(photo: Central Asian horseman - provenance unknown)I had an email last week from a male Dominant who wrote that his sub was interested in animal play ... or more specifically bird play. She wanted him to train her as an eagle. He was unable to find anything about this on the internet, so dropped me a line.
I'd never heard of this either. It's an interesting idea. I would certainly find a bird of prey helpful during my sub hunts *grin*. Anyway, I thought I might include my reply here, in case any readers encounter this. I'd also be grateful for any ideas you have, and promise to pass them on to him :)
"The only form of animal role play featuring birds that I've heard of is parrot play, but I have no further info or training details. You are going to have to start from scratch here, but there's a lot of fun to be had in that.
"First, if you've not had a serious animal play D/s relationship before I suggest you read up on the classic forms such as pony play (and here ) and puppy play (also kitten play as this is popular amongst female subs) for practical tips on how to run animal play relationships, their basic dynamics etc. You might like to try joining the Human Fauna forum. I wasn't able to access their forum this morning so they might be offline for a bit, but their forum covers all types of animals and it might be a great place to ask for advice.
"Some thoughts:
"Why an eagle?
"The majority of reasons for animal role play are linked to power exchange and physically manifesting animals that are familiar to the player, such as puppies or pony play. In your sub's case though the choice of an eagle suggests a spiritual link, and you'll need to identify the connection to make the role play work. Ask why she has chosen an eagle. Does she identify with a particular species of eagle? Does she relate to it as an animal totem? In case she does I've added some info below about eagles as animal totems in Native American culture. Does she feel the connection goes deeper than that? Does she see eagles as a part of her own psyche?
"If there is some kind of spiritual connection you might like to do further research into tribal cultures where non-sexual animal roleplay was common. Native American culture is the one that most comes to mind, as animal role play was an important part of their rituals. In this case the animal was usually either one that was revered spiritually, or one that was hunted. Eagles would fit the first category. Try and track down photos or info about animal dances - one example that comes to mind is the last Animal Dance ("Massaum") performed by the Northern Cheyenne of Montana, photographed by Julia Tuell in 1911. This often gets translated as a buffalo dance but there were many other animal stories danced into it.
"How to translate all this to role play:
"First, have a read of the Native American culture info about eagle totems below. Apart from the spiritual side, this info provides lots of interesting facts for you to work on, when creating and training your own personal eagle. Note the line "The eagle is incredibly patient. Often seen perched in a tree maintaining the same position for hours at a time, eagle teaches those with this totem how to master the art of patience in every area of their life". I'm sure that gives you some ideas for eagle training, lol.
"Read up on eagle habits and think about ways you can make this work. How do eagles take to being confined? What steps are taken to preserve their comfort in captivity? What is their diet? How do they hunt?
"Here's something else you might like to consider: eagles are one of the birds of prey used in the fine art of falconry, so this is another form of training you might like to adapt to your role play if your sub finds it of interest. Eagles are rarely used due to the difficulty of training and managing an eagle, Wiki notes. Ah ha. So there's a goal for you: training your eagle to hunt with you. Read up on how to train your first bird. This involves interesting practices such as keeping the eyes covered at certain times, keeping the bird in isolation, fitting the training bird with bells and a leash, feeding reward treats from the hand, etc etc. You get the idea, I'm sure.
"Please drop me a line if I can help further. Have fun :)
"With best regards, Ms160
AMERICAN INDIAN INFO ABOUT EAGLES AS A PERSONAL ANIMAL TOTEM
The eagle is a sacred messenger, carrying our prayers to the Creator and returning with gifts and visions for the people. Eagle feathers aid medicine people in calling on this connection when they need to contact spirit for healing.
Eagles are majestic birds with a powerful presence. Although they can be social birds they do require isolation from human encroachment to breed in the wild. If a human strays to close or touches their nest, they are likely to abandon it. Both male and female incubate the eggs and share in the duties of raising its young.
The eagle is incredibly patient. Often seen perched in a tree maintaining the same position for hours at a time, eagle teaches those with this totem how to master the art of patience in every area of their life. Within the energy of patience "all things are possible."
Eagles are good at feeding themselves from the land and still soar to great heights in the sky. They teach us how to move through life without becoming attached to anything. They show us how to accept what comes our way and see everything as a gift from great spirit. They have excellent hearing and can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to whom eagle comes, the ability to hear spiritually and psychically will awaken
Eagles have sharp beaks and strong jaws. They remind us to pay attention to our speech and how it affects others. Our words as well as the tone of our voice should be examined. Eagle asks us to maintain a prayerful connection with Spirit, to keep our minds focused on what is important in life. Maintaining this attitude removes judgment from our consciousness. Without judgment we speak with encouragement and kindness towards others. Lessons associated with judgment are part of this medicine.
Eagles have excellent vision. Perched high in a tree they appear to analyze and observe everything. If Eagle has blessed you with its presence in some way, you are being given potent gifts of clarity and vision to use for the good of all people helping to bring forth the light out of the darkness. Eagle also serves as a reminder to those with this totem to communicate with Great Spirit daily so the gifts Eagle offers you can be utilized fully.
