In the past, people avoided telling young children the unvarnished truth about conception and birth. Instead, they told them the story of the stork bringing babies. But where did this legend originate?
Historical Taboos: Why Children Didn't Hear the Truth
In the past, people didn't want to explain the real circumstances of conception and birth to young children. The processes involving the lower body were considered unsuitable for delicate young ears. But why was the stork chosen as the baby-bringer?
Even Fairy Tales Need to Be Credible
Let’s go back a few centuries: Who else could serve as a messenger for babies? Elephants and kangaroos are not native, wolves and bears were seen as dangerous, and most other animals, including birds, were too small. The stork, however, was a well-known, native animal and large enough to credibly deliver babies.
Frogs as Symbols of Fertility and Children's Souls in Water
The stork often stays near water and catches frogs. Experts like Mainz folklorist Michael Simon suggest that this trait helped the stork gain its reputation as a baby deliverer. In old German folklore, children's souls resided in water, and water was seen as a symbol of new life. This could also reference the amniotic fluid in the womb.
Children from the Water
In many fairy tales, the well symbolizes new life, especially in "The Frog Prince." The water from which children are lifted at birth represents the amniotic fluid. This symbol is also found in the story of Moses, who was taken from the Nile by the king’s daughter and lovingly raised (Book of Exodus, Chapter 2).
The Stork as a Synonym for the Penis
In the Middle Ages, "man's stork" was a euphemism for the penis. This explains the image of the stork biting the mother's leg. The stork pulls frogs from the pond and swallows them. Since it supposedly bit the mother's leg, it is inferred that it also brings the children, whom it fetches from the source of life. This motif has been documented since 1678.
Adebar - The Bringer of Good Luck
Fittingly, the stork was once nicknamed Adebar. This name combines the Old High German "Auda," meaning luck, and the suffix "bar," meaning to bring or carry. Adebar – the bringer of good luck.
Modern Traditions
Today, it is still common in many regions of Germany to place a wooden stork in the garden or on the roof after a child is born. This custom symbolizes the happiness and joy of the new family member and has become an endearing tradition.
The Stork and the Birth Rate
An interesting, albeit humorous, observation is the supposed correlation between the stork population and the birth rate. Between 1970 and 1985, a decline in both the stork population and the birth rate was observed in Lower Saxony, leading to joking speculations that fewer storks also meant fewer babies.
The Stork as the Namesake of Our Website
The German word "Klapperstorch" doesn't exist in most other languages. Therefore, we used the literal translation "rattling stork" or "rattlestork" and named our website accordingly RattleStork.
