The document discusses various legendary birds from different cultures, including the ababil from the Quran, which protected Mecca, and the giant bird god Achiyalabopa of the Pueblo people. It also explores characters from Welsh mythology like adar llwch gwin and adar rhiannon, known for their magical qualities and connections to mortality. Additionally, it describes other mythical birds such as the Greek harpy Aello and the Russian alkonost, highlighting their unique traits and narratives within the respective mythologies.

1. Legendary
birds

2. Ababil:
The ababil were a race of birds, mentioned in the Quran, that protected Mecca from
the Yemen army by dropping red clay bricks on the Yemen elephants as they
approached.[1]This was, according to the Quran, done so in 571, the year that the
Muslim prophet Muhammed was born.

3. Achiyalabopa:
Achiyalabopa was a huge bird god of the Pueblo people. He is described as being of
extraordinary size and having rainbow-colored feathers as sharp as knives. It was
considered a celestial creature and may have once been attributed to the whole of
creation.

4. Adar Llwch Gwin:
According to Welsh tradition, the Adar Llwch Gwin were giant birds, similar in kind to the griffin,
which were given to a warrior named Drudwas ap Tryffin by his fairy wife. The name derives
from the Welsh words llwch ("dust") and gwin ("wine"). These birds were said to understand
human speech and to obey whatever command was given to them by their master. However, on
one occasion, when Drudwas was about to do battle with the hero Arthur he commanded them
to kill the first man to enter the battle. Arthur himself was delayed and the birds immediately
turned on Drudwas and tore him to pieces. Later, in medieval Welsh poetry, the phrase Adar
Llwch Gwin came to describe all kinds ofraptors including hawks, falcons, and, on occasion,
brave men.

5. Adar Rhiannon:
In the earliest prose stories in Britain in the Mabinogi, the Adar Rhiannon; "birds of Rhiannon",
are specifically three magical birds, whose song can "wake the dead and lull the living to sleep".
They also have a non-rational effect on space as they can be remote but seem very near. [1] They
are connected with Rhiannon the Queen of Dyfed who is thought to be a
British euhemerized horse goddess, so part of Welsh mythology. The Adar Rhiannon were
demanded by the giant Ysbaddaden Bencawr as a marriage task forCulhwch to complete. The
giant wanted the Birds to soothe him as he faced his last night of life, prophesied as the
consequence of his daughter's wedding.

6. The Two British Sources:
In the early native British Arthurian tale from Wales, Culhwch and Olwen, Culhwch ac Olwen, the
hero Culhwch ap Cilydd seeks the beautiful Olwen, daughter of the giant chief,Ysbaddaden
Bencawr as his bride. A prophecy has foretold that Ysbadadden will die on his daughter's
wedding night. The giant therefore sets Culhwch and his companions a number of impossible
tasks to complete before he will bestow his daughter. One of the tasks is to bring him the birds
of Rhiannon, to entertain Ysbaddaden on the night before his death. The birds are retrieved,
although the tale does not explain how. An earlier and fuller version of the tale may have
elaborated on this.
The Adar Rhiannon are also mentioned in the second branch of the Mabinogi, the tale
of Branwen ferch Llŷr. Following a catyclasmic and genocidal war against the Irish, the fatally
wounded British king Bendigeidfran orders his seven surviving men to decapitate him. They are
then to take his head to the White Tower of London to bury it as a national protection. Before
setting off, the Seven Survivors feast at Harlech for seven enchanted years, regaled by the three
Birds of Rhiannon. Although Rhiannon's name is not given it is quite clear the three Birds in this
passage are the same as the Birds described in Culhwch ac Olwen.

7. "As soon as they began to eat and drink, three birds came and sang them a song, and all the
songs they had heard before were harsh compared to that one. They had to gaze far out over
the sea to catch sight of the birds, yet their song was as clear as if the birds were there with
them. And they feasted for seven years.

8. Aello:
Aello (/ˈeɪəloʊ/; Ancient Greek: Ἀελλώ, Aellō) in Greek mythology was one of the Harpy sisters
who would abduct people and torture them on their way to Tartarus. She is also referred to as:
Aellopus (/eɪˈɛləpəs/; Ἀελλόπους, Aellopous, "whirlwind-footed")
Aellope (/ˈeɪəˌloʊpiː/; Αελλώπη, Aellōpē)
Podarge (/poʊˈdɑːrdʒiː/; Ποδάργη, Podargē, "she who is foot-speedy")
Podarce (/poʊˈdɑːrsiː/; Ποδάρκη, Podarkē, "she who is foot-safe"?)
Nicothoë (/nᵻˈkoʊθoʊiː/; Νικοθόη, Nikothoē, "she who is victory-speedy")
It is claimed she is the mother of Achilles's immortal steeds Balius (Balios)
and Xanthus (Xanthos) by Zephyrus, but some sources claim it was really her sister Celaeno.
She is sometimes confused with Aella the Amazon.

9. Aethon:
The ancient Greek word aithôn means "burning", "blazing" or "shining." Less strictly, it can
denote the colour red-brown, or "tawny." It is an epithet sometimes applied to animals such as
horses at Hom. Il. 2.839 ; oxen at Od.18.372; and an eagle at Il. 15.690 (cf. Hyginus' calling the
eagle that tormented Prometheus an aethonem aquilam at Fabulae31.5.)In English, it may be
written Aethon, Aithon, and sometimes Ethon. The eagle who tormented Prometheus, Aethon
was the child of the monsters Typhon and Echidna. In Greek and Roman mythology there are a
number of characters known as Aethon. Most are horses, variously belonging to:
*Helios (Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.153)
*Ares (Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 8.239)
*Hector (Homer, Iliad 8.184)
*Pallas (Vergil, Aeneid 11.89)
The name is twice applied to humans. In Odyssey 19.183, it is the pseudonym a
disguised Odysseus assumes during his interview with Penelope upon his return to Ithaca.
According to fr. 43a.5 of Hesiod's Catalogue of Women, Erysichthon of Thessaly was also known
as Aethon due to the "burning" hunger (aithôn limos) he was made to endure
byDemeter (cf. Callimachus' Hymn to Demeter 6.65ff.)

10. Agron (mythology):
In Greek mythology, Agron was a son of Eumelus and brother of Byssa and Meropis. The family
dwelt at Meropis in Kos and worshipped Gaia, who rewarded them with all kinds of goods.
However, they were quite impious towards other gods and never participated in religious
festivals. Agron was especially disrespectful towards Athena,Artemis and Hermes, and whenever
someone invited him or his sisters to take part in a ritual in honor of one of these gods, he
would decline the invitation and scorn the deities.
Eventually, the three gods paid Agron a visit at night, Hermes being disguised as a shepherd, and
Athena and Artemis as country maidens. Hermes invited Eumelus and Agron to a ritual feast in
honor of himself, and suggested that they send Byssa and Meropis to the sacred grove of Athena
and Artemis where other girls were gathering. On hearing this, Meropis began to ridicule the
name of Athena, for which the goddess changed her into an owl. Byssa was transformed into a
bird known as "byssa", sacred to Leucothea, and Agron was changed by Hermes into a plover.
Eumelus began to scold Hermes for doing this to his son and got changed into a night raven, the
bird which was believed to announce trouble.

11. Alectryon (mythology):
Alectryon (Greek: ἀλεκτρυών) is the Ancient Greek word for "rooster". In Greek mythology,
Alectryon was a youth, charged by Ares to stand guard outside his door while the god indulged
in illicit love with Aphrodite. He fell asleep, and Helios, the sun, walked in on the couple. Ares
turned Alectryon into a rooster, which never forgets to announce the arrival of the sun in the
morning.
Both the words Alectryon and Halcyon might have been corrupted from Halaka, one of the old
Persian appellations of the sun. In the 'Vendidad' it is said that the sacred bird Parodars, called
by men kahrkatak, raises its voice at the dawn; and in the "Bundehasb", the sun is spoken of as
Halaka, the cock, the enemy of darkness and evil, which flee before his crowing.

12. Alicanto:
The legend says that the alicanto's wings shine during the night with beautiful, metallic colors,
and their eyes emit strange lights; making a luminous flight that exposes those hidden in shade
in the desert.
This bird brings luck to any miner who sees it. Alicantos live in small caves between hills
containing minerals, and feed on gold and silver.
If the lucky miner follows an alicanto without being caught, they can find silver or gold. But, if
the alicanto discovers them, the bird will guide the greedy miner off a cliff, causing them to fall
to their death.
Alicanto should not be confused with the Alicante, a fictional Mexican snake that drinks
mother's milk and impregnates women, or uses the human stomach as a living place.

13. Alkonost:
The Alkonost is, according to Russian mythos and folklore, a creature with the body of a bird but
the head of a beautiful woman. It makes sounds that are amazingly beautiful, and those who
hear these sounds forget everything they know and want nothing more ever again.She lives in
the underworld with her counterpart the sirin.The alkonost lays her eggs on a beach and then
rolls them into the sea. When the alkonost's eggs hatch, a thunderstorm sets in and the sea
becomes so rough that it is untravelable. The name of the alkonost came from
a Greek demigoddess whose name was Alcyone. In Greek mythology, Alcyone was transformed
by the gods into a kingfisher.

14. Amihan (mythology):
Amihan is a bird in the Philippine mythology. According to
the Tagalog folklore, Amihan is the first creature to inhabit the
universe, along with the gods called Bathala and Aman Sinaya. In the
legend Amihan is described as a bird who saves the first human beings,
Malakas and Maganda from a bamboo plant. Amihan is also a word
used to describe monsoon weather which occurs early in the year in
the Philippines.

15. Aosaginohi:
Aosaginohi, or Aosagibi (青鷺火, "blue heron fire") is a
phenomenon illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in his Konjaku
Gazu Zoku Hyakki. It depicts a night heron with a
mysteriously illuminated body.
Folklore built around the phenomenon tells a story of an
old black-crowned night heron transforming into a yokai. The
herons' feathers fuse into shining scales that give off an
iridescent blue light in the dark of night. The yokai's breath is
also said to release golden powder into the air that collects
to form a heat-less fiery light, though this light eventually
dissipates in the wind. The harmless creature is said to flee
from human contact, retaining a normal heron's shyness.[1]
Legend also warns to not confuse the glimmering blue-white
light with onibi lights.

16. Autonous:
In Greek mythology, Autonous (Αὐτόνοος) was the son of Melaneus, husband of Hippodamia,
was father to Anthus, Erodius, Schoenous, Acanthus and Acanthis, and an owner of a large herd
of horses. The land they lived in produced no crops, but only rushes and thistles, that's why all
the children of Autonous were named after such plants. Erodius, who loved his father's horses
the most, pastured them on grassy meadows, but one day, Anthus drove them out of their
familiar pastures. Out of hunger, the horses attacked Anthus and ate him. Autonous, stricken by
panic, could not help his son, and neither could Anthus' servant, while Hippodamia was trying to
drive the horses off but failed due to her physical weakness. Zeus and Apollo, out of pity for the
grieving family, transformed the members into birds. Autonous became a stone curlew (Greek
όκνος, because he "was not in time", όκνησε in Greek, to save Anthus), Hippodamia became
a lark (the bird has a crest which symbolizes her courage) and Acanthis became a thistle finch;
others became birds whose Greek names are the same as their personal names were when they
were humans. Erodius and Anthus' servant were transformed into black and white heron
respectively; birds of these two species are never seen together

17. Avalerion:
Avalerion or Alerion is a mythological bird. It was "rather
small, yet larger than an eagle" and lived near
the Hydaspes and the Indus according to European medieval
geographers and bestiaries, which were possibly based on a
description by Pliny. Only two of the birds were said to exist at
a time. A pair of eggs was laid every 60 years; after hatching,
the parents drowned themselves. Alerions have been seen
incoats of arms, most often depicted as a bird with no beak
and feathered stumps in place of legs or no legs at all.