A recent blog post led to the following conversation in the commentary, which our readers may find of interest: Sushuri Madonna-chei: And totem animals - oh one can think so much about them. In a way they are akin to guardian janyati, and yet also they are a thing all their own. And somehow it feels that we, being in Culveria [America - ed.], inherit both. Of course the main correspondences of janyati with birds are well enough known: Sai Raya - Eagle
Sai Rhave - Raven
Sai Sushuri - Dove
Sai Vikhe - Hawk
Sai Thame - Swan
Sai Mati - Owl
But who is Sai Candre's bird? Is it the seagull who constantly cries for the island of Avala, the Paradise of the Daughter? Miss Willow Dreamwalker: I think a suitable candidate for Honored Sai Candre is the Loon. The loon has been associated by many cultures with dreaming and the psychic domain. Its haunting voice is akin to a call to the wilds which is also Sai Candre's domain. It doesn't do well on land, but is an excellent swimmer - the best of all birds, it is believed - and water has long been associated as well with the astral plane. I personally find the call of the loon to be the most chilling, beautiful, irresistable calls in the world. The first time I heard it, in fact, I cried for its sheer haunting beauty and pined for it when it stopped. Not the only option for Sai Candre, but I believe it's certainly one of them! Lady Aquila: Of course the birds Miss Sushuri lists are not the only birds related to each of the janyati. Sai Thame, for example is also very strongly associated with the pavanelle (brunette peahen) the nightingale and the swallow, Sai Vikhe with birds of prey in general. Nor are birds necessarily exclusive. The nightingale also has strong Candric associations. The loon seems very likely to be a Candric bird. Sai Candre has an affinity for water birds (as opposed to sea-birds, which tend to be Sushuric) in any case, and is the name not interesting. While it is not actually etymologically linked to "lunar" we should never ignore the sound-associations of words, which are an important aspect of the traditional science of hermeneutics. This makes perfect sense, of course, when one realizes that sounds are subtly linked to the things they name, rather than being mere arbitrary grunts "evoluted" by ape-men.