Caladrius

 

A Caladrius is a snow-white bird of Roman mythology (In Greek mythology, it was named a “Dhalion”) that was said to reside in the house of kings. The myth behind them was that they would not look at any ill patient who was not going to fully recover from whatever sickness they had. This bird was known for miraculous healing powers. The bird would take the sickness into itself and fly away to rid itself of the sickness, healing both the bird and the king. Many believe that the bird is an analogous to Jesus Christ himself, comparing the birds selflessness and Christ’s crucifixion.

          Many believe that the Caladrius is simply a creation of someone’s active imagination like many other mythologies, but some believe they were based on a real bird (It is believed to be based on the dove or possibly a Heron.) I believe that this myth was based on some type of comfort, that the belief in a bird that could heal the ill was soothing in dark times. Considering is based on a bird that we see today, we can see that the birds did not have actual healing powers, but a good attitude and strong belief can do a lot for the healing process.