Blackbird
Latin name: | Merula |
Other names: | Amsla, Merle, Merlo |
Category: | Bird |
An agreeable bird that sings in April and May
General Attributes
Blackbirds are all black, except those from Achaia or Arcadia. In April and May it sings marvelously high, but in the winter its song is unpleasant. Its voice is so sweet that it moves the mind to a feeling of delight. For this reason people keep blackbirds in cages.
Allegory/Moral
The blackbird represents those who are tempted by carnal pleasures. The blackbird in flight represents the temptation to desire. To reject the desire symbolized by the blackbird, you must discipline yourself and thus rid yourself of pleasures of the mind by inflicting pain on your flesh. A white blackbird represents purity of will.
Illustration
Blackbirds are often shown in a cage, sometimes ornate. They are also often depicted as a nondescript black or brown bird perched on the ground.
Uses Magical, Medical, Alchemical and Culinary
Hildegard von Bingen says "If you dry its liver and set it into whatever you want, then always carry it with you, the devil will torment you in neither horror nor deception, because it hates the blackbird on account of its cleanliness." (Throop translation)