Myth of Romulus and Remus for modern people

The founding myth of the City of Rome centers on the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. This myth encompasses the circumstances of their birth, their coming of age, and the death of Remus by his brother. What makes this myth remarkable, for me, is that this is essentially the creation myth for ancient Romans. The myths of Romans usually focused on civic ethics or piety toward the Gods. (Any myth that detailed the creation of the world was usually adapted from the Greeks.) This founding myth presents the belief of the Romans that they were called to a greater destiny in the world. However, they were unsparing in highlighting that Romulus murdered his brother or that the original Romans were criminals.

 The elements of this myth are twins with a divine parentage: in their case, Mars, the God of War. Their royal grandfather is overthrown, and their mother is made a Vestal Virgin. The twins are sent out to be killed by their great uncle, but are saved through magical intervention. A wolf rescues them and nurses them until they are found. A childless couple, Faustulus and his wife adopts the twins and raise them as shepherds. When the brothers are grown, they get into trouble with the king’s men. When they were taken before their great uncle, who happens to be the king, Romulus kills him, and reinstates their grandfather and frees their mother. Afterwards, the brothers leave to find their own fortune. Along the way, they argue over where to establish their new city. Goaded into fury by Remus, Romulus kills his brother. Filled with remorse, he buries Remus with great pomp, and then founds The City of Rome.

 Because of my brain injury, writing fiction is difficult. Imagining characters and constructing a plot is hard. However, I can read fiction, and my favorite genre is crime noir. I decided to rewrite the myth of Romulus and Remus in that form. Comparing this Roman myth to pulp fiction, it sounds like something from the stories of American organized crime. Keeping the original Roman names, I rewrote the myth as crime noir.

 In the City of Alba Longa, the Numitor Crime Family ruled the criminal underworld. The head of the Family, Don Numitor was so powerful that he had a seat on the National Commission, which ruled the criminal underworld of the nation. The head of the Commission (the Boss of Bosses) was Don Maroni (Mars, the God of War). In addition, Don Maroni was interested in Rhea Silvia, Don Numitor’s daughter.

 Meanwhile, Amulius seized control of the Family from his unsuspecting brother. After his coup,

Amulius confined Numitor to his home, and forced his niece into a convent. To ensure that Rhea Silvia remained at the convent, Don Amulius bribed the Mother Superior.

 After Don Maroni found out where Rhea Silvia was, he also bribed the Mother Superior to ensure that his visits were unimpeded. In a few months, Rhea Silva became pregnant. Therefore the Mother Superior asked Don Amulius to come and fetch his niece. After he arrives, she informs him that the father of his niece’s children is none other than Don Maroni. Not willing to offend the Boss of Bosses, Don Amulius imprisons her with her father in their house.

 However, Don Amulius regarded her children to be a different matter. He would tell Don Maroni, that the two boys died at birth. Meanwhile, he ordered one of his men to “take care” of them. The goon dumped the twins into the Tiber River. They floated downstream until a stray dog paddled out and pulled them to land. Since she had lost her puppies, the mangy dog nursed the boys as her own. Then, a passing farmer heard their cries, rescued them, and took the babies to his farm. Faustulus and his wife, Acca Larentia, raised Romulus and Remus as their own sons.

 Like many young men, Romulus and Remus longed to leave the farm and go into the city. During a trip to Alba Longa, Romulus and Remus got into trouble. Don Amulius’ men dragged them to the “Padrino,” Don Amulius, since Remus had killed their Capo (Crew Boss). However, Romulus escaped, and formed a gang of toughs to storm Don Amulius’ office to rescue his brother. In the melee that followed, he killed Don Amulius.

 The Underboss of the Amulius Family recognized the two brothers as the children of Rhea Silva and Don Maroni. Because of this, he offered them the position of Don of the Family. But, Romulus decided that his grandfather be reinstated instead, and their mother freed. After reuniting with their mother, and learning who their father was, Romulus and Remus set out to start their own crime family, in another city.

 Empowered by being the sons of Don Maroni, the two brothers gathered an impressive group of criminals. As they searched for a suitable city, Romulus and Remus fought with each other. Arriving at a likely town, their arguing became more intense about who would be boss of the new crime family. After Romulus claimed that he received a sign from their father, he decided that this small town is the place to start their Family. Moreover, he announced that he would be the Don. Chagrined at being ignored by his brother, Remus taunted him for being so stupid to set up “business” in such a small town. Enraged, Romulus killed him. After ruing the murder of his brother, Romulus gave Remus a magnificent funeral. Then, he became Don Romulus, the head of the Rome Family, his new crime organization.

Works used.
 Garcia, Brittany, “Romulus and Remus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 4 October 2013. Web. http://www.ancient.eu/Romulus_and_Remus/.
“Roman Mythology,” Myths Encyclopedia. 2015. Web. http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Pr-Sa/Roman-Mythology.html.
 “Roman Mythology,” United Nations of Roma Victrix History. 2015. Web. http://www.unrv.com/culture/mythology.php.
 Watson, Donald, “Roman Mythology.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 10 December 2014. Web. http://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Mythology/.

Myth Decoding: Marduk and Tiamat (Babylon)

Marduk and Tiamat (Enuma Elish: The Epic of Creation)

Read this myth at The World Mythology Course (new window opens) 

 At first glance the story of Marduk and Tiamat in the Enuma Elish seems to be a creation story of Mesopotamia as told by the Babylonians. However, the subtext tells how humans mastered the volatile environment of Mesopotamia. Layered below this is the rise of Babylon to be the principal power of the region. The Enuma Elish describes the lives of the succeeding generations of Gods, their conflicts with the Gods before Them, and ends with Marduk as their ruler. Each generation of Gods probably represents a prior group of peoples who lived the region. Since Marduk is the major God of the Babylonians, this myth then becomes the story of how Babylon came to rule Mesopotamia.

 The myth starts by describing the ancient landscape of Mesopotamia, thousands of years ago. Apsu, the sweet water, mixes with Tiamat of the salt water. The symbol of their union is the mingling of the Tigris and Euphrates with the sea to produce the salt marshes. The sea was much farther inland then, and tides had more effect on the people living there. The landscape of the area is one of river bottoms, tidal marshes, swamps, and wetlands. Even the names of their children Lahamu and Lahmu which means mud reflect this as well. 

 The next generation of Gods were Anu, Enlil (Ellil), and Enki (Ea) of the Sumerians. Unlike the first group, these Gods focused on developing agriculture and decreeing divine laws. While Anu ruled the Gods, Enlil granted kingship, and Enki created people. (In a similar story to Apsu and the noisy Gods is Enlil and the noisy humans. In both cases, the Gods tried to destroy the noisemakers, since the activities of farming disturbed them.)

 In Tiamat’s case, the noisy ones were the next generation of Gods, who were replacing the original ones. They were draining the swamps, digging the canals, and irrigating the fields. These Gods were taming the “sweet water”, thereby killing Apsu as a God. The efforts of the new Gods threatened Tiamat, since They were transforming the salt marshes into farmland.

 Furious, Tiamat raises an army, which metaphorically reflects the violence of the times. Through continuous irrigation, salt made the land of the Sumerians infertile. Faced with dwindling resources including water, the various cities fought each other to gain these precious resources for their peoples. During this awful time, the suffering Sumerians wrote lamentations describing their misery -- bodies melting in the sun and cities shrouded in smoke. Into this war-torn landscape came the Amorites, who adopted the Sumerian culture, and established their main city of Babylon. Under their king, Hammurabi, the Babylonians cemented their empire and imposed law and order in Mesopotamia. 

 This creation myth, the Enuma Elish, relates how the Babylonians came to power and recreated the world, making order out of chaos. Their principal God, Marduk, assumes power over the other Gods and defeats Tiamat. The Sumerian Gods, Enki and Enlil cede their power to Marduk by granting “Enlil-ship” to Him. Meanwhile, the other Gods confer “Anu-power” on Him. Hence, several generations of Gods pass from importance. 

 After adopting myths from the Sumerians, the Babylonians rewrote the creation myth to include the rise and rulership of Marduk. After Tiamat came Enlil, who was the original head of the pantheon. With each succeeding generation, Enlil shared his power first with Anu and then with Enki. While They ceded their power to Marduk, Anu remained in the titular rule. In Enuma Elish, the Babylonians acknowledge their predecessors, the Sumerians and the others. But they end the myth with Marduk recreating the world and establishing his reign. He does this by building the world on the bones of Tiamat, one of the Gods of the original peoples living there. Marduk remakes the world as the Babylonians remade Mesopotamia.

 Works Used.

“Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses.” U.K. Higher Education Project. 2011. Web. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/index.html .

 Aveni, Anthony, “People and the Sky.” Thames and Hudson: New York. 2009. Print.

Cicero, Sandra, “A Guide to the Babylonian Tarot.” Llewellyn: Woodbury, MN, 2006. Print.

 King, L.W., “Babylonian Religion and Mythology.” Wisdom Library. 1903. Web. http://www.wisdomlib.org/mesopotamian/book/babylonian-religion-and-mythology/d/doc7086.html .

 Siren, Christopher, “The Assyro-Babylonian Mythology FAQ.” 2003. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/assyrbabyl-faq.html.

“Sumerian Mythology FAQ.” 2000. Web. http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/sumer-faq.html .

 Smitha, Frank, “Civilization in Mesopotamia.” Macrohistory and World Time Line. 2014. Web. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm .

Examining the Nexus of History and Legend

 The major area within Lore that fascinates me is the nexus between history and legend. What makes certain historical people legends? Why do some people and their exploits become mythic, and not others? How did these particular historical figures embed themselves into the public imagination?

 I became first aware of this phenomena with Davy Crockett. I had learned that he was probably taken prisoner of war after the Battle of the Alamo (1836), and later killed. Both the Alamo and Crockett loom large in people’s imaginations for different reasons. The Battle of the Alamo became a powerful story of martyrdom for Texas independence. Meanwhile Crocket was famous for his tales of his frontier exploits. Since the Disney series of the 1950s featured him dying during the battle, various people have objected to the notion of Crockett being a prisoner. However, there is confusion about where and when he died. Perhaps because of this murkiness, people refer that Crockett died a heroic death. His dying at the Alamo would number him amongst the Texan martyrs.

 Then there is the story of how Eliot Ness brought Al Capone (Alphonse Capone) to justice. Because of “The Untouchables,” the memoir of Ness during his days as a U.S. Treasury Agent in Chicago, and later the TV program that featured his exploits, people believed that he had put the notorious gangster Capone in prison. However, it was the IRA agent Frank Wilson, and his special task force who brought the charges of income tax evasion against Capone in 1931. Few people realize that Capone was convicted for not paying his federal income taxes, and not for his other heinous crimes.
 Did this epic story come from Ness igniting the public imagination with his colorful memoir? His writing makes for a compelling story of good overcoming evil. Since Capone seemed to be such a monster, and Ness so incorruptible and heroic, the two men became yoked together in a Christian morality play of good versus evil. Becoming larger than life, Ness and Capone morphed into equal and opposing forces locked in a titanic struggle.

 Is there a nexus between notoriety and mystery that propels someone to be a legend? Consider the continual popularity of the infamous mobster, Lucky Luciano (Salvatore Lucania (1897-1962)). What makes him memorable while his contemporaries are relatively forgotten? Although Frank Costello (Francesco Castiglia), a friend of Luciano, became known as the “Prime Minister of the Mob,” few outside of crime history have heard of him. Meanwhile, popular culture made Luciano “Public Enemy Number One.” Stories about his scars, attempted murder, and gangster life abound. Often, these tales have been embellished around a small grain of truth.  Many people viewed Luciano as the successful antihero, who thwarted authority. By living vicariously through his exploits, they could feel powerful themselves.

 Various historians have studied to understand how Luciano could have such a broad effect society and economics. How did he have a lasting impact that Capone did not? If Crockett was not connected to the Battle of the Alamo, how would he be remembered? How did one person become a name mentioned in passing, whilst another is a subject of serious study and fascination?

 I would like to explore how someone like Luciano became a factor in people’s lives. Was he, the catalyst who changed organized crime and law enforcement? What was his archetypical role in crime, history, and culture? What was the difference between Luciano and the others? What is the power of archetypes in history? With a focus on the crime history of the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s, I would compare and contrast Luciano with other colorful gangsters to understand why.

Works Used.
Cipollini, Christian, “Lucky Luciano: Mysterious Tales of a Gangland Legend.” 2014. Strategic Media: Rock Hill, SC. Print.
Minister, Christopher, “The Biography of Davy Crockett.” About.com. 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofmexico/p/Biography-Of-Davy-Crockett.htm .
“Did Davy Crockett Die At the Alamo?” 2014. Web. http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/TexasIndependence/p/Did-Davy-Crockett-Die-In-Battle-At-The-Alamo.htm .
 Tucker, Neely, “Eliot Ness and Al Capone, The Men, the Myths, and the Bad Man in the Dark.” The Washington Post. 18, February 2014. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eliot-ness-and-al-capone-the-men-the-myths-and-the-bad-man-in-the-dark/2014/02/18/8223c47a-95aa-11e3-afce-3e7c922ef31e_story.html .

Musings on Banned Books

Banned Book List for 2014
(Opens window)

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When I read over the banned book list, I realized that I had read quite a few of them for school. Some I read for leisure after I had graduated from school. However, I was surprised at how many banned books that I had unwittingly read, since so few of them seemed to have perturbed me.

 The banned books and other classics that I read for school were actually meant to be read only by mature people. As teenagers, we often missed the point that the author was making. But since it was probably the only exposure that we would have to any serious literature, we were required to read them.

 The banned book that everyone wanted to read was J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.” At the time, it was not considered worth studying. However, we had heard about it being smutty and vulgar. So, naturally everyone had to read it on the sly.

 Meanwhile, the state school board required that everyone read “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain. Even though it was reported to be racist, they still wanted us to read Twain’s classic of American literature. At the time, my school was a majority African-American/ Hispanic high school. Half the students had problems with the dialect of the characters, while the other half with the culture it portrayed. Racism was the last thing on people’s minds as to why they disliked the book.

 The other books that we had to read for American literature class were “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane, and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The complaints that my class had about all these books was that someone always ended up dying in them. We were so sick of reading about dead and dying characters that we revolted and stopped reading. As far as I know, none of these books were banned because for having too many deaths depicted. What adults failed to realize is that teenagers do not share their sensibilities. Each group is shocked by unrelated things.

 With the other banned books that I read as an adult, I was unaware of any controversy. “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury and “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein, I read since I enjoy science fiction. However, I disliked Heinlein’s fascist overtones in his book. I was thrilled to read “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Finally a book about women’s health issues written by and for women! “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown fascinated me with its counter point of view of history. However, I disliked Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” because for me, it was a racist soap opera.

 I met people who both loved and hated these books. I think that each book, in its own way, make adults uncomfortable. Moreover, I think that some adults transfer their discomfort to children. Rather than realizing that people do have the freedom not to read, certain adults decided to instead ban these books. Personally, I think that the more attention paid to these books, the more people will want to read them. (Consider “Catcher in the Rye.”) As for whether children would be troubled by them, people such as Stephen King, noted horror author, have pointed out that what bothers children is different from what adults are concerned about.

Carving in Stone: Washington National Cathedral (U.S.)

Living in Washington D.C., much of what happens is already recorded in history. However, there are parts of the City that still hold their mysteries close. One of those places is the Washington National Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.)

 Dedicated in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, this Gothic Cathedral has been continually worked on by various stone carvers and masons, ever since. Officially finished in 1990, the Cathedral is still being labored on, since there are grotesques and gargoyles still be carved. Also, after the 2011 Washington Earthquake, they have endeavored to repair the damaged done to the Cathedral.

 Throughout the many years, the stone carvers developed a deep sense of intimacy and connection to the Cathedral itself. As Master Carver Vincent Palumbo noted, “The sculptor creates it (the work), but we give it life. When we carve it in stone, that is the resurrection.” Many of the carvings around the building reflect this closeness. One gargoyle depicts Master Carver Roger Morigi as the devil with his stone working tools, while another one is of a mushroom cloud coming out of his head. Both are in reference to his bad temper. (People who do not know this, often think that the mushroom cloud is a commentary of the modern age.)

 Other signs of the intimacy between the Cathedral and the stone carvers are the numerous carvings of their exploits. One grotesque shows Palumbo in a truck with a flagpole. This memorialized the time when he hit the Cathedral’s flag pole with his pick-up truck. At the north side of the nave, there is a flying buttress that remains uncarved. This is to commemorate in stone the death of Stone Carver Joseph Petti, who died there, when a scaffolding gave way.

 The stone carvers share the story of a fellow carver who worked there in the 1950s. He commuted daily from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington D.C., and therefore few people had met his family. When his wife died, he wanted her to be buried in the Cathedral. (Other people who had been interred there were President Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller.) He asked the Dean of the Cathedral Francis Sayre if his wife could be also. After being told no by the Bishop, Dean Sayre offered his apologies to the stone carver. Dean Sayre said that the man told him that it was already taken care of. According to the Dean, the masons had mixed the ashes of the wife of the stone carver into the mortar. She holds several stones together atop the south transept. Rumor has it that after the earthquake, she and the stones are still intact.

 Although Dean Sayre verified authenticity of the story, several elements make it a legend. The names of the stone carver and his wife are unknown. When the Dean was asked about the story, it was forty years after the fact. Furthermore Dean Sayre only stated what he surmised. Palumbo, who was interviewed about his long tenure at the Cathedral, told many stories, to the reporter, about specific people. The ashes of the stone carver’s wife was not one of them. Also, the legend of mixing of the ashes of the dead into the stone mortar is a story often told about other cathedrals as well. Whether it is true or not, it remains a testament to the closeness and love of the stone carvers for their Cathedral.

 Works Used.

Meyer, Graham, “Mysteries of the Washington National Cathedral.” The Washingtonian. September 2007. Web. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/arts-events/mysteries-of-the-washington-national-cathedral/.

 Ringle, Ken, “Carving Out a Niche at the Cathedral.” The Washington Post. 18, November, 1999. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/18/101r-111899-idx.html.

 Washington National Cathedral Official Web Site. Web. http://www.nationalcathedral.org/.

Lore: Threshold Guardians

Threshold Guardians

Thresholds are

Between places of

Not coming or going.

Crossing Thresholds is

Sacred

For Transformation

Happens.

Not all at Thresholds

Can

Should

Will

Transform.

Some must

Stay

Untouched

Commonplace

Ordinary

But Heroes must

Cross

But Guardians must

Challenge.

Guardians have

Sacred duty

Ritual obligation

To keep in and to keep out.

Doors keep

Worlds apart

Before from after

In between secure

Doors have Gods

Janus of Two Heads guards the Out and the In

Cardea of the Door stands firm

Limentius of the Threshold stands firm

Portunus of the Portal holds the key

Each demands

A reason for opening

A reason for closing

An answer

Heroes must

Cross over

But how?

Forculus of the Passage

Guides through

The Threshold

Thresholds

Many Guard

Few enter

Fewer exit

Only One Transforms.

Works Used.

 Goodin, Melinda, “Archetypes in the Hero’s Journey,” Crossing the Threshold, March 2004, web, http://members.optusnet.com.au/~mgoodin68/archtype.htm.

Peterson, Deb, “The Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey,” About Education, 2014, web, http://adulted.about.com/od/howtos/a/archetypes.htm .

---, “Threshold Guardians,” Television Tropes and Idioms, web, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThresholdGuardians.

Vega, Debra, "Writers, Know Your Archetypes: The Threshold Guardian,” Moon in Gemini, web blog, 5 January 2014, http://debravega.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/writers-know-your-archetypes-the-threshold-guardian/.

The Value of Myths

Myths are the spoken wisdom of the collective unconscious of humanity. They are a map to the inner wisdom of our ancestors. Myths tap into a dimension of the universe that is inaccessible by other means. They are a way to get in touch with archetypal wisdom of the collective unconscious. We can access this fundamental wisdom for our concerns and endeavors. Through myths, we become connected to our Inner Guide.

For example, the Hero’s journey is a coming of age story. The hero leaves home, as an untried youth, only to uncover their destiny. Along the way, the hero encounters helpers, overcomes obstacles, and learns their soul’s purpose. In facing the darkness during their travels, the hero finds their path to inner wisdom.

Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers 2008, contact me at animalteachers @ gmail.com

The Great Round of Life

Ancient peoples perceived the world as the Great Round. Observing the cycles of the sun and moon, they viewed time as a circle. In fact the ancient Greeks called the changing stars of the sky: "The Circle of Animals", commonly known today as the Zodiac.

In the Great Round, there is the coming of Heroes and the aging of Kings. Cyclical time is endless, offering a moral dimension that linear time lacks. People repeat the cycle at different points and experience the same things from different perspectives.

An outward manifestation of the reverence for circles is sacred places in nature. Circles of stones dot the European and North American landscape. Another manifestation is stories of beings traveling in and out of connecting worlds. Myths of dragons and fairies are actually stories of interactions between various circles of existence.

Circles of Animals

Many cultures saw the passing of time in terms of animals. The Greeks saw animals in the stars. The animal signs of the Zodiac are Ares the Ram and Taurus the Bull of spring, Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion of the summer, Scorpio the Scorpion of the fall, and Capricorn the Goat and Pisces the Fish of the winter. (These animals feature prominently in Greek and later Roman mythology.)

Native American Medicine Wheel

In the western areas of North America are large stone wheels, formed in prehistory. Called "medicine wheels", they reflect the Native Americans reverence for the Four Directions. Although many Indian Nations have different interpretations of the Medicine Wheels, they do agree that the Four Directions are governed by various animals.

Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008. Contact animalteachers @ gmail.com

Meanings of Water: Fresh water

Freshwater regions include ponds, lakes, and rivers. Each has been endowed by people with their own particular meanings. People are purified in the River Jordan (Jordan) and the River Ganges (India). Springs have healing properties that people seek. Monsters live at the bottom of lakes ready to frighten people.

Rivers are water in motion. They start in mountains and flow to the seas. Since human commerce moves with rivers, people’s lives are closely tied to them. Human civilizations first rose along the banks of rivers.

In literature, rivers stood for the flow of time, ebbing, and flowing, but constantly moving. An animal metaphor for the river would be salmon. These fish swim from small pools to their rivers to the seas. When it comes time for salmon to spawn, they fight the river current to return to their home pools upstream.

Deep in many lakes are cold-loving fish that took refuge in the cold waters, when the glaciers receded. Birds may live on the banks and fish for the many frogs and insects, but refugees from previous ice ages live near the bottoms. The subjects of legends, prehistoric monsters are reputed to be dwelling in the bottom of deep water lakes.

Lakes are mirrors into the other world. Ladies of Lakes beckon people to dive deeper for enlightenment. A lake may seem inert, but power lies just underneath the still waters. Dive in and encounter a magical world.

Life is lived small in ponds. They provide breeding spots for small animals like salamanders and frogs. Ponds attract a unique collection of animals to their shallow fresh waters from dragonflies and water snakes. Ponds are friendly places for people to enjoy nature.

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If you want to know more about your nature guides, I can help you.

Inner Journeys: Nature Journeys:

http://www.funkman.org/innerjourney/journeys/nature/naturemainlink.html

("Jackson Creek" by Mary Ann Sterling)

Norse Birds of Lore

Many cultures had animals as part of their lore. Here is a samply of Norse culture about birds. You can learn a lot about a culture from the animals they regard as important.

Bird : Name : Lore

Cock : Salgofnir (Hall Crower) : Wakes up the Einherjar
Cock : Gullenkambi (Golden Comb) : Informs the Gods of Ragnarok

Golden Eagle : Sits at top of Yggdrasil

Greylag Goose : Pyschopomp

Hawk : Habrok : Best Hawk
(Grimmer’s Sayings)
Hawk : Vedrfolnir (Storm-pale) : Sits on top of Yggdrasil

Raven : Hugin (Thought) : Odin’s raven
Raven : Munin (Memory) : Odin’s raven

Whooper Swan : Valkyries