GD11
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manu rere |
Metoro's 'manu rere' means a 'bird' moving quickly. Even at the bird with 'undulating wing' he mostly used the words manu rere, indeed rather more often so than at GD11 without 'undulating wing'. |
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A few preliminary remarks and imaginations: 1. The GD11 bird gives the impression of holding a position high up above (in zenith), not just literally so but also in status. In ancient Egypt the god Horus ('he who is far away', 'he who is up there') was depicted as a falcon. The eyes of the falcon were the sun and the moon and its body was the sky. The falcon was also a symbol for the pharaoh. (Wilkinson) What kind of bird is it? It may be a condor, a falcon, a frigate bird or another type of bird. Clearly, though, it is a bird of prey. The hooked beak tells us so. To be 'up there' you need to be that kind of bird. 2. At the top level - at the apex of the pyramid - the 'bird' must be a bird of prey and like a king. In ancient Egypt there was also a special type of bird to indicate this, the benu bird (named phoenix by the Greeks). According to Wilkinson the benu bird was a heron (Ardea cinerea - cǐnis = ashes) and '... standing for itself on an isolated rock or on a little island in the middle of the water the heron was an appropriate image for how the first life appeared on the primary hill which arose from the watery chaos at the time of the original creation.' 'Similarly to the sun the heron rose up from the primary waters, and its Egyptian name, benu, was probably derived from the word weben, to 'rise' or 'shine'. This magnificent wader was also associated with the inundations of the Nile.'
But herons have straight beaks in order to be able to harpoon frogs and fishes. The picture above, also from Wilkinson, instead suggests a slightly bent beak. 'As a symbol for the sun the heron was the sacred bird of Heliopolis [helios = sun, polis = city], which became the mythical phoenix of the Greeks. Without doubt through its association with the descending and rising sun the heron was comprehended as lord over the royal jubilee of rejuvenation, which was staged for a pharao who had reigned in thirty years.' 3. Birds are 'superhuman', they fly above our heads while we stand below admiring them. Birds were anciently regarded as gods, and a bird who is top ranked must be a supreme god. 'Captain Vancouver was very anxious to convert these people [the Hawaiians] to Christianity, but it cannot possibly take place until they are more civilized. Their King, Amma-amma-hah (Kamehameha), told Captain Vancouver he should accompany him to the highest mountain Mona Roah (Mauna Loa [Mauga Roa]), that they would then throw themselves out into the air together, and each one should turn to his special god for protection, and if Captain Vancouver's god saved him - but he himself was not saved by his own god - then his people would assume the beliefs of Captain Vancouver... This experiment did not appeal to Captain Vancouver...' (Translated by me from a Swedish edition of a book by Sahlins.) |
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