Bird

Ravens of Saint Meinrad

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Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: The Ravens of Saint Meinrad of Einsiedeln
Category: Ghost, Bird

The Myth

Saint Meinrad was a pious hermit who withdrew from the crowded world to live alone in the wilderness of the Dark Forest, deep in the Swiss mountains. Near a cold spring, he had a small hut and chapel built, where he devoted himself to prayer before an image of the Virgin Mary. He was accompanied by two ravens, which he had rescued as young birds from a nest in a fir tree after chasing away a sparrowhawk that threatened them. The ravens remained his faithful companions as he lived in solitude among the ancient trees, wild animals, and harsh mountain winds.

Although Meinrad sought isolation, his reputation for holiness eventually drew pilgrims into the wilderness. One day, two robbers approached his hut, hoping to find treasure. Meinrad already knew of their arrival, yet he welcomed them kindly and offered them hospitality. The robbers suddenly attacked him with clubs and beat him to death. As they stood beside his body, the two ravens cawed wildly and flew around them. When the murderers attempted to light a candle at the saint’s feet, it ignited by itself, filling them with terror as they realized they had killed a holy man.

The robbers fled through the forest, but the ravens pursued them above the towering fir trees. Believing themselves safe after reaching the city of Zurich, the men entered an inn and began to laugh at their earlier fear. Suddenly, the two ravens flew through an open window and attacked them in front of the other guests. Their strange behaviour aroused suspicion, and the robbers were arrested. The ravens were recognized as the companions of the murdered hermit, and the men confessed to their crime before being executed.

Meinrad was buried in the wilderness where he had lived, and a monastery was later established there at Maria Einsiedeln. His two ravens remained forever associated with his memory. According to the legend, they still fly among the people of the Schwyz forest around Einsiedeln, enduring as symbols of loyalty and as avengers of the saint whose life they had shared.

Sources

“Die Raben des heiligen Meinrad.” SAGEN.at – Traditionelle Sagen aus der Schweiz. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/allgemein/raben_meinrad.html

Affener Weiher

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Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: Affener Weiher, Pitscher Weiher
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Affener Weiher is a pond near the village of Affen, known in Walloon as Ponehs, in the municipality of Haechel in Luxembourg. Around its waters gather flocks of lapwings, calling out their characteristic “Kibitz! Kibitz!”

Yet these birds are said not to be true lapwings. They are old maidens who were transformed into birds and condemned to remain at the pond until the end of the world. There they must endlessly circle the water and cry out “Kibitz! Kibitz!” without ever escaping their enchantment.

The legend gave rise to a local saying about an unmarried girl who seemed unlikely to find a husband. People would say of her: “Das kommt auf den Affener Weiher” — “She is going to end up at the Affener Pond.”

The same story is also attached to the Pitscher Weiher, where the cries of the lapwings are likewise said to come from enchanted old maidens.

Sources

Reuland, Heinrich Adolph. Luxemburger Volksbücher: Geschichten und Sagen aus dem luxemburger Volksleben. Luxemburg: St. Paulus-Dr., 1892.

Colôrobètch

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Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Colôrobètch, Colô Rodje Bètch, Red Beak, Red-Beaked Rooster
Category: Bird

The Myth

Colôrobètch is a frightening red-beaked creature used to embody childhood fears of the cold, punishment, and dangerous places. His most distinctive feature is his beak, stained red with blood, although it is uncertain whether he is truly a bird, a human being, or a grotesque mixture of the two.

Colôrobètch appears during winter, preying on children foolish enough to go outside without clothing warm enough to protect them from the icy wind. He nips at their exposed faces and hands until their skin becomes red, dry, cracked, and bleeding. His name is therefore tied directly to his blood-red beak and the injuries caused by the cold. He was a warning to children to protect themselves from the freezing winter air, which could bring frostbite to their noses and hands.

Around Andenne, Bastogne, Dinant, Huy, Neufchâteau, and Warsage, the creature is known as Colôrobètch. In On, Oignies, and Stavelot, he is simply called the Red Beak. His appearance changes from place to place: in Somme-Leuze he is imagined as a monstrous sparrow, while in Condroz and Hesbaye he takes the form of a pigeon. In Namur, he is specifically known as Colôrobètch or Colô Rodje Bètch, meaning the “Red-Beaked Rooster.”

In Andenne, the creature takes on an even darker form. There, Colôrobètch becomes a nocturnal water bogey who lurks around the Meuse and drags unwary children into its depths.

Sources

“Colorobetch.” A Book of Creatures. March 21, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/03/21/colorobetch/

Peryton

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Tradition: Gibraltar Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative Names: Peryton, Perytons
Category: Deer, Bird

The Myth

The Peryton is a strange and tragic creature said to have originally inhabited Atlantis. After the seismic catastrophes that destroyed their homeland, the Perytons settled on the border of the Ocean, in the region of the Pillars of Hercules.

According to the legend, the Perytons were haunted by the deaths of their fellow creatures. In memory of the millions who perished at sea, including the inhabitants of Atlantis, they became living cenotaphs, carrying the restless souls of those who had died far from home. They were associated with fishermen, sailors, travelers, and wanderers. Each Peryton possessed a human shadow, which appeared upon the ground while the creature itself flew through the sky.

The delicate nature of the Peryton could not withstand the trauma of forced migration. Something within the creatures eventually broke, transforming them into monsters. Their heads became those of gentle deer, while their bodies were those of birds. They possessed enormous horns and sharp claws, with some accounts describing bodies hardened like tempered adamant and others giving them the clawed feet of eagles.

Once the Perytons had taken to the sky, they could no longer return to the earth. They became predators and developed a thirst for human flesh. The only way for a Peryton to free itself from this terrible fate was to taste the blood of a slain human being and consume human flesh.

The Perytons became a source of terror to those who encountered them. Their attacks could affect travelers, sailors, merchant ships, and even armies. Yet the widows of fishermen were said not to fear them.

When a Peryton saw the broken outline of a human shadow on the ground, it would approach the person whose shadow it recognized. If the Peryton heard the name of its former human self, however, it would suddenly stop its attack and fall toward the ground, weeping like a man awakening from a deep sleep. For a brief moment, the widow could see in the transformed monster the person she had once known.

One of the great stories concerning the Perytons was connected with the Punic Wars. It was said that the army of Scipio, later known as Africanus, was crossing the waters of Gibraltar on its way to fight Carthage when the soldiers were attacked by countless Perytons.

The creatures were difficult to defeat. Their teeth, claws, and horns caused enormous casualties, while their skins were so tough that weapons could scarcely pierce them. Hundreds of Roman soldiers were killed during the attack.

The attack was associated with a prophecy of the Erythraean Sibyl that Rome would eventually be destroyed by the Perytons. Yet after the creatures had killed hundreds of Roman soldiers, they were finally freed from the curse that had transformed them and abandoned the Pillars of Hercules.

The Peryton therefore remained a creature of tragic transformation: originally associated with the dead and with the memories of those lost far from home, it became a predatory monster whose own human shadow constantly reminded it of what it had once been.

Sources

“Peritii.” New Bestiary (Bestiary.us). Accessed September 5, 2026. https://www.bestiary.us/peritii

Minokawa

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Tradition / Region: Phillippines mythology
Alternative names: Minokawa Bird
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Minokawa is a colossal bird that lives beyond the eastern edge of the sky. It is so enormous that it is said to be as large as an island. Its beak and claws are made of steel, its eyes shine like mirrors, and every feather is as sharp as a sword.

The great bird constantly hunts the Moon. To escape it, the Moon travels through eight hidden openings in the eastern horizon and eight in the western horizon. Whenever the Moon emerges, the Minokawa tries to swallow it, causing the sky to grow dark.

When the Moon disappears into the bird’s mouth, the people below fear that the Minokawa will next devour the Sun and then descend to consume the Earth and all humanity. To drive the monster away, they beat gongs, shout, and make as much noise as possible. Curious about the commotion, the Minokawa opens its mouth, allowing the Moon to leap free and return to the sky.

The bird then retreats beneath the world, waiting for another chance to seize the Moon.

Sources

“Minokawa.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minokawa

Bar Juchne

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Tradition / Region: Israeli Mythology
Alternative names: Bar-Yuchnei
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Bar Juchne is a colossal bird whose enormous wings are said to be large enough to block out the sun.

One day, a gigantic egg fell from the Bar Juchne’s nest. When it struck the ground, it shattered with such force that three hundred cedar trees were destroyed, and the liquid from the broken egg flooded sixty villages.

The destruction astonished those who heard the tale, for it was said that the Bar Juchne normally laid its eggs safely upon the ground. The story explains that this particular egg had not developed properly, so the great bird cast it away from its nest, causing the disaster.

Sources

“Bar Juchne.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Juchne

Huri

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Furi, Huryū, Hurin, Hiwri
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Huri is a gigantic bird of Ainu tradition, so immense that a single wing is said to measure seven ri (about 28 kilometers). When it spread its wings, they darkened the sky, and the beating of its wings created violent winds and storms.

Ancient stories tell that the ancestors of the Huri were driven into caves after being defeated by the gods who protected humankind. Seeking revenge, the bird rode upon dark clouds and brought fierce storms that destroyed fish, livestock, and human settlements.

The Huri appears in many legends across Hokkaido. In some places it was feared as a man-eating monster that carried away people, ravaged villages, and hunted both humans and wild animals. Heroes armed with sacred swords, great spears, or clever decoys eventually slew the monstrous bird after fierce struggles.

Other traditions remember the Huri more peacefully. It hunted deer, fish, whales, and other large prey but left people unharmed. This changed when a young woman defiled the bird’s sacred drinking place. Enraged, the Huri seized her, carried her away, and cast her into a distant stream before abandoning the region forever.

One tale tells of the bird capturing two children who later became the ancestors of the Sumunkur Ainu, only for a goddess to drive the giant bird away and rescue them. Another story recounts how the Huri’s pride was humbled when it mistook the tentacle of an enormous sea monster for a tree and one of the creature’s nostrils for a cave, teaching the mighty bird that there were beings even greater than itself.

Sources

“Huri (Ainu Legendary Bird).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huri_(Ainu_legendary_bird)

Gandabherunda

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Tradition / Region: Indian Mythology
Alternative names: Gaṇḍabheruṇḍa
Category: Bird

The Myth

Gandabherunda is the fearsome two-headed eagle form assumed by Vishnu as Narasimha. The immense bird possesses overwhelming strength, capable of carrying elephants in its talons and beaks.

After Narasimha slew the demon king Hiranyakashipu, his terrible fury threatened the stability of the universe. To restore peace, Shiva took the form of the mighty beast Sharabha and confronted him. Narasimha answered by transforming into the colossal Gandabherunda, and the two divine beings fought a battle that lasted eighteen days.

On the final day, Gandabherunda overpowered Sharabha while also destroying Hiranyakashipu. With the conflict ended, Narasimha’s wrath subsided. Sharabha offered his own hide as a mark of respect, which Gandabherunda accepted before restoring it to him. Having brought peace back to the universe, the two resumed their true forms as Vishnu and Shiva and returned to their heavenly realms of Vaikuntha and Kailasha.

Sources

“Gandabherunda.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandabherunda

Hato Ningen

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Pigeon Human, Hatojin
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Hato Ningen is a monstrous being said to be born when a human’s brain is exchanged with that of a pigeon. Regarded as a messenger of the demon world, it possesses both human awareness and the savage instincts of a beast.

It is described as an enormous creature about 50 meters long. A single beat of its wings can blow away wooden houses, while a strange beam fired from its mouth causes anything it strikes to explode or melt.

According to the tradition, pigeons captured by monsters grow to gigantic size and cry out, “Koredamona.” Although immensely destructive when enraged, the Hato Ningen is said not to harm children or people who love animals. Because of its overwhelming strength, however, it was often blamed for disasters and persecuted.

One story claims that during the Edo period, a samurai named Ikuma Umenosuke was kidnapped by a Dutch doctor and subjected to an operation in which his brain was replaced with that of a pigeon. After awakening, he transformed into a Hato Ningen, rampaged through Fukuoka, and destroyed the city before the tale was carried back to Yamagata by a traveling merchant.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “ハトニンゲン (Hato Ningen).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). TYZ Yokai Blog. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1020704023.html

Tsenahale

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Tradition / Region: American Mythology
Alternative names: Tse’nahale, Tse’na’hale, Tsanahale
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Tsenahale were a male and female pair of monstrous bird beings counted among the Anaye, the Alien Gods. They were born from unnatural practices after men and women had been separated, their father being nothing more than a pile of feathers. Abandoned at birth, they grew into gigantic bird-like monsters resembling enormous eagles or harpies. The male hunted only men, while the female preyed upon women, and Raven served as their scout.

The two creatures nested atop Tse’bit’ai (Shiprock). When the hero Nayenezgani, the Slayer of Alien Gods, came to destroy them, the male attacked from the sky, creating violent whirlwinds with his wings. He seized Nayenezgani in his talons and dropped him into the nest, believing him dead. Hidden among the chicks, Nayenezgani learned when the parents would return.

The male arrived first with a great thunderstorm and perched upon a rock. Nayenezgani killed him with a single lightning arrow. Soon afterward the female returned through pouring rain carrying the body of a Pueblo woman, and she too was slain.

The frightened chicks begged for mercy. Instead of killing them, Nayenezgani transformed the elder into the eagle, whose feathers would be used in sacred ceremonies and whose bones would become ritual whistles. The younger chick became the owl, whose calls would sometimes foretell the truth and sometimes deceive. The remaining feathers of the Tsenahale were scattered and transformed into the many small birds of the world, including sparrows, wrens, chickadees, warblers, and others.

Sources

Countess Sica. “Tsenahale.” A Book of Creatures. June 12, 2015. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/06/12/tsenahale/