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

Robin: American Robin
The Profiles

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Early settlers to North America gave this bird its common name because it had a red breast like the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), with which they were familiar back home. However, the American robin is more closely related to the European blackbird (Turdus merula) than its Old World namesake. Although robins are considered harbingers of spring, many do not migrate. Because they spend more time roosting in trees than on the ground in the winter, they are not as conspicuous. Robins have distinctive movements on the ground: either hopping or stop-and-go running.

According to folklore, robins were said to present themselves at funerals to sing last rites. It was also believed that if robins found an unburied human corpse they would cover it with moss or leaves. As a result, this bird became associated with lost loved ones and the afterlife. Folklore also explained that this bird’s red breast resulted from singeing its feathers when descending into hell to either bring fire back for humans or take water to lost souls.

Associated with storms, the robin was sacred to Thor and was nicknamed the storm cloud bird. English legend noted that fairies were afraid of robins because they could not shape-shift into its form. For the most part, the robin was regarded as a bird of good fortune and to kill one would bring bad luck. It was thought that if you made a wish before the first robin you saw in the spring flew away, your wish would come true. In addition, a light snowfall in the spring is called a robin snow.

The robin was considered a bird of prophecy, heralding the return of spring and approaching rain. My grandmother used to say that when a robin sang a particular song, rain was on the way. Sometimes the weather prophecy was determined by the bird’s location (on a barn or in a bush) when it was heard. The robin was considered oracular in other ways, too. If one flew into a house, a death in the family could be expected. Also, if an unmarried woman saw a robin on Valentine’s Day, she would marry a sailor.

Despite its connections with spring, the robin is also associated with winter, Yule, oak trees, and the wren. Representing the light and dark halves of the year, the oak king and holly king trade places at Yule. The wren is considered the bird of the holly king; the red-breasted robin, representing the returning sun, is the oak king’s bird. In folklore, the robin killed the wren at winter solstice to initiate the return of spring.

Magical Workings

Robin is a bird of renewal, growth, and change. As a symbol of spring and quickening, it adds energy to Imbolc rituals as well as both summer and winter solstices. Represent robin on your altar with images or figurines, or with several small blue gemstones to represent its eggs.

This bird can boost spells for luck and aid in making your wishes come true. To invite joy into your life, get up at dawn and listen for robin’s song, or place a picture of one on your windowsill and bring its song into your mind.

As a bird of comfort and affection, robin can help ease grief when a loved one passes beyond the veil. Robin can also help interpret messages from the otherworld as well as bring clarity to obscure omens.

Make Connection

To connect with robin energy, put on a red shirt and a dark gray or brown sweater or jacket. Get up while it is still dark and listen to the dawn chorus. If you don’t hear a robin, bring the sound of its song into your mind. Visualize yourself sitting on a tree branch, singing and greeting the day. Most of all, listen, and it will make its presence known.

Associations

Zodiac: Aries, Taurus

Element(s): Air, fire

Sabbat(s): Imbolc, Litha, Yule

Gods: Belenus, Jupiter, Thor

Tree: Oak

Bird Identification

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Size: 8 to 11 inches

Wingspan: 12 to 16 inches

Description: Large, rounded body; long legs; long tail; reddish bill and legs

Male: Dark gray-brown upperparts; almost black head; white around the eyes; underparts orange to brick-red; throat whitish with dark streaks; lower belly white

Female: Similar to male but duller colors

Range: From Alaska throughout the United States, most of Canada, and Mexico

Habitat: Residential areas and parks, urban areas, forests, and open country

Eggs: Light blue or bluish-green

Collective noun(s): A blush or a riot of robins