Black vultures are a species of bird found in the Americas that are known for their scavenging habits. In many cultures and mythologies around the world, vultures have been associated with death and decay, and therefore have connections to deities and spirits related to the afterlife. In this article, we will explore the various deities from different cultures that have been linked to black vultures and what attributes connect these birds to the gods and goddesses of the underworld.
Deities Associated with Black Vultures
Anzu (Mesopotamian Mythology)
One of the earliest connections between a deity and vultures can be found in ancient Mesopotamian mythology with the demon Anzu. Anzu was envisioned as a lion-headed eagle and was associated with the underworld. In the epic legend of Inanna’s descent to the underworld, Anzu is set as a guardian at the entrance and allowed to feast on the flesh of the dead. As a scavenger and consumer of death, Anzu bears similarities to vultures, establishing an early mythological link between these birds and the dead.
Nekhbet (Ancient Egyptian Religion)
In ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, the vulture goddess Nekhbet was strongly associated with black vultures. She was depicted as a vulture in Egyptian art and worshiped as the patron of Upper Egypt. As a protector goddess, she was believed to watch over Egyptians, especially royalty, after death and guide their souls in the afterlife. Her connections to black vultures reinforced her role as a deity ruling over the dead.
Mut (Ancient Egyptian Religion)
Another Egyptian deity related to vultures was Mut, the queen of the goddesses. She was commonly depicted as a vulture in Egyptian paintings and reliefs. As a mother goddess and goddess of the sky, Mut was seen as a protector watching over the pharaoh. After death, she was believed to help resurrect and transform the souls of the dead. Her ties to vultures affirmed her role in the afterlife process.
—TABLE—
Deity | Mythology | Connection to Vultures |
---|---|---|
Anzu | Mesopotamian | Lion-headed eagle that fed on the dead in the underworld |
Nekhbet | Ancient Egyptian | Vulture goddess who protected Egyptian royalty after death |
Mut | Ancient Egyptian | Mother goddess and vulture depicted in the afterlife transforming souls |
The Morrigan (Celtic Mythology)
The Morrigan from Celtic mythology is another example of a deity tied to black vultures. She was envisioned as a triple goddess associated with battle, death, and fate. She often took the form of a vulture or raven and feasted on the bodies of the dead after battles. As a harbinger of death on the battlefield, the Morrigan bore connections to scavenging vultures and their grim feeding habits.
Gyhldeptis (Native American Mythology)
In some Native American mythologies, black vultures are connected to Gyhldeptis, the goddess of birds. As a Zuñi deity, she was seen as the mother and protector of all winged creatures. Black vultures were sacred to the Zuñi and the goddess Gyhldeptis. The Zuñi believed black vultures escorted the dead on their journey to the afterlife. This belief tied these birds and Gyhldeptis to death symbolism and the underworld.
Yama (Hinduism)
In Hinduism, Yama is the god of death and king of the ancestors. He is sometimes depicted accompanied by a vahana (vehicle) in the form of a vulture or eagle. The vulture/eagle mount underlines Yama’s connection to death and the role vultures play in consuming the remains of the deceased. As the guardian of the dead, Yama maintains a clear mythological link to vultures in Hindu lore.
—TABLE—
Deity | Mythology | Connection to Vultures |
---|---|---|
The Morrigan | Celtic | Goddess of death who took the form of a vulture/raven and feasted on the dead |
Gyhldeptis | Native American Zuñi | Mother goddess of birds, vultures escorted dead to afterlife |
Yama | Hindu | God of death often depicted with a vulture mount |
Itzamna (Maya Religion)
In Maya religion, Itzamna was a creator god and lord of the heavens. He was sometimes shown accompanied by a vulture, which the Maya associated with the upper world and the sun. The vulture attended to Itzamna as he journeyed between life and death and served as a messenger between the living and the dead.
Black Hawk (Sauk Mythology)
The Sauk people, a Native American tribe indigenous to the northeastern United States, tell of a semi-divine culture hero named Black Hawk. He is said to have transformed into a black vulture to observe the world from above. In some stories, Black Hawk took the form of a vulture to travel to and from the spirit world, cementing the black vulture’s mythological role as a mediator between life and death.
Conclusion
Across different cultures and faith traditions around the world, gods of death and the afterlife are commonly associated with black vultures and their scavenging habits. From Anzu to Itzamna to Gyhldeptis, these deities underscore the black vulture’s connections to the underworld realms of the dead. Their appearance alongside these gods as mounts or transformations reinforce the symbolic role of black vultures as creatures closely tied to dying, mortuary rituals, and the journey of souls from this world to the next. Whether as independent deities or animal manifestations, black vultures maintain an intriguing mythological relationship with death and the great beyond.
The Significance of Vultures in Ancient Death Practices
Not only were vultures associated with deities of the underworld, but they also played important practical and ceremonial roles in funeral rites of ancient cultures. The scavenging behavior of vultures contributed to the development of “sky burials” and other funerary practices focused on exposing the dead to these birds.
Sky Burials and Tibet
In ancient Tibet, “sky burials” were a common funeral custom in which the body was presented on a mountaintop to be consumed by vultures and other birds of prey. This tradition was tied to the religious beliefs of Tibetan Buddhists and their focus on impermanence. By offering the body to vultures, Tibetans completed the final act of generosity by providing the birds with food. Watching the vultures circle and feed was believed to be an opportunity to meditate on death and the transitory nature of the physical form.
Zoroastrian Vulture Burials
In the Zoroastrian religion of ancient Persia, the oldest recorded traditions involved leaving dead bodies on stone towers outside to be eaten by vultures and other scavenging birds. Zoroastrians believed that burying the dead would pollute the earth while cremation consumed too much wood. By feeding corpses to vultures, they avoided compromising natural elements while completing an act of charity by providing the birds with sustenance.
Ancient Egyptian Mummification
Although ancient Egyptians typically buried their dead, the practice of mummification provided some exposure of the body to vultures and the elements. During mummification, various organs were removed from the body and placed in jars to be buried separately. The heart was left inside the corpse. This process would allow vultures access to the flesh while important organs could be preserved in jars.
Mythology of the Parsee Towers of Silence
The Parsee Towers of Silence were circular open-roofed structures constructed by adherents of the ancient Persian Zoroastrian faith to hold their dead for vulture disposal. According to legend, the mythical King Yima was directed to build such a tower following a period of death and putrefaction when corpses posed a threat to the earth and sacred elements of water and fire. This established the tradition of exposing the dead to carrion birds like vultures on raised open-air structures.
Conclusion
From Tibetan sky burials to Zoroastrian exposure practices to Egyptian mummification, vultures played an important practical role in the death rituals of many ancient cultures. Religious beliefs involving decay, the afterlife, and obligation shaped these funeral customs that incorporated vultures to dispose of human remains. Beyond their mythological symbolism, vultures took on an important physical task in the mortuary transition of the dead to the spirit world.
Vultures as Harbingers and Omens of Death
In addition to their association with funerary deities and practices, vultures have had a long history of being viewed as omens of death and dying. Across global cultural tradition, the sight of vultures or their flight patterns have been interpreted as portents of mortality and grief.
Mesopotamian Divination
In ancient Mesopotamia, priests observed vultures for purposes of divination. The patterns, arrangements, and flights of vultures could provide insight into weather patterns but were also believed to foretell future events related to the fate of armies and cities. If vultures began circling a city, it was taken as an omen of impending doom.
Greek Mythology and Augurs
In Greek and Roman mythology and beliefs, augurs interpreted the flight paths of birds to predict the fortunes of rulers, armies, and cities. Though many species were observed, vultures were noted as foretelling death and bloody events. If vultures circled overhead or flew toward Greek or Roman forces, it was seen as an ill omen of defeat and carnage.
The Bible and Hebrew Tradition
In the Bible, vultures are referenced as unclean birds of prey and their presence near the living was believed to signal impending death. In the New Testament, vultures are mentioned gathered around corpses as omens of strife and divine judgement. The gathering of vultures was seen as a supernatural sign of misery and doom.
Native American Beliefs
Some Native American tribes considered vultures highly sacred communicators with spirits and the dead. However, they were generally viewed as negative omens if sighted near camps or individuals. Their sudden appearance nearby warned of disease, bloody conflicts, or personal misfortune that could culminate in death.
Modern Superstitions
Although less widespread today, modern superstitions sometimes persist around vultures as an omen if one makes direct eye contact with a vulture or if one circles over or near a person. These sightings can still be interpreted as a dark portent of hardship and deathly tidings.
Conclusion
Across cultures and eras, the vulture has been viewed as a prophet of mortality – their presence evoking dread and fear as a sign of grim things to come. Whether ancient Babylonians, Biblical prophets, or Indigenous Americans, the vulture’s association with death and the underworld established them as beasts whose sight inspired unease and darkly occult warnings of impending doom.
The Real-World Role of Vultures as Scavengers
Though vultures have strong symbolic and mythic associations with death and the afterlife across cultures, they have very real ecological importance as carrion birds that feed on carcasses and decaying organic matter. As scavengers, they provide invaluable sanitary services to both natural habitats and human spaces.
Importance for Limiting Disease Spread
Vultures have highly acidic stomachs that allow them to safely ingest diseased or rotting carcasses. By rapidly consuming decaying animal remains, vultures prevent organic matter from lingering, containing contagions, and spreading bacteria. In many areas, vultures are essential for mitigating botulism, anthrax, and other deadly illnesses.
Ecological Benefits of Scavenging
As scavengers, vultures recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem by feeding on dead animal tissue. The consumption and digestion of carrion prevents potentially harmful nutrients like iron from accumulating in the environment while returning nourishing substances to the soil to fertilize plant growth.
Role in Disposing of Human Remains
Vultures have been used to fully dispose of human corpses in some traditional funeral rites that avoid burial or cremation. By consuming human remains, vultures eliminate the dead in a way considered ecologically friendly by some cultures.
Population Declines and Impacts
Vulture populations have faced severe declines globally from habitat loss, poisoning, and persecution. The disappearance of vultures from ecosystems can have catastrophic impacts like increases in rabies, anthrax, and uncontrolled populations of other scavenging species like rats.
Conclusion
While vultures have symbolic importance across belief systems, their practical ecological role as scavengers is just as vital. As nature’s clean-up crews, vultures serve communities and the environment by containing disease, recycling nutrients, and sanitarily eliminating both animal and human remains. Protecting global vulture populations is crucial for sustaining healthier natural habitats.
Conclusion
Black vultures have maintained a remarkable consistency as birds of symbolic dualities across continents and millennia. As carrion feeders relying on death and decay, they are creatures of the liminal space between life and afterlife in mythologies worldwide. Whether as portents of death or hosts of spirits and underworld deities, black vultures transcend many cultures as creatures of the unknown and the eternal. Yet as scavengers, they humbly fulfill a down-to-earth ecological role vital for balance and sanitation. Death may be their dominion, but the heritage of the black vulture reminds us that even out of mortality, essential nutrients flow back into the biosphere. These hunched birds elegantly link the grim fates of all living things to the continuum of nature herself.