信天翁albatross 象征意义

1、Albatrossby Yu DandanBrief Introduction The Albatross is a large species of sea-bird. Adults of common species attain wingspans(翼展) of 711 ft (200350 cm). They drink seawater and usually eat squid(乌贼). Albatrosses are very long lived; most species survive upwards of 50 years. Of the 21 species of al

2、batrosses recognised by the IUCN, 19 have been threatened with extinction.Distribution and range at seaGlobal range density (in red) They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. King of Flying信天翁科的鸟可以在海上长时间飞行，它们可以非常有效地利用空气动力的原理(dynamic soaring and slope soaring)在海面上滑翔，有时数小时不必扇一下翅膀。

3、当信天翁能够掌握海面的气流，便可以随便在空中高速翻飞达20003000米，在1小时内可以横越113公里的海面。据记载，一只信天翁可以在12天内飞行达5000公里的旅程。信天翁科的鸟一般只在育幼时上岸，它们甚至可以在海面上睡觉。Wisdom The Albatross is known to practice a flying technique known as dynamic soaring, meaning that the Albatross makes use of the up-drafts（上升气流） of wind above the waves to give it extra

4、 lift, for longer periods of time, and without really doing anything. Albatrosses combine these soaring techniques with the use of predictable weather systems. Knowing air currents as he does, the albatross is very good at navigating paths.Loyal and Steadfast Pair bonds between males and females for

5、m over several years, with the use of ritualised（交配） dances, and will last for the life of the pair. Albatrosses are highly philopatric(栖地忠贞), meaning they will usually return to their natal（出生的） colony to breed. A breeding season can take over a year from laying（产卵） to fledging（把雏鸟养到能够飞翔）, with a s

6、ingle egg laid in each breeding attempt.In Greek Mythology 在希腊神话中狄俄墨得斯(Diomedes)曾统帅80艘希腊战船，在特洛伊战争中立下奇功。战后，在一次航行中，他的船队遇到暴风雨，他们随风飘到意大利海岸。于是，他在那里建立一个小王国，自任国王，直到去世。他死后，他的同伴全部变成鸟，据说这些鸟就是信天翁。Symbolic MeaningAlbatross as totem(图腾图腾):Central Attributes（属性）（属性）: Stamina(毅力); Grace; Independence; Monogamy（一夫一

7、妻制）; Faithfulness; Loyalty;Messenger.Positive character traits: Loyal, independent, graceful, calm, open-minded, lenient（仁慈的）,Successful, enduring.Negative character traits: Air-headed, lazy, depressive, lenient, restless.The Spirits of Sailors A master at gliding, the albatross can stay aloft on vi

8、rtually motionless wings for many hours at a time. For that reason, seamen used to believe that the albatross had magical powers. There was also a belief that albatrosses, hovering(徘徊) endlessly above the ships at sea, contained the souls of lost sailors, former comrades of the sailors below. The Ri

9、me of the Ancient Mariner In 1798 the great English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge made albatross mythology the basis for his famous poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner（水手）. In the poem, an albatross starts to follow a ship being followed by an albatross was generally considered an omen（征兆） of good l

10、uck. However, the old seaman shoots the albatross with a crossbow（弓）, which is regarded as an act that will curse the ship. Angry at him, the crew picked up the dead bird and hung it around the mans neck as a symbol of guilt and punishment. Thus the albatross can be both an omen of good or bad luck, as well as a metaphor for a burden to be carried as penance（苦行）.Albatross Around Ones Neck Today that imagery has generalized, so that anything that causes deep, persistent anxiety can be called an albatross. Alb