Domestic Chicken
The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) of southeast Asia is believed to be one of several ancestral sources for today’s chickens. This bird is estimated to have been domesticated around 6000 BCE in China and the Indus Valley region of Pakistan. Chickens were depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphs dating to 1500 BCE.50 By the fourth century BCE, raising chickens for eggs and meat, and the sport of cockfighting, had spread to Greece and then Rome. The Romans took chickens with them into northern Europe and Britain.
The domestication of chickens also spread east from Asia, and European explorers found them throughout the Pacific Islands. On Easter Island, chickens were used in magic and religious rituals, and their feathers were incorporated into headdresses. On Hawaii and a world away in Europe, white chickens were thought to possess magical properties and were used for divination. In Greece, chickens were associated with healing and were sacrificed to Asclepius. These birds also had the role of guiding souls to the otherworld and initiating rebirth. According to English folklore, a crowing hen could bring the devil from his den.
Carrying a sun emblem on its head, the cock was a universal solar symbol and believed to have the ability to manifest light. It was associated with sun and war gods in Greece and Rome. In Norse myth, a cockerel sat atop Yggdrasil, the world tree, to warn the gods of approaching enemies. Centuries later, a cock on a weathervane represented a guardian and protector. Associated with fertility, the cockerel was used in rituals when crops were sown and harvested in Britain.
As the world’s most common bird, it is not surprising that the chicken has various and specific names. A chick is a baby of either sex, a pullet is a young female, a hen is a female old enough to lay eggs, and a biddy is an older hen that no longer lays. A cockerel refers to a young male, and a cock is a mature male. Associated with sexual prowess, it is no surprise that in many cultures the name for the male chicken is usually the same as the penis. Modesty in the Victorian era ushered in a change with the name rooster.
While it is known that birds evolved from the dinosaurs, the humble chicken may be the living genetic descendant of Tyrannosaurus Rex.51
Magical Workings
The chicken is a bird of abundance, fertility, and healing. Call on this bird to aid in spells of prosperity and fertility. Place an image or figurine of a chicken on the altar of a healing circle. Call on the hen or cock at Samhain to help you connect with the spirits of those who have died, or ask this bird to guide a loved one at their passing.
For support, incorporate a chicken feather or a picture into your divination practices. Use an image or a figurine of a cockerel to boost sex magic and protection spells, especially for psychic protection.
Make Connection
To connect with chicken energy, get up before dawn and observe the sky as it gradually fades from black into soft blue. When the first rays of the sun can be seen, stand up and softly crow as you visualize your ability to manifest the light. As the sunlight grows stronger, see yourself as a rooster or a hen standing proudly as you welcome a new day. No matter where you live, listen for the sound of a cock crowing for a sign of contact.
Associations
Cock
Zodiac: Gemini
Element(s): Earth, fire
Time of day: Dawn
Sabbat(s): Lughnasadh, Samhain
Goddesses: Amaterasu, Artemis, Brigid
Gods: Apollo, Ares, Asclepius, Attis, Helios, Hermes, Jove, Lugh, Mars, Mercury, Mithras, Osiris, Skanda, Zeus
Tree: Ash
Solar system: Sun
Hen
Element(s): Earth
Sabbat(s): Samhain
Goddess: Cerridwen
Ogham: Quert
Bird Identification
Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
Size: Varies widely according to breed; size of an average breed, the Rhode Island Red: 11 to 17 inches
Wingspan: 24 to 36 inches
Description: Small head; large body; bare, scaled legs; pointed beak; wide variety of colors and patterns; each breed has special types of feathers
Distinctive features: Comb and two wattles—the comb is a red appendage on the top of the head; wattles are two appendages under the chin
Male: More prominent comb and wattles; typically brighter, bolder plumage; large swooping tail; pointed feathers on the neck called hackles; may have spurs on legs
Female: Less colorful than the male
Range: Chickens are domesticated around the world
Habitat: From backyards and small organic farms to massive poultry-production facilities
Eggs: Depends on breed; white, brown, green, pink, or blue
Collective noun(s): A brood, a flock, or a peep of chickens and a chattering or a clutch of chicks