Friday, August 28, 2009

Yaffle and Yaffler etc

I am reading a book entitled The Cult of the Green Bird by Antony Clare Lees. It's about the mythology of the Green Woodpecker through the ages and it's full of fascinating stuff. For example, many of you will know of the English folk names Yaffle and Yaffler for this bird, due to it's laughing call, but what about these other names, many with a weather theme: Awl-Bird, Woodwall, Hakel, Laughing Betsy, Ecall, Eccle, High Hoe, Rain Fowl, Wet Bird, Fina, Speke, Galleybird, Sprite, Cut-Bill, Yappingale, Snapper, Weather Cock ?

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