If you can be an eagle,
don’t strive to be the first among the jackdaws.
Birds and other winged creatures plying the expanses of heaven have attracted people’s attention since ancient times and attracted them with their beauty, appearance and ability to see the world from above. It is natural that over the entire long history of the existence of intelligent man, birds have managed to play various, including iconic roles in folklore, mythology, religion and popular culture of various peoples of the world. In this series of articles I will try to reveal the image of some representatives of the bird world, embedded in them by the creators of video games, and compare it with the images embedded in Slavic and Scandinavian mythology. The next representative of the bird world that we will consider will be Eagles. As in the case of Ravens, the Eagle will act as a symbolic representative of the group of diurnal birds of prey (eagle, falcon, hawk).
Eagles in Assassin’s Creed
The first gaming universe that comes to mind when mentioning these majestic birds is Assassin’s Creed. The image of an eagle (golden eagle) in Babylon, Persia, and India was a symbol of the highest deity and the sun. In many mythologies, the eagle symbol reflects freedom, man’s victory over himself, courage and fortitude. The symbol of the Brotherhood of Assassins is an eagle, as executive producer Jade Raymond stated at the time while working on the first part of Assassin’s Creed, and the logo of the game series resembles an eagle’s skull. This fact is reflected in the names of the heroes, for example, the name Altair is translated from Arabic as “one who can fly”, and Ezio comes from the ancient Greek word “aetos”, which means “eagle”. In the name of the main character of Assassins Creed III: Liberation, Avelina de Grandpré, one can easily discern the Latin word “avis” (bird). The necessary roots were also found for the name Arno Dorian: his German analogue Arnold, translated from ancient German, means “strong as an eagle”. Well, the example of Nikolai Orlov from Russian chronicles does not need any explanation at all.
Series logo resembling an eagle skull
In mythology, the eagle is often opposed to other creatures: another mythological bird (raven, vulture, owl), inhabitants of the lower world (hare, weasel, fish, snake), other land animals (lion, bull, deer, jaguar). This opposition can also be identified in the main plot of the game, because the Borgia family, whose representative Rodrigo Borgia, Master of the Knights Templar and the main enemy of the Auditore family, has a coat of arms with a red bull depicted on it, personifying their confrontation. It is also a well-known fact that the main character in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey has a tame eagle Icarus, which is a reconnaissance tool.
Altair and his eagle Icarus
Eagles in Might and Magic: Heroes VII
Arcane Eagles (orig. Arcane https://fruityvegascasino.co.uk/mobile-app/ Eagle are legendary creatures of the Academy of Magic faction in Might and Magic: Heroes VII. Their enhanced form is the Simurgh. In his treatise “On the Nature of the Spirit World,” the famous scientist Sar-Aggret compiled a classification of magical entities. He noticed that powerful spirits often took the form of majestic birds. Apparently, this is why the strongest entities that the magicians of the house of Anima were able to summon took the form of ghostly eagles woven from magic.
In the myths of Ancient Greece, the eagle, the most important attribute of Jupiter, was also a desired object for transformations. According to Greek myths, when the Olympian gods needed a cupbearer, the supreme god Zeus sent an eagle to get him (according to another version, Zeus flew himself, turning into an eagle). In another myth, the anger of Zeus turned into an eagle and in this form tormented the liver of Prometheus.
In Hesiod, the myth about Prometheus is told as follows: people, at the inspiration of Prometheus, began not to give the gods their due share during sacrifices: they kept for themselves all the meat and all the edible entrails of the animal being sacrificed, and for the gods’ share they burned only the bones, wrapping them in lard to deceive them. Zeus took the fire from people for this and hid it in himself. But Prometheus stole divine fire (either from the altar of Zeus, or from the chariot of the sun), hid it in a reed with a loose core and brought it to people. This crime was the beginning of sinfulness, which took root among people after that. According to myth, both Prometheus and humans were punished. Prometheus was chained to a stake; the eagle ate his liver every day, which grew back at night. But later Hercules killed the eagle, freed Prometheus from his shackles and reconciled him with Zeus.
Eagles in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
In this game, or rather in a work of visual art, the image of an eagle is not directly represented. However, the entire plot of the game is based and imbued with Celtic mythology, and one cannot help but mention the specific method of executing the main character’s husband, which became the starting point in the story. Ruthless Vikings plundered her village and put her beloved Dillion to death, known in history as the “blood eagle.”. For reference, we can say that the “Bloody Eagle” (blodörn) is a legendary execution of the Viking times, which consisted of cutting the ribs on the back of the convicted person, spreading them apart like wings and pulling out the lungs. The cause of early death in this case would have to be traumatic shock or pneumothorax. However, during an experiment with a body made of gelatin and an internal skeleton in one of the Discovery Channel programs, its impossibility was proven, therefore, an American pathologist concluded that they were unfolding the bones of the shoulder blades, not the ribs.
Eagles in the universe of The Lord of the Rings
Finally, we have reached my favorite, well-known universe, the universe of The Lord of the Rings. According to the books, the Great Eagles are large and noble birds, created by the will of Ilúvatar to help Manwe, before the awakening of the Children of Ilúvatar. They were many times larger than usual, they could speak and fight. The Great Eagles lived in the mountains surrounding Aman-Pelori. In Tolkien’s books, eagles were often used as a means of unexpectedly rescuing heroes in trouble, an analogue of the ancient technique of deus ex machina.
They played an important role in Thorin’s journey to the Lonely Mountain to return the treasure of the Dwarves – saving the Dwarves from being killed in a fire. The Eagles also saved the day in the Battle of the Five Armies by flying in at the end and providing decisive support. During the War of the Ring, the eagles freed Gandalf from Orthanc. The eagles also took part in the battle near the Black Gate, fighting the Nazgul on winged creatures, and a little later they saved Frodo and Sam from the burning slopes of Orodruin.
In games, namely The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, eagles perform a similar function. In the Company of Good in the Rivendell Mission, the Eagles help the elves deal with the Giant Worm. In the Company of Evil, giant eagles come to the aid of the elves in the last battle for Rivendell, but in counterbalance to the eagles, the Witch King flies in with two Nazgûl and soon Sauron himself enters the battle. The forces of evil storm Rivendell and take over the city.
Great Eagles of Ilúvatar
Eagles in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
An important character in the game is the ancient God and guardian of the Lake of Oblivion, who guides Gabriel throughout the game. Pan can take on various forms, and appeared to Gabriel in the form of a Horse and a Giant Eagle. Pan serves as the prophet in the game. Pan knows about Gabriel’s fate and what is in store. Pan also knew that Gabriel had killed his wife and about the upcoming battle with him, perhaps he knew that Gabriel would become Dracula. Pan, knowing this, simply fulfills his duty, playing a major role in the fate of Gabriel. Pan dies in a fight with him. Pan deliberately taught Gabriel to resist light and darkness. As the Silver Warrior, he fights Gabriel. After defeating Pan, Gabriel thereby opens the way to the Land of Necromancers.
Pan in the form of an Eagle
Eagles in Warhammer
In the world of Warhammer, Aquila (from lat. Aquila – eagle) double-headed eagle, symbol of the entire Imperium of Mankind. The symbol has its own history: in the days before the Horus Heresy, one eagle head was blindfolded, and the other was normal. The blinded side looked to the past while the seeing head looked to the future. After the Horus Heresy, both heads of the eagle began to have eyes, and the symbol came to signify the two-headed Empire, consisting of the Imperium of Man and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Aquila symbol is widely used throughout the Imperium in a variety of places. There is also the Sign of Aquila – a hand gesture that signifies the loyalty of the one showing it to the Imperium. To perform the gesture, a person places the palms of his hands on his chest with clasped fingers in such a way that the thumbs are clasped, the right hand touches the inner side (pads) of the fingers (except the thumbs) of the left shoulder, and vice versa, that is, the hands are crossed at the wrists. Thus, the interlocked thumbs form two eagle heads, and the rest form the wings. Aquila can also be used on the power armor of the Imperium’s Space Marines, and is also stamped on weapons produced on its forge worlds. Bolters, laser cannons, tanks and other military equipment are often produced with the Aquila symbol on them. Aquila is also used on the seals and rings of people who serve the cause of the Imperium, military and beyond.
Eagles in other games
IN Far Cry 4 Eagles are a real winged curse, representing a real threat to the player in the world of Kyrat. Eagles are not only capable of snatching and carrying away whole animals, but also constantly attack civilians, causing them to panic, as well as the player, forcing him to often look at the sky during the game so as not to be suddenly attacked.
In the series Warcraft Great eagle and imperial eagle are birds of prey that can be tamed.
In the game Civilization VI There is an Eagle Warrior, a unique Ancient World Aztec unit that replaces the Warrior that can capture units of other civilizations and turn them into builders.
In books, films and games in the universe Harry Potter, The eagle is an important symbol, representing the Ravenclaw faculty. The feathers of this creature are used to make writing instruments and sticks.
In the series Mortal Combat Eagle Claw is a Chinese martial arts style known for its grappling techniques, locking systems, knockdowns, and pressure point strikes.
In the game Divinity: Original Sin you can tame Featherfall the eagle with the help of persuasion and in the future you will be able to call him for help.
IN Red Dead Redemption The eagle is a bird of prey that can only be found in West Elizabeth and Gaptud Ridge for the purpose of mining. In the second part of RDR, killing an eagle is part of the achievement.
In the symbolism of the series Wolfenstein the state eagle, the coat of arms, which was the official state symbol of Nazi Germany, is logically played out.
Eagle attack in Far Cry 4
In Christianity, the eagle serves as the embodiment of divine love, justice, courage, spirit, faith, a symbol of the Resurrection, inspiring ideas of the Gospels. The flight of the eagle is associated with the ascension of Christ, with prayers sent to heaven, with the descent of God’s mercy and victory over evil. In Roman tradition, the eagle is one of the most common ancient emblems of victory; its flight was perceived as an omen of military success. In general, all cultures attach a positive meaning to the image of the Eagle and therefore, as a heraldic symbol, the eagle is found in many coats of arms and state emblems. The sitting eagle was on the banner of the ancient Aztecs, the bald eagle is the national emblem of the USA, the falcon was painted on the shield of the leader of the Huns, Attila. Genghis Khan had a coat of arms: a gray gyrfalcon with a black raven in its claws. Christianity also adopted this symbol. He became the symbol of the Apostle John. As a sign of the victory of good over evil, the image of the battle between an eagle and a snake was adopted. The Indians decorated their headdresses with eagle feathers and set up their camps only where eagles soared in the sky.
And in video games, his image is reflected in various tokens, coins, emblems, etc., etc. The image of an eagle can be found on banners in the Total War series, on tokens and patches in the Battlefield series, on shield emblems in the Dark Souls series, and also in a huge number of games the concept of an eagle is played out in the names of areas, weapons, etc. For example, N7 “Eagle” (English. N7 Eagle) is a large-caliber pistol from the game Mass Effect 3, Desert Eagle pistol (Russian). "Desert Eagle"). As a result, we can say that the eagle is one of the most common ancient symbols, it represents exclusively positive qualities: strength, power, perseverance, longevity and others, and its image is an ideological inspiration for many cultures.
