Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Pigeon: Rock Pigeon
The Profiles
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
Whether revered or reviled, pigeons are one of the most familiar and abundant birds in the world. Although they are mainly urban creatures, pigeons are highly adaptive and can easily live in the wild. These birds have been known by the name of pigeon since the fifteenth century in England. The name was derived from the Old French pijon, which originally referred to a young dove.132
Pigeons are one of the earliest-known birds to have been domesticated. This is believed to have occurred in the Mediterranean region five thousand to ten thousand years ago.133 In myth and affection, doves and pigeons were interchangeable throughout the Middle East. In addition, the ancient Semitic people regarded both of these birds with reverence. Along with turtledoves (Streptopelia turtur), pigeons were sacrificed and their blood used for the ritual cleansing of leprosy.
Aristotle wrote about pigeon sport in Athens, where these birds were used to carry messages. It was a practice Julius Caesar used to convey information to his Roman troops. Pigeons served in this capacity up through World War II.
Raised for food in Egypt, the Romans also enjoyed dining on fat chicks, which are called squabs. Structures called columbaria by the Romans were dovecote towers that housed doves and pigeons. These were attached to residential buildings and date from the early first century CE.134 Throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, pigeons were meals for upper-class tables. In France, only aristocrats kept pigeons, which is why having a pigeonnier (French for “dovecote”) was forbidden during the revolution in 1789.135
Like many birds, the pigeon has a checkered history concerning good and bad luck. In Polish folklore, a pigeon in the house meant bad luck. In England, a white pigeon alighting near a house or coming to a window was a sign that someone would die. Although it was mostly considered a bird of death in England, the pigeon was also thought to bring good luck. To dream of a pigeon meant that love was on its way. The pigeon was considered a sacred bird in Russia, where it was consecrated to Perun, the god of thunder.
French colonists introduced pigeons into North America in the seventeenth century.136 These domestic birds escaped into the wild and flourished. Racing pigeons is a sport that dates back centuries. Birds of various owners are collected and driven a certain distance, released, and timed for how long it takes them to fly to their home roosts. My father-in-law was an avid pigeon racer, and I have to admit that it was impressive to see his birds come back after being released almost two hundred miles away.
Magical Workings
Although this bird has been associated with death, pigeon is more appropriate for communication between the worlds. It serves to interpret messages and omens and can be a guide in many forms of divination. Connected strongly with fertility, it can be called on for support in matters of family and home. Also call on pigeon to boost spells for luck and love, and to help foster peace and security in your life. If asked, this bird will show you how to adapt to the changes (big or small) in your life.
Make Connection
To connect with pigeon energy, visualize that you are sitting on an urban rooftop, looking down at the hustle and bustle below. Imagine all the noises and activity of a busy city, and then shift your focus to the sky, where you can see several pigeons flying. Visualize yourself lifting into the air, moving from the humdrum distractions of the human world to soar above the city. Pigeon will make its presence known by flying beside you and guiding you around the aerial cityscape.
Associations
Element(s): Air
God: Perun
Bird Identification
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
Also known as: Rock dove, feral pigeon
Size: 12 to 14 inches
Wingspan: 29 to 26 inches
Description: Stocky body; small head; short legs; broad, pointed wings; wide, rounded tail; plumage is highly variable, most common is a dark iridescent head; bluish-gray body and wings; two dark, wide wing bars; gray tail with dark tip; pigeons can also be all white, black, reddish-brown, or speckled
Range: From southern Alaska, along the Pacific coast, across southern Canada and throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America
Habitat: Urban and suburban areas, farmland, and rocky cliffs
Eggs: White
Collective noun(s): A flight, a flock, a kit, or a loft of pigeons
132. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 21.
133. Richard F. Johnston and Marián Janiga. Feral Pigeons (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 6.
134. Clive Roots, Domestication (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007), 173.
135. Wells, 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names, 193.
136. Roots, Domestication, 173.