Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Sparrow: House Sparrow, Song Sparrow
The Profiles
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Despite its name, the house sparrow is not related to other North American sparrows. Originating in the Mediterranean region and India, this bird spread as civilizations expanded. With good intentions, farmers imported the house sparrow into North America to help control crop-threatening insects.
Although sparrows devour a high volume of insects, they themselves have been considered pests. Sparrow pots were used in seventeenth-century England to deal with this bird’s booming population.144 These small clay pots were hung on the walls of houses to provide attractive nesting sites for sparrows. The young birds were removed before they fledged and often ended up in pies to supplement a farm family’s diet. Sparrows were also considered pests in Central Europe, where charms were used to keep them away from grain stores.
Quite the opposite was true with the ancient Romans, who considered sparrows an asset to farmers. In fact, sparrows were regarded as household spirits and a symbol of protection. To the Greeks, the sparrow was regarded as a bird of love. In her “Hymn to Aphrodite,” Greek poet Sappho (c. 610—570 BCE) described the goddess’s chariot as being drawn by sparrows. Aristotle represented sparrows as a symbol of promiscuity, and their eggs were thought to be an aphrodisiac.
In British folklore, it was believed that ancestors could return as sparrows despite this bird having personified the lower classes during the Middle Ages. In addition, sparrows were thought to carry the souls of the dead.
This bird’s common name can be traced back to the Old English sparwa or spearwa, with “sparrow” finally appearing in the fourteenth century.145 The bird’s French name, moineau, was derived from moine, meaning “monk,” because of the bird’s drab coloring and the appearance of wearing a hood.146 In the early American colonies, English settlers referred to many types of small brown birds as sparrows.
Magical Workings
This unassuming little bird is instrumental in activating energy for manifesting dreams and desires. Sparrow’s association with love can be called upon for spells of attraction and fidelity as well as sex magic. Place an image or figurine of sparrow on your Ostara altar to symbolize fertility and the fecundity of spring. Sparrow is also an aid for grounding energy after ritual and magic work.
Despite its size, sparrow teaches us about assertiveness and can aid in providing protection. Invite this bird into your home to foster happiness. It is also an aid for attracting luck.
Make Connection
To connect with sparrow energy, put on a brown hoodie or use a brown blanket or bath towel to cover your head and shoulders. Squat down on the floor and make yourself as small as you can. Visualize pulling your aura close to your body. Slowly look around you and try to sense what it feels like to be a little bird. Be aware of your feet on the floor, and when you feel grounded and sure of yourself, be attentive for any messages sparrow may send.
Associations
Zodiac: Libra, Virgo
Element(s): Air, earth
Sabbat(s): Ostara
Goddesses: Aphrodite, Venus
Solar system: Moon, Sun
Bird Identification
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Size: 6 to 6½ inches
Wingspan: 7 to 9 inches
Description: Stout, chunky body; full chest; large, rounded head; stubby, pointed bill
Male: Gray crown; white cheeks; black bib; bill black in summer, yellow in winter; sides of head, back, and wings brown with black patterning; buff to gray underparts
Female: Light brown crown; back and wings light brown with darker patterning; broad, buff eye line; buff-brown underparts
Range: Most of Canada, throughout the lower forty-eight United States, Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America
Habitat: Residential areas, parks, urban areas, open country, and grassland
Eggs: White to greenish or bluish white, spotted gray or brown
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Size: 4½ to 6½ inches
Wingspan: 7 to 9 inches
Description: Short bill; rounded head; long, rounded tail; broad wings; upperparts streaked russet and gray; white chest and flanks with thick streaks; color and streaking varies by region
Range: From southern coastal Alaska, across Canada, throughout the United States into northern Mexico
Habitat: Nearly any open habitat from fields, backyards, and forest edges
Eggs: Blue, blue-green, or gray-green spotted with brown, red-brown, or lilac
Collective noun(s): A crew, a flutter, a host, or a quarrel of sparrows
144. J. Denis Summers-Smith, In Search of Sparrows (London: T & AD Poyser, 1992), 31.
145. Fraser and Gray, Australian Bird Names, 284.
146. Wells, 100 Birds and How They Got Their Names, 231.