Tradition / Region: Albanian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Giant bird, Supernatural helper
The Myth
The Giant Falcon is an enormous and ancient bird encountered during a hero’s journey. It serves as a guide and means of transport to a distant, unreachable realm, but demands sustenance and assistance in return.
A young man searching for the half iron being was told by the south wind that he would find a falcon so large it could no longer fly. When he found it, he seized it and demanded information. The falcon agreed to help, but only after being fed and restored, as its wings had weakened with age.
The young man remained with the falcon and provided it with large amounts of meat until its strength returned. Once recovered, the falcon allowed him to climb onto its back and carried him across vast distances to a mountain in another world where the half iron being lived.
During the journey, the falcon required constant feeding. When the meat ran out, it demanded more, threatening to drop him. The young man cut flesh from his own body to sustain the bird until they reached their destination. Afterward, the falcon restored him by returning what it had taken, bringing him back to health.
The falcon later recognized the hero again after his death and revived him using swallow’s milk, restoring him to life and allowing him to continue his quest.
Sources
Albanian Literature contributors. (n.d.). Folktale 4. In Albanian Literature, from http://www.albanianliterature.net/folktales/tale_04.html
Dozon, A. (1879). Manuel de la langue chkipe ou albanaise: Grammaire, vocabulaire, chrestomathie. In Paris: Ernest Leroux (reprinted in Folklor shqiptar 1, Proza popullore, 1963). Translated by Elsie, R.