When we think of Puffins we visualize a funny, colorful bird wearing a small clown costume. Did you know that Puffins appeared in the thirteenth century Icelandic book Snorra-Edda? Puffins are called lundi by Icelanders and refers to lend, meaning ( lower back and hips) and lund ( muscle that parallels the spine.)
Puffin art by J. Dawson 1980.
The Puffin/lundi were once hunted for food and they were hit over the head with large clubs. The Puffin population was dwindling much like the now extinct Dodo bird. Historically, the Dodo was a non-flying bird that lived on the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It became extinct in the mid seventeenth century during the colonization of the island by the Dutch.
John Tenniel’s illustration of the Dodo in “A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale”. An illustration from Alice in Wonderland. Public Domain
According to Icelandic folklore, Puffins or lundi are able to predict stormy weather. They will fly onto the land two to three days before a gale. Many fishermen would watch the Puffins/lundi to see where they dove into the water, this was a sure sign that many fish were located at that site.
In Inuit culture some tribes would collect Puffin bills and create a musical instrument called “a shaker,” that had magical powers to heal the sick.
The Irish revered the Puffin and would not eat them. The Puffin was believed to be a sacred bird that the reincarnated souls of monks dwelt in them.
According to Scottish folklore back in the nineteenth century a man that was a bit daft was named a Tammie-Norrie, which is a pet name of a Puffin/lundi. In Cornish folklore King Arthur was a reincarnated Raven or Puffin. Legend says King Arthur would appear in said forms to his favorite places.
Photo: Puffins (public domain)
Source and Reference:
Petersen, Aevar (1976). “Size variables in puffins Fratercula arctica from Iceland, and bill features as criteria of age“. Ornis Scandinavica. 7 (2): 185–192. doi:10.2307/3676188. JSTOR 3676188.
Lockwood, W. B. (1993). The Oxford Dictionary of British Bird Names. Oxford University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-19-866196-2.
*Folklore, poetry & fiction writer 