History Of Identity: The Eagle That Thought Itself A Hen

You may have already heard of this tale, a story about identity that is worth rereading from time to time to understand how crucial external influence can be to self-creation. In this article we will try to tell you about it again, this time trying to emphasize the main elements related to social conditioning.

The fable of the eagle who thought he was a hen is very ancient and serves to teach young and old the importance of the context in which they are born and grow up, and how social interactions contribute to developing the personality based on the example and emulation. It is an unmissable story about identity .

A small wounded eagle

This tale begins in a remote place, on the land of a humble goat farmer. After a very difficult year, due to the drought, the farmer was very worried. His grazing animals did not have enough grass to graze and this put his farm at risk.

Since there was a mountain nearby, the shepherd decided to bring his flock to the top, where the climate was more humid. The hope was to find some green grass on which to graze the goats. One morning he left the fold very early and, fortunately, this risky choice rewarded him. The animals grazed freely all day. On the way back, however, the man was intrigued by something protruding from afar.

It was an abandoned eagle’s nest resting between rocks and tall grass. Even though he hated these birds of prey, because they often stole his chickens, he still decided to get closer, intrigued.

The nest was battered, as if it had fallen from a greater height, perhaps due to the weather and the wind. The man noticed that there were two chicks inside. One, despite the dire conditions, was still alive. Moved by compassion, the farmer decided to help the little eagle and took him away with him, intending to cure him.

The new identity of the eagle

With dedication and patience, the shepherd managed to heal the chick’s wounds. She fed him, protected him from the cold, and gradually improved. Since the chick was still too small to fly away, he decided to keep it with him for a while longer. In his mind, however, he began to think that perhaps it was not the right decision. The danger was that, once healthy and adult, the eagle could attack its poultry.

When the eagle was completely out of danger and acquired the size of an almost adult specimen, the shepherd decided it was time to let him go. This identity story tells that, one morning, he transported the bird to the place where he had found it, intending to free it.

Once dissolved, the young eagle began to leap, trying to follow the man home. Pitying that scene, the shepherd decided to postpone the farewell and returned to the farm with his feathered friend on his shoulder. For several days he tried to free the eagle and yet, each time, the animal came back to him hopping.

This demonstration of affection and gratitude led the man to accept the eagle as one of the many animals he had. To make him feel at ease, she took him to the chicken coop, where he would live with his chickens. When they saw the eagle coming, the chickens were very frightened, but they soon realized that it was harmless. And they began to treat him as one of their own.

A strange visitor

Over time, the eagle began to behave like a real hen. He even learned to cluck. She was also fearful and fussy, typical characteristics of these animals. Eventually, even the pastor began to treat her as such.

One day, by chance, a naturalist passed near the farm and was surprised to see a bird of that type among the hens. Surprised, he approached and asked the pastor to tell him what this unusual coexistence was due to.

The farmer said that what had happened seemed strange to him too but, after all, the eagle was now like a hen: he behaved and acted just like the rest.

The naturalist was very skeptical and wanted to see clearly. From his point of view, each animal has its own identity, an essence: it was impossible that the eagle had forgotten its true nature. He then asked the breeder for permission to test his theory. Having received permission from the man, the scholar carried out some tests.

A story about identity

The naturalist offered the eagle a piece of raw meat, but the eagle refused it. For too long she had been used to eating small worms and corn. He even seemed to feel disgusted with that strange food. The second step was to move the eagle up, and gently launch it to see if it was at least able to take flight.

To his surprise, the eagle tumbled to the ground like a heavy sack. After several days of reflection, the naturalist looked up to the top of the mountain and thought he had found the answer to this strange case: it was necessary to go to the place where it all began. Often, the solution to a problem is hidden in its origin.

It tells the story of the identity that, the next day, the man carried the eagle among the rocks on which the shepherd had found it. Once there, the animal looked uncomfortable. But, on the strength of his ideas, the naturalist waited calmly. He felt that at any moment the animal would rejoin its wild nature.

After a whole night of waiting, a new day dawned. The eagle still seemed undecided, it did not feel safe. What seemed strange, too, was a certain fear of sunlight. Seeing this, the naturalist took her by the scruff of the neck and forced her to look at the sun in front of her.

It was then that the eagle broke free from his grip and, annoyed, rebelled against the violence. Then, he spread his wings and began to fly away, away from the turf, the man and the chicken coop.