Magpie

animal-spirit · Sweden · Nordic

The magpie (skata) is a bird of Swedish folk belief, regarded as an omen of sorrow or news: its chatter ('skata skriker') and thieving habits were read as signs, and it features in the tale 'The Magpie with Salt on Her Tail' as a clever bird. While not a supernatural being in its own right, it carries genuine omen beliefs in Nordic tradition.

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