Bird people

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Bird people is also the translation of Absaroka, the name of the Crow Nation in their own language.

In mythology and fiction (usually fantasy and science fiction) bird people are a race of people who resemble, or who are evolved from, birds. This is a common motif in movies, TV, and video games. Sometimes, the bird people are a "lost race".

1 Examples
2 References
3 Further reading
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Examples

[edit] In fiction

Examples of the bird-people motif in science fiction and fantasy fiction include:

Otis Adelbert Kline wrote a short story for Weird Tales entitled "The Bird People".
The race of bird people led by Stratos in the Masters of the Universe cartoon series (and line of toys)
The bird people of Brontitall in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, led by the Wise Old Bird — Douglas Adams has the bird people evolving from humans who are so sick of buying shoes that they evolve into birds and never set foot on the ground again. (See Shoe Event Horizon.) This is unusual. More usually, the motif involves birds evolving into bird-people, rather than humans evolving into birds.
The race from which the character Hawk came in the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century — The race of bird people in Buck Rogers had been hunted to extinction by humans, with Hawk as its sole survivor.
The bird people featured in "Tarzan & the Bird People", episode 17 of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (a 1976 cartoon series)
The bird people ruled by Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed) in the cult film Flash Gordon.
The Ryuujin in the anime Tenkuu no Escaflowne. While the ryuujin translate to dragon people, their wings are clearly feathered and the dragon of their name is likely symbolic.
The race of garuda in fantasy author China Miéville's world Bas-Lag as featured in Perdido Street Station.
In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, a race of magical creatures called Veela appear as extraordinarily beautiful women, but turn into frightening birdlike creatures when angered.
The 1943 animated Superman short "The Underground World" has the Man of Steel and Lois Lane discovering a race of evil Falcon-men in caverns deep below the earth.
The fantasy novel Eragon features horrible, twisted bird-like humanoids called Ra'zac.
Aarakocra a race of bird-like humanoids in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game.
Arakkoa are the race of bird-like humanoids in the World of Warcraft fantasy role-playing game.

[edit] In mythology

Examples of the bird people motif in mythology include:

The second people of the world in Southern Sierra Miwok mythology, as reported by Barrett^[1]
The Sirens and Harpies, who are often represented as half-human half-bird^[2], in Greek mythology
The gods Horus and Thoth of Ancient Egyptian religion, often depicted as humans with the heads of a falcon or an ibis, respectively.
The Garuda, eagle-god mount of Vishnu in Hindu mythology, who was pluralized into a class of bird-like beings in Buddhist mythology
Lei Gong, a Chinese thunder god, often depicted as a Garuda-like bird man
The Tengu of Japanese folklore, monstrous forest- and mountain-dwelling humanoids often possessing the wings, claws and sometimes the beak of a bird.
The Angels of Abrahamic mythology, often depicted with bird-like wings in Christian iconography
The Swan maidens found in the folktales of various cultures
Tangata manu of Easter Island, often depicted as a bird-headed human
On his 7th Voyage, Sinbad witnessed a race of winged humans in Indochina
The winged gods of Babylonian mythology
Nike (mythology), Boreas, Eros, the Gorgon sisters of Greek mythology

[edit] In comics

Many characters in comics and cartoons are simply anthropomorphized birds, including:

[edit] In video games

Examples of the bird-people motif in video games include:

Chozo from the Metroid franchise of games.
The Rito from the Zelda game The Wind Waker.
The Feather Folk from the Star Ocean series.
The Bird Man from Jade Cocoon.
The Tengu from Guild Wars.
Windians from Breath of Fire.
Falco Lombardi, from the Star Fox series.
The Bird Laguz from Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance

[edit] References

^ S. A. Barrett (1919-03-27). "Myths of the Southern Sierra Miwok". University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 16(1): 1 – 28.
^ Bestia Mortale (1999). "Death Is In the Air: Egyptian Sirens Came to Ancient Greece to Ease Souls' Path to Persephone". Widdershins 5(5).

[edit] Further reading

About Hawk. Thom Christopher/Hawk fansite. Retrieved on October 31, 2005.
Hawk. TV Acres. Retrieved on October 31, 2005.
The Green Lanterns of Multiple Worlds. Classic Comic Books. Retrieved on October 31, 2005. — a discussion of Tomar-Re, a Green Lantern of a bird people, and the artwork for that character by Gil Kane
Battle of the Bird-Man Bandits. Classic Comic Books. Retrieved on October 31, 2005. — a discussion of a complex bird-people society created for a Hawkman tale

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Cathy S. Mosley. "The Princess of the Bird People" a retelling of "Manora, the Bird Woman," from Thailand. H-NILAS: Stories for the Seasons. Retrieved on October 31, 2005. — This cites Toth, Marian Davis (1971). Tales From Thailand. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle. .
Zerah'el Dancing Grouse. The Story of the Bird People. Free Cherokee. Retrieved on October 31, 2005. — a story from a story teller of the Bird Clan of East Central Alabama that parallels the evolution of birds from dinosaurs