Bat , Vestermølle , at Rørbæk Sø
Bats are the only flying mammals. In Denmark's fauna are 17 species, and internationally are about 1000 species; every 4th mammal on earth is a bat. The Danish name flagermus comes from Old German Fledermaus, fleder meaning flagre (fluttering, flitting).
In the 1400s the bat was called: bakke, in 1603 aftenbakke, comes from Old Norse Blaka = flagre (fluttering, flitting).
Many of the Danish bat species overwinter in Daugbjerg and Mønsted's Kalkgruber (lime pits) in Mid Jutland. The lime pits are situated in Fjends Kommune (community) , which has a bat in its city seal.
Vestermølle, at Rørbæk sø
Magics, Omens, Fairy Tales.
Some connects bats with horror and thriller movies. It might especially be caused by the gory vampire-stories, amongst those the story about the infamous count Dracula. It is known since the early Middle Ages that there was much superstition around this little mysterious animal.
In the 1400s they said that bat-blood stopped the growth of hair.
A bat has only three drops of blood, they are under the left wing, if they are rubbed upon a girl without being noticed she will forever feel attached to the one who did it.
If the blood was rubbed upon the eyelid or in the eyes then this would make you psychic, you would be able to see what was invisible to other people, both day and night.
If you drink three drops of a bat's blood you'll become invisible.
A bat's heart or head worn in a black cloth under the right arm would make one sleepless until it was removed.
Wearing a dried bat made you a winner in cardplaying. You would be a winner in games when the magic word was written with a bat's blood and black ink upon your left arm.
If a bat's head hangs in a pigeon house, the doves cannot leave it.
If more bats than usual fly in the evening the weather will be fine the next day.
If a bat flies into the house it's a death warning to the family.
Those people who live at the moon have bats as milch cows and poppies as corn. All bats and poppies on earth came originally from the moon.
In a fairy tale a princess is held prisoner in a hill, where she finds a bat, she drinks its blood and achieves strength anough to dig herself out.
A princess is an accomplice of a troll in a mountain, she flies in the night over the city in a large white robe and with long black wings.
The hall of a troll is decorated with glow-worms and skye-blue bats. (H.C.Andersen's fairy-tale: Rejsekammeraten (The Travelling companion) translated by Jean Hersholt.
Vestermølle, at Rørbæk Sø, after a short flight in the early
afternoon the bat flew up under the roof eaves.
NB:
If people might find a bat upon the ground then this might be a sick animal or a big young one who hasn't yet found out how to fly. Exhausted bats who hasn't found food can reduce their metabolism and almost hibernate. The best solution is to get the bat up on a secured place, fx on a branch or in a shelter under the roof eaves. Some bats can be infected with rabies, which can be transferred to humans in a bite. So its important to wear gloves when handling a bat.
Rørbæk Sø
Source:
Folk og Fauna 3, Dansk etnozoologi, V.J. Brøndegaard, edit. 1986.
Naturguiden
Mønsted Kalkgruber
photo 18. April 2009: grethe bachmann
2 comments:
Bats have always left me recoiling with the heebie-jeebies. I sure enjoyed reading about them, though. I love the notion that they and poppies originally came from the moon. I will see them with new eyes. Thank you, Grethe.
I was in the lime pits one day, where lots of bats were hanging up high in the loft, and we must not disturb them by photographing them. I'm a little scared of bats, and I understand why people in the old days believed all that strange superstition.
Where I lived before there were often bats in the air, when evening fell, but I first thought they were little birds. I was fooled many times, until I discovered they were those soft-winged bats. Huuuiit! came one flying! Try to look!
Cheers
Grethe ´)
Post a Comment