SOULBIRD (Kuukkeli) by artist Ulla Anobile

Found wood, paper mache, acrylics, embroidered felt feathers, sequins
10” tall, 8” wide at the wings

SOULBIRD (Kuukkeli)

Kuukkeli (Finnish for Siberian Jay) is a beloved forest bird in Finland. In the old days, it was thought of as a special friend of foresters and hunters. Thus its many names of endearment: bird of luck, friend of wanderers, forest lady, soulbird. Under no circumstances was one allowed to kill or harm this bird.

According to Finnish folklore, after foresters, hunters, and lovers of woodlands died, they came back as Kuukkeli birds. Thus the birds acted as containers for their souls, enabling them to exist even after death in the landscape they’d always cherished.

   

Kuukkeli birds are friendly toward people, and easily tamed to eat out of one’s hand. Some stories claim the friendliness comes from having been loved and revered for centuries, and the birds remembering it to this day.