Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016
Stork: Wood Stork
The Profiles
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)
People of the Baltic region considered the stork a hearth deity that protected their homes from fire and thunderstorms and that safeguarded their families. Throughout other parts of Europe, storks became a symbol of wealth and their nests were a welcome sight on housetops to garner good luck. It became common practice to place cartwheels, baskets, or platforms on house roofs to encourage nesting. Storks return year after year to the same nest, and it was a bad omen for the homeowner if they did not. I saw many stork nests and platforms on roofs in Germany and the Alsace region of France when I lived in Europe.
As an emblem of paternal care, the Roman Lex Ciconia, “stork law,” required citizens to take care of their elderly relatives.151 In addition, the stork was portrayed on Roman coins dating from approximately 77 to 43 BCE.152 To the Greeks, the stork was an archetypal symbol of mother and provider. Because of their return in the spring, storks were a symbol of fertility, which is no surprise since they are still used today when celebrating pregnancy and birth. However, the link between storks and human babies is a very old and widespread notion.
The ancient Vedic myths of India told of babies being formed in the śaiśava, “baby pool,” which was said to be located in a bend of the River Ganges.153 When a baby was ready, a stork would retrieve it and carry the infant to its human mother. In addition, it was believed in Egypt and Europe that unborn souls waited in watery, marshy areas, which are stork habitats.
Stories of storks bringing babies were especially prevalent in Germany, Holland, and Denmark. An old German name for stork, Adebar or Odebaro, may have meant “soul-bringer”; however, it has also been interpreted as “luck-bringer” and “child-bringer.” 154 And, of course, there’s Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Storks,” which told how human babies waited in a state of dreaming in a pond in Egypt until a stork brought them to families.
The only stork native to North America was originally called a wood ibis because of its slightly downward-curving bill. The stork’s common name comes from the Old English word stearc, meaning “stiff,” in reference to the appearance of the bird’s posture.155 The way to tell a stork from a heron is that the stork flies with its neck extended while herons tuck their necks back into an S-shape during flight.
While storks can hiss, croak, and whistle, they most often rattle their bills to make sound. Because of this, they became associated with sorcery.
Magical Workings
Rightfully so, stork is associated with fertility, pregnancy, and childbirth. Call on it to aid you in these aspects of your life. Use an image or figurine of stork on your altar for a child-naming or dedication ritual, or to express your devotion to your child. Stork boosts protection spells, especially those intended for children.
As a symbol of spring, include stork on your Ostara altar to celebrate the rebirth and renewal of nature. In addition, this bird supports transitions for any type of new beginning in your life. It is also instrumental in boosting spells to attract luck, opportunities, and wealth. As a bird of watery habitats, stork is associated with and supports the emotions. It also stirs the waters of creativity. Additionally, stork can be called upon for help in contacting spirits.
Make Connections
To connect with stork energy, visualize yourself in a dreaming pool of warm, soothing water. Fronds of long grass move gently, enveloping your body in a soft blanket of green. Through the water you can see a large bird peering down at you with loving eyes. It gently gathers the grass around you and lifts you from the water. The next thing you are aware of is being snuggled and warm in your bed. When stork is ready to make connection, it will bend toward you and gently touch you with its beak.
Associations
Zodiac: Pisces
Element(s): Air, water
Sabbat(s): Ostara
Goddesses: Hera, Juno, Venus
God: Hermes
Magical beings: Fairies
Bird Identification
Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)
Size: 35 to 45 inches
Wingspan: 59 to 69 inches
Comparative size: Goose
Description: White overall; white wings with black flight feathers; black tail; long, thick, down-curved bill; bare, gray or brownish head and neck; long, gray legs
Range: Coastal South Carolina, south throughout Florida and the Gulf Coast to Texas, as well as coastal Mexico, Central America, and many parts of South America
Habitat: On or near the coast and marshy wetlands
Eggs: White
Collective noun(s): A clatter, a flock, a mustering, or a silence of storks
151. Tate, Flights of Fancy, 132.
152. Arnott, Birds in the Ancient World from A to Z, 247.
153. E. J. Michael Witzel, The Origins of the World’s Mythologies (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 173.
154. Anatoly Liberman, An Analytic Dictionary of the English Etymology: An Introduction (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2008), 72.
155. Tate, Flights of Fancy, 133.