FOLKLORE OF BIRDS (LEAPING HARE) (HB)

At once familiar and unutterably strange, birds have for centuries provided a rich source for speculation and myth-making. Taking in the Catholic belief that barnacle geese were actually fish (and could therefore be eaten on the Sabbath), the Ancient Greek tale of Ceyx and Halcyone (who were transformed into kingfishers after death as reward for their fidelity), the result of listening to a blackbird’s song on May Day, and much more, this is a fascinating introduction to the rich body of legend and superstition inspired by birds.