Protestantism

» Migisi - Navigation by birds

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I did my Ornithology degree thesis on the Corvuses (C. brachyrhynchos = crow; C. corax = common raven). Absolutely fascinating birds - SO smart! I'll watch for the program you suggested. Thanks.
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Secrets of Ancient Navigation
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/longitude/s...
"The Norsemen had to have other navigational means at their disposal, for in summer the stars effectively do not appear for months on end in the high latitudes. One method they relied on was watching the behavior of birds. A sailor wondering which way land lay could do worse than spying an auk [Migisi: like a penguin, but it flies.] flying past. If the beak of this seabird is full, sea dogs know, it's heading towards its rookery [Migisi: to feed its chicks]; if empty, it's heading out to sea to fill that beak. One of the first Norwegian sailors to hazard the voyage to Iceland was a man known as Raven-Floki for his habit of keeping ravens aboard his vessel. When he thought he was nearing land, Raven-Floki released the ravens, which he had deliberately starved. Often as not, they flew "as the crow flies" directly toward land, which Raven-Floki would reach simply by following their lead."
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Does Raven-Floki remind you of any biblical character?

-- posted by Migisi