Golden eagles in human culture
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Mankind has been fascinated by the golden eagle as early as the beginning of recorded history. Most early-recorded cultures regarded the golden eagle with reverence. Only after the Industrial Revolution, when sport-hunting became widespread and commercial stock farming became internationally common, did humans started to widely regard golden eagles as a threat to their livelihoods. This period also brought about the firearm and industrialized poisons, which made it easy for humans to kill the evasive and powerful birds. The following are various reportages of the significance of eagles, many likely pertaining to the golden eagles, in early cultures and older religions as well as national and military insignias.
Ancient mythology
The Ancient Egyptian
Falconry
Golden eagles can be trained to be highly effective falconry birds, though their size, strength, and aggressiveness require careful handling to control the risk of injury to the falconer.[1] They have been used in this practice at least since the Middle Ages. In Asia, they were reportedly used in teams to hunt such animals as deer, antelope and wolves. Concurrently in Europe, their use for falconry was typically reserved for emperors and kings, which is why the common names for the golden eagle in various European languages roughly translate as the “royal eagle”.[2] In the United States falconers seldom use golden eagles, as the similarly aggressive Ferruginous hawk is more available and provides a similar hunting experience with most of the same game species with lower risk of injury to the falconer.[3] The most common interaction of American falconers with golden eagles is in trying to avoid them in order to reduce golden eagle attacks on their trained birds.[4] The very athletic golden eagle is approximately as swift as the large falcons, is quite willing to attack smaller raptors when the opportunity is available, and is often capable of flying down a falcon or hawk. Experienced falconers will consequently not fly their birds if golden eagles are spotted, and usually prefer to fly later in the day when the golden eagles have typically already fed.
The culture in which falconry with golden eagles is prominent today is amongst the
Full-grown wolves are not believed to be viable prey for wild golden eagles; they are too dangerous due to their large size and large, powerful bite.[11] Despite this, falconers occasionally use golden eagles to hunt wolves. The steppe wolf (Canis lupus campestris), a relatively small-bodied race of wolf at around 35 kg (77 lb), is the main wolf reportedly hunted by golden eagles in falconry.[10] There are records that some experienced golden eagles successfully kill subadult or even adult wolves.[12] However, even a well-trained golden eagle has a risk of injury so most falconers do not risk casting a mature eagle at an adult wolf.[13] Some wolves prove particularly challenging quarry: there is the tale of one that was injured by 11 successive eagles but foiled their attempts – killing each one – until it was finally dispatched thanks to the efforts of a twelfth eagle.[12]
Heraldry and myth
The golden eagle is the most common
Another large tradition of using the golden eagle can be found in the
Religion
Eagles are often prominent in The Bible, though are sometimes mixed with carrion birds and are not specifically identifiable to species. As the most widespread eagle in the Middle East and Eurasia, certainly many said references must pertain to the golden eagle. The use of eagles seems generally heavier in the Torah or the Old Testament than in the New Testament. In biblical times, eagles and other meat-eating birds were banned from being eaten since their diet was considered unclean.[15] However, eagles are mentioned in the Bible as being admired for their swiftness,[16] great physical power[17] and their seemingly endless endurance.[18] Eagles are one of four dimensions of creation,[19] as a messenger of God,[20] and a skilled predator.[21] Eagles are also widespread in the Bible for symbolism.[10] For example, due to the perceived high level of parental care, eagles were associated with protection and even paralleled to God carrying the Israelites out of Egypt.[22] However, the biblical word for eagle is also utilised for the Cinereous vulture,[23] and it is likely that it actually is the subject of most of these verses.
Many Eurasian cultures and faiths also feature eagles quite prominently. In
Eagles play a small role in Celtic mythology.[27] The eagle is said to be the oldest of birds, and a form that may be taken by a deity or other mythological figure.[28] In the Welsh tale of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, the protagonist escapes death at the hands of a hunter by taking an eagle's form and killing the hunter who assaulted him.[28]
In North America
In ancient North America, eagles were more prominent than in Eurasia. The eagle is still considered a sacred bird in many
Feathers are often worn on Native American
Current United States eagle feather law (50 CFR 22) stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. Thus, the supply of eagle material for traditional ceremonial use can be guaranteed and ceremonial eagle items can be passed on as heirlooms by their traditional owners without the restrictions that would usually apply. Commercial trade in golden eagles or their feathers or body parts is not legalized by these exceptions.[31]
In Aztec religion, eagles are associated with the god
Postage stamps
The golden eagle is the eighth-most common bird depicted on postage stamps with 155 stamps issued by 71 stamp-issuing entities.[32][33]
Other uses
American aircraft manufacturer
Before every football game,
Golden Eagle Syrup, an American syrup company, uses a Golden eagle as their logo.[37]
References
- ISBN 0-88839-343-1.
- ISBN 0-7614-1578-5.
- ISBN 978-0-88839-978-6.
- ISBN 978-0-618-80623-2.
- ^ Miller Mundy, A. (February 1996). Riding in the Eagle’s Wake. The Field.
- ^ Dementiev, Le vol a l'aigle au Turkestan. L'Oiseau el R.F.O. 1936.
- .
- ^ Abadilla, Emmie (March 25, 2012) Mongolia: Hunting With Golden Eagles. mb.com.ph
- ^ "Kazakhstan's eagle hunters soar as other raptors fall prey to black market". CNN. 2012-07-25.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4081-1420-9.
- ISBN 0360003184.
- ^ a b Naish, Darrin (1996). "Using an eagle to catch and kill a wolf". Wildlife Society Bulletin. 24. Tetrapod Zoology: 468–470. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- ^ Mykola Rud'. "Golden Eagle". Naturalist Magazine. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
- ^ Geoff Walden. "Nazi Eagles". Third Reich in Ruins. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
- ^ Leviticus 11:13, Deuteronomy 14:12.
- ^ 2 Book of Samuel 1:23; Jeremiah 4:13.
- ^ Revelations 8:13.
- ^ Isaiah, 40:31.
- ^ Revelations 4:7
- ^ Revelations 8:13
- ^ Deuteronomy 28:49; Job 39: 27–28
- ^ Deuteronomy 32: 11–12; Job 39: 27–28
- ^ http://www.friendsofsabbath.org/Further_Research/e-books/Dictionary-of-Deities-and-Demons-in-the-Bible.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "EAGLE OF ZEUS (Aetos Dios) - Giant Eagle of Greek Mythology". www.theoi.com. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Doty, W.G. (Ed.). 2002. The Times World Mythology. Times Books, London.
- ^ Armstrong, E.A. (1958). The Folklore of Birds. Collins, London.
- ^ MacKillop, J. (1998). Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend. Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York.
- ^ a b Green, M. (1992). Animals in Celtic Life and Myth. Routledge, London and New York.
- ^ a b c Mails, T.E. (1991). The Mystic Warriors of the Plains. Mallard Press, Lombard, IL.
- JSTOR 659316.
- USFWS-SR (2001), USFWS-OLE (2004a,b), e-CFR(2008)
- ^ Scharning, Kjell. "Bird Stamp Statistics". Theme Birds on Stamps. birdtheme.org. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- ^ Scharning, Kjell. "Stamps showing Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos". Theme Birds on Stamps. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
- ISBN 0-261-10322-9.
- ^ "Fly down the field: Auburn's pre-game tradition to continue with Spirit and new golden eagle, Aurea". 25 July 2019.
- ^ "What's a Flash? The history of KSU's mascot".
- ^ Shiver, Joshua. "Golden Eagle Syrup". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Alliance. Retrieved 28 November 2021.