STYMPHALIAN-BIRDSAlso known as STYMPHALION-BIRDS
Deadly man-eating iron birds
Fierce and deadly man-eating birds with feathers made of iron. They rarely preen themselves, but occasionally apply a drop of oil or WD40.
The Labors of Heracles
Episode 6: The Stymphalian Birds
HERACLES scratched his head over this one. He was too heavy to attempt walking on the marsh and he did not have an umbrella. Actually no-one did as they were still waiting to be invented.
ATHENA noticed his plight and, having a soft spot for our Hero, offered to lend him her cymbals. (In some accounts they are referred to as castanets, but we don't think so. We feel they were more like heavy crash/ride cymbals.)
The cymbals were forged by HEPHAESTUS and they made such a scary noise, the birds took to the air screeching in fear. HERACLES pot-shotted them like fish in a barrel and the birds got the message. They flew off to the Isle of ARES, where they rightly belonged as they were his pets.
Next Episode: The CRETAN-BULL...
Authors: Peter J Allen and Chas Saunders
References: Coming soon.
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Godchecker's article on Stymphalian-birds is based on material from ancient texts, original references and our own research. We strive for accuracy and update regularly with new information. If you spot a mistake please contact us and we'll try to fix it.
Location : Ancient Greece
Gender : Sorry, we don't know
Type : Fabulous Creature
Celebration or Feast Day : Unknown at present
Pronunciation : Coming soon
Alternative names : STYMPHALION-BIRDS
Popularity index : 769
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