A tiny presence that changed the nature of the days

May 21, 2024 1:49 AM

Even in a labyrinth with terrifying tall walls, where the ocean is no longer visible, a minotaur still needs a hummingbird, essential company in the endless journey through dead-ends, restarts, and new beginnings – as well as a reminder of the beauty of the world, the power of the sun, the rain, love, and life, all packed inside the body of a creature that weighs less than an ounce. A sign that within the smallest detail, the whole world is present, and just as the gravity and magnificence of life is present in the mountains, oceans, stars, and everything larger than life, it is also brilliantly present in its smallest bird. from Hummingbirds Are Wondrous by Zito Madu [Plough]
posted by chavenet (10 comments total)

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
posted by HearHere at 1:56 AM on May 21 [1 favorite]

OK the thing that's immediately off about the minotaur and the hummingbird thing is that the Minotaur is a Greek myth and hummingbirds are only found in the Americas.
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 3:29 AM on May 21 [6 favorites]

I really enjoyed reading that thanks chavenet, the first time I saw a hummingbird was wandering along an ordinary street off Hollywood Boulevard and my wife pointed at this blur that materialized in front of us - if a minotaur had appeared we wouldn't have been more surprised.

With an open mind anything can happen in Los Angeles.
posted by unearthed at 4:01 AM on May 21 [3 favorites]

If the smushing of Greek and Mayan myths together is geographical inconvenient HypotheticalWoman, you could always mentally substitute the Hummingbird hawk-moth - an Old World large moth that basically occupies the same ecological niche in Europe and North Africa, is similar in size, also has pretty wings and seeing one is a sign of good luck. They're pretty cool too, even if they're no hummingbird.
posted by Absolutely No You-Know-What at 4:50 AM on May 21 [6 favorites]

the thing that's immediately off about the minotaur and the hummingbird thing is that the Minotaur is a Greek myth and hummingbirds are only found in the Americas
idk, might work out
posted by HearHere at 5:19 AM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Friends of ours live at their cottage roughly 50 km north of Lake Ontario. They have a hummingbird feeder on their deck, and the traffic to it is almost nonstop; it seems that if you look at the feeder for 15 seconds or longer, you're guaranteed to see at least one. And they fight over access, chasing each other away, the bejeweled little brutes.

But yeah, they're great. I particularly love the sound of them flying and hovering.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:42 AM on May 21 [2 favorites]

The author appears to be an American of Nigerian descent whose 'labyrinth' is inspired by the streets of Venice. So I think the mixed mythology is intentional and certainly the essay betrays the fact that he knows exactly where hummingbirds are found and where they are not.

On that note, it is easy to forget that many Europeans have never seen a hummingbird. I have been made aware of this several times by visiting Europeans in California who were overwhelmed by the sight of these tiny jewels zipping back and forth. Most of Nature is magic but hummingbirds are undeniably enchanted creatures.
posted by vacapinta at 7:41 AM on May 21 [7 favorites]

The author appears to be an American of Nigerian descent whose 'labyrinth' is inspired by the streets of Venice. So I think the mixed mythology is intentional and certainly the essay betrays the fact that he knows exactly where hummingbirds are found and where they are not.

Oh, well, fair enough. My bad, then.
posted by HypotheticalWoman at 8:28 AM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Cathedral windows on the wing (photographs by Christian Spencer, mentioned in the essay).
posted by MonkeyToes at 3:19 PM on May 21

1. One summer a male ruby-throat that we nicknamed “The Bruiser” violently defended a feeder in our yard, chasing off all potential patrons. Their mid-air collisions and oddly loud squeals have an odd effect at close range, it’s almost electronic. It was a very entertaining summer. We’ve watched territorial stuff before but The Bruiser was special.

2. A cat knocked a hummingbird out of the air one dewy morning. I quickly scooped up and secured the cat before seeking the shrieking tiny bird which was too dew-soaked to fly. Gently placing the wee beast (heavy for something so small) on a clean towel on my lap in the sun I watched it dry off, revealing those astounding metallic emerald and ruby feathers. After some preening it abruptly took off, exiting perhaps an inch from my ear, and the hair-raising thrill of it left me tingling.
posted by kinnakeet at 7:51 AM on May 22 [3 favorites]