There is no bird more majestic or free than the eagle; no bird more strong or brave; and no creature that takes more pleasure from the high and lonely mountains.
It is the King of Birds.
No man would dare question the strength and bravery of his king or leader. But the eagles do not judge greatness by wingspan alone. They never have. For they know that any one of them may become a king or great leader, and therefore they treat each other with the utmost respect. Indeed, they do not behave like the kings and leaders of man, who force their subjects to engage in stupid wars and other meaningless disputes. Rather, each eagle strives for ever more powerful wings, a fiercer beak, sharper talons and a keener sense of sight; and never do they resort to things like intimidation or flattery.
It is in this sense that eagles have long differed from man. For man has always derived his strength from the oppression of those who are weaker than himself, and having never known true freedom, has always lived in misery.
What an unfortunate creature is man! And yet is it not man who claims dominion over every creeping thing? How ironic!
I
There once was a mountain kingdom that was ruled by its larger, more powerful neighbor. All that the two kingdoms ever did was fight, while on the highest mountain in the land, the eagles lived in peace and happiness.
For tens of thousands of years, the eagles burned with one desire: to reach the sun and bask in its eternal warmth and brightness. For tens of thousands of years, they strived to climb higher and higher each day, holding fast to the belief that their descendants would someday get there. And indeed, after many generations, their wings had grown stronger, carrying them higher than had those of their ancestors.
The sun is a thing to be loved
So fly to it, my child!
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
The sun, it is a source of strength
The sun, our Promised Land—
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
The earth, it is a narrow cage
A place where slaves go to die—
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
It is a world for the faint of heart
The foolish world of man—
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
Such was the song that every eagle mother taught her young since time immemorial. One wonders how it must have made them feel, the oppressed people of the mountain kingdom, whenever they heard it being sung!
The King of the Eagles had his nest on the loneliest cliff of the tallest mountain in the land, and there he lived with his mate, the Queen, and their two eaglets, the princes.
Every morning the King and Queen took the princes to the cliff’s edge and cast them off. Then, seconds before they hit the ground, they caught them and bore them back to the top again. Soon the princes were flying up and down the mountain as though it were nothing at all. When the King and Queen saw this, they were quite pleased and began dropping them from greater heights. At first the princes lost consciousness as they fell, but in time their wings grew stronger, and they could fly back to their nest with ease.
One day the King turned to his mate and said, “Let us drop the eaglets into the valley.” So they carried the princes to a great height and dropped them.
The princes flew with all their might; but after a while their wings gave out.
“Help me, brother!” cried the younger Prince; “my strength fails me!”
So the elder Prince put forth his remaining strength, and flew to the aid of his brother, while the King and Queen looked on, clapping their wings in exultation.
All of a sudden, a cloud drifted by, and the princes dropped out of sight. So the King and Queen plunged into the valley. But they were too late. For in trying to save his younger brother, the elder Prince had used up all his strength and had fainted. Now the two brothers lay like stones at the bottom of the valley floor.
When the King and Queen arrived to seize the unconscious bodies of the eaglets, there appeared a mighty Fowler and his two sons, who tried to snare them. The King and Queen fought to retrieve their young, but the Fowler proved too strong, and thinking the princes to be dead, they beat a hasty retreat to the sky.
But the princes were not dead, and awoke upon arriving at the Fowler’s cottage home. There the Fowler clipped their wings and gave them to his sons, who, despite being only six and seven years old, took good care of them. The boys lavished much affection on the princes, and took them everywhere—only not to the mountain, for their father forbade it.
When the people heard about the eaglets falling into the valley, they deemed it to be a sign, and were filled with joy. For they believed that the eaglets had come to deliver them from their oppressor, and they implored the Fowler to do everything in his power to make sure that the royals’ every need was met.
But before a week had passed, something terrible happened. The Fowler’s younger son went missing. His friends described a massive eagle shooting down like a thunderbolt, and seizing the child in its sharp talons. Everybody was shaken. Then, a few days later, tragedy struck twice when the Fowler’s elder son went missing also.
The people said much about these tragedies. Only the Fowler said nothing, and continued to see that the princes were well looked after.
At first the princes felt very alone and yearned for their freedom. But because they were loved by the children of the village, they began to grow accustomed to the world that was around them, and even came to love the company of man. And after a time, their only real regret was that they were bound to a tree by an iron chain.
II
Five years went by. On the fifth anniversary of the princes’ capture, the Fowler quietly removed their chains and brought them back to the mountain, where he released them. When the people found out, there was a great commotion, in the midst of which the Fowler’s missing sons returned from the mountain.
So completely changed were they that none, at first, could recognize them. They were both naked, and had long, flowing hair; their chests were as hard as rock, and their limbs as strong as steel. They had piercing eyes and break-like noses. Their teeth were large as the fangs of a wolf, and their nails were sharp as the claws of a tiger.
The brothers told of how the eagle monarchs had raised them in their nest; of how they had been doted on; and of how each day the King and Queen had borne them on their wings up into the sky, to cast them down and catch them as they fell. Still more wondrous things they told, and all who listened puzzled over what had happened.
The brothers had once been average boys. Now none could match them in any sport, nor display a greater love for freedom and adventure. From the eagles they had learned the art of setting hearts on fire. And when they struggled with the human tongue, they cried like eagles cry, and so gave voice to wordless thoughts.
They taught the people how to sing:
The sun is a thing to be loved
So fly to it, my child!
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there . . .
The sons of the Fowler certainly were wonderful, so the people bestowed on them the name of Eagleheart. How hopeful they must have been, the oppressed people of the mountain kingdom, whenever they looked upon these brothers!
III
The King and Queen of the Eagles were glad to have the princes back again. But after they had looked them over, they saw that they were ruined, for their wings and beaks lacked strength, and their eyes and talons were dull. Worst of all, they appeared to be in danger of losing their sense of pride and love of freedom.
So every day the King and Queen worked to bring them back from ruin; and every day the Queen would sing to them in the hope that her song might revive their weakened spirits and inspire them to become proud kings. Indeed, every day for ten years the King and Queen worked to expunge the spirit of man from their hearts; and in the end the children flew higher than their parents and had sharper talons and a keener sense of sight.
But still they lacked an eagle’s heart, displaying a weakness all too human. For when they flew towards the sun, they looked down; and when they wheeled in the open air, they seemed distracted; and when they climbed higher than the other eagles, they cried not cries of victory, but cries of lonely yearning for their former lives. They fasted for days on end and often did not hunt; and when they did, they spared the lives of the animals they caught.
How sad the King and Queen must have been to see them acting this way! All of their playmates mocked them and called them “Human-heart”; and often did the King and Queen chide them for the shame they had brought upon their family.
One day, when the elder Prince returned from wheeling about the sky, he came before his father, and said: “Oh, Father! ‘Tis a silly thing, this ancient belief that we must fly towards the sun! It is no fun at all, and guarantees no happiness. Today I set out on the journey myself, and flew as high as my wings would carry me. But the higher I flew, the colder I became, and the less I was able to see, till at last I was dazzled, and having nearly lost consciousness, fell out of the sky. Truly the sun is a lonesome place, and I shall fly to it no longer!”
On hearing this, the King ruffled his feathers and screeched, “Human-heart!” And flying at the Prince, dug his knife-like talons into his throat. The Prince, who yearned for the uneventful life that had been his in the valley below, let out a shrill cry. But he did not resist, and so he died by the talons of his father.
That same evening, when the younger Prince returned to his nest, he came before his mother, and said: “Oh, Mother! Do not make me fly towards the sun, not when it serves me no purpose! Rather, let me go down to the valley below, to make my nest there in a tree, and live with man and the other animals. We eagles will not find happiness on the sun; for if happiness is to be found anywhere, it will be found in our fellowship with man. Indeed, I know this because I have seen it there myself.”
On hearing this, the Queen ruffled her feathers and screeched, “Human-heart!” And flying at the Prince, dug her knife-like talons into his throat. The Prince, who longed for the valley below, and yearned for fellowship with man, let out a shrill cry. But he did not resist, and so he died by the talons of his mother.
Later that night, the King and Queen carried the bodies of the two princes down into the valley and dropped them before the house of the Fowler.
The sun is a thing to be loved
So fly to it, my child!
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there . . .
From that day forward, whenever the eagles sang this song, they could not help but think of how the princes had been warned of the dangers that come of a human heart.
When morning broke, the bodies of the eagles were discovered, and there was much excitement among the people. For a rebellion was underway, and the Brothers Eagleheart were leading the charge against their oppressors. Such master strategists were they that the enemy had been thrown into complete disarray and seemed to be on the verge of defeat. But now, with the discovery of the dead eagles, the people feared in their hearts that they had seen a sign that the rebellion would end in failure.
The young women of the mountain laid flowers on the bodies of the eagle princes, singing the song taught to them by the Brothers Eagleheart:
The sun is a thing to be loved
So fly to it, my child!
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there . . .
And they buried them as if they had been heroes.
In the capital of the neighboring kingdom, every house was decked with bright festoons, and for miles on end there rang the booming of cannonball-salutes, the banging of fireworks and the playing of music for happy people. On the streets, everybody went about in fine clothing, waving little colored flags and laughing.
It was a picture of happiness.
Only the guillotine, which rose up in the largest square, betrayed a certain sadness. Yet the people gathered round it, singing rousing anthems and waiting for something to happen. They shook hands, congratulated each other on their victory over the mountain kingdom and talked of how the Brothers Eagleheart were soon to be executed.
After a while, a wave of whispering voices rolled in from the back of the crowd, and the brothers appeared, escorted by soldiers. Then all conversation ceased, and the square became silent, even as a graveyard. Only the sharp rattle of a military drum could be heard. It went, ratta-tat-tat, ratta-tat-tat, ratta-tat-tat over and over . . .
Yet the brothers were smiling, their eyes ablaze with infinite fiery courage, capable of igniting all the hearts of mankind. When at last they had ascended the execution platform, the rattle of the drum ceased. With bated breath, the crowd watched on. Not once did the brothers avert their gaze from the sky.
Suddenly a valiant cry rippled through the air, and scarcely before its echo could resound, two massive eagles, the likes of which no one had seen before, shot down like great thunderbolts, and, seizing the Brothers Eagleheart, shot back into the sky. The crowd watched on in stony silence, and the entire city became silent, even as a graveyard. A moment later, up above, there came the sound of voices singing:
The earth, it is a narrow cage
A place where slaves go to die—
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
It is a world for the faint of heart
The foolish world of man . . .
V
That night all was quiet in the mountain kingdom. The rebellion had ended in failure. Women mourned the loss of husbands and sons. Children mourned the loss of fathers and brothers.
It was a very lonely night indeed.
Having heard that the Brothers Eagleheart had been sentenced to execution, everyone gathered before the Fowler’s home. There was no telling the depths of their sorrow. Still, some among them found the strength to raise the youngest of their children towards the infinite night sky, and casting a proud glance upon the others, pray that all be blessed with eagle hearts, that they might one day bring salvation to the mountain kingdom.
All was quiet. The stars twinkled softly, and out of the stillness of the night came a reply to their prayer in song.
Do not go down to the valley below
Look not on what is there
The sun, it is a source of strength
The sun, the Promised Land . . .
