6 to 8 feet tall

Wingspan: 5 to 6 feet

Comparative size: Larger than a human

Description: Long legs; long, thin neck; small head; large, rounded body; light fuzz on neck and legs; large plumes on body and wings give a shaggy appearance

Male: Black body; buff to white tail-feather tips; white on wings; neck, head, and legs whitish or pink

Female: Medium brown-gray body; light brown neck, head, and legs

Range: Central Africa and parts of southwestern Africa; also raised in farms around the world

Habitat: Desert and savanna areas; semiarid plains

Eggs: Whitish-buff sometimes with light brown markings; average 5 to 6 inches long and weigh approximately 3 pounds

104. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 2.

105. Edgar Williams, Ostrich (London: Reaktion Books, 2013), 39.

106. Nozedar, The Secret Language of Birds, 257.