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

Penguin: Blue Penguin, Emperor Penguin
The Profiles

Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

Even though most of us will only see them in zoos, penguins have become endearing icons because of their portrayal in popular films. With wings that have become flippers for swimming, penguins are aquatic, flightless birds that spend only about half of their time on land. Their tuxedo-like color pattern functions as camouflage in the water. From above they are not easy to spot against the dark ocean, and from below their light color blends with the ice and sky.

The common name penguin comes from the Latin pinguis, meaning “fat,” which is appropriate as they have a good layer of fat for warmth.¹²³ In the 1800s, European sailors called them pin-wings.¹²⁴ The most plausible explanation for this name is that pin-wing is short for pinioned wing. Pinioning a bird involves the removal of the wing joint farthest from a bird’s body to render it flightless.

The emperor penguin was discovered by naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster, who was a member of Captain Cook’s expedition to Antarctica in the 1770s.¹²⁵ Its species name forsteri was designated in honor of Forster. The genus name Aptenodytes comes from Greek and means “flightless diver.” ¹²⁶

The emperor is the largest of the penguin species. They can dive deeper than any other bird, down to 1,850 feet, and stay underwater up to twenty minutes.¹²⁷ Like the loon, penguins have solid bones, which makes them less buoyant in the water and enhances their diving abilities. Emperor penguins also use a technique called “porpoising,” leaping out of the water like porpoises so they can breathe without slowing down.

The blue penguin is also known as the fairy penguin. It is the smallest of the penguin species, and one of the few to be found north of the Antarctic Ocean. These birds forage at sea during the day and return to their nest sites at nightfall. Because they move about on land after dark, they are not often seen. This penguin’s scientific name, Eudyptula minor, means “good little diver.” ¹²⁸ During the winter when they are not tending young, these penguins may spend several days at a time at sea.

Magical Workings

Penguin spends a lot of time in winter twilight, thus being familiar with that otherworldly betwixt-and-between state. Call on penguin as a shamanic guide to underworld journeys, astral travel, and dream work. With the moon providing the brightest light for several months, penguin gains the wisdom of Luna and passes it along to those it guides.

Able to hold on in the harsh Antarctic winter, penguin teaches us how to be strong and to adapt to any situation. Invite penguin into your rituals to help build community and cooperation.

Make Connection

To connect with penguin energy, close your eyes and imagine a cold and vast white landscape of snow and ice. Slowly sway side to side and then imitate the walk of a penguin. Giggle a little if you feel silly, but shift your attention to an image of a penguin in your mind. Visualize the twilight skies of seasonal change and the sound of the ocean. Keep a slow, deliberate pace until you get a sense of this bird’s calm, steady rhythm and then listen for it to call you.

Association

Solar system: Moon

Bird Identification

Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor)

Also known as: Little penguin, fairy penguin

Size: 14 to 16 inches

Comparative size: Pigeon to crow

Description: Blue-gray back and head; white front; gray sides of face; blackish-gray bill; white chin and throat; pinkish-white feet and legs

Male: Slightly heavier body; larger bill

Range: New Zealand, Tasmania, and parts of southern Australia

Habitat: Rocky islands

Eggs: White

Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)

Size: 39 to 47 inches

Comparative size: Goose to very large

Description: Black back; white front; bright yellow patches on neck and ears; orange-yellow stripe the length of black beak; webbed, black feet

Range: On and around the Antarctic continent

Habitat: Antarctic ice and surrounding waters

Eggs: White

Collective noun(s): A colony, a crèche, a huddle, a march, a parcel, or a rookery of penguins

123. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 54.

124. Armstrong, The Life and Lore of the Bird in Nature, Art, Myth and Literature, 178.

125. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 55.

126. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 54.

127. Tim Birkhead, Jo Wimpenny, and Bob Montgomerie, Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology since Darwin (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014), 208.

128. Margaret Mittlebach and Michael Crewdson. Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger (New York: Villard Books, 2006), 149.