In Thor Nielsen book, “The Zeppelin Story – The Life of Hugo Eckener” I read on page 145 of my edition that on the delivery flight of LZ-126/ZR-3, Hans von Schiller and Max Pruss had a wooden swallow hung from the altimeter for good luck. According to Nielsen, they had this wooden swallow with them when they flew sorties in World War I. On one such sortie, the wooden swallow was hit by flack and Schiller and Pruss had glued it back together. I asked myself, why would Schiller and Pruss use a swallow as a good luck token and not something else? Or if this is a nice fictional touch by Nielsen, why did Nielsen choose to use a swallow? The folklore surrounding swallows is quite interesting and some of it would be known to Nielsen’s readers of that time who still had an understanding of an older era.

Because the swallow is among the first land birds spotted by sailors, the swallow had several meanings for nautical men. What I am describing here are meanings for British and Norwegian mariners. To what extent these meanings were found among members of the German navy in those days, I have been unable to determine. First and most important, the swallow meant a safe return. Swallow tattoos on sailors had two meanings. One meaning was that for every 5,000 nautical miles sailed, a mariner would get a swallow tattoo. Thus a sailor with two swallow tattoos had sailed 10,000 nautical miles, and in an era where sailing was more arduous and uncertain, a sailor with two swallow tattoos was a very experienced and reliable hand. Because it was believed that a swallow will guarantee a sailor’s safe return home there was an alternate meaning for swallow tattoos among mariners. A sailor would get a swallow tattoo before setting out for a voyage and another swallow tattoo for a safe return. The belief was that if he was lost at sea, the swallows will carry his soul to heaven. Not all swallow tattoos have this meaning though. A swallow tattoo on the back of a person’s hand means these fists fly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow_tattoo

http://www.craftynitti.com/tattoo-designs/swallow-bird-tattoos

Among German farmers, swallows in the barn meant good luck and protection. Because barn swallows feed on insects, they are quite beneficial in keeping insects at bay in a barn. I know this from personal experience when I boarded a horse in a barn with a sizable swallow population. Swallows ensured that the farmer would prosper and that his barn was safe from lightning and fire. It was considered bad luck to kill a swallow or destroy their nests. Because it would have been impractical to have a live swallow inside an airship, a wooden one had to suffice.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/06/12/good-luck-charm-to-some-barn-swallows-good-looking-too.html

In heraldry, the swallow is also called the martlet or merlot. It is depicted without legs, and is used to designate the fourth son – “It modernly used to signify, as that bird seldom lights on land, so younger brothers have little land to rest on but the wings of their own endeavours, who, like the swallows, become the travellers in their seasons.” This quote was taken from the link bellow:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/lcr/fsca/fsca42.htm

Other heraldic meanings of the swallow/martlet are: hard work, perseverance, and a nomadic household. More modern heraldic meanings include quest for knowledge, learning, and adventure. In English heraldry the martlet is a swallow, in German heraldry though, the martlet is a lark.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martlet

http://www.heraldryclipart.com/symbolism/m.html

Swallows also have religious meanings. According to Danish lore, a swallow consoled the crucified Christ calling out “Svale, Svale” (Cheer up, Cheer up).

http://folkheartpressblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-folklore-of-swallows.html

http://celebrateurbanbirds.org/learn/birds/quick-guide-to-focal-species/barn-swallow/

Because the swallow is a bird that returns in the spring, they are symbolic of spring and resurrection. The swiftness of a swallow’s flight also makes it a symbol of freedom, and it is said to be impossible to retain a swallow in captivity. The Christian symbolism of the swallow is Incarnation of Christ and resurrection.

http://www.catholic-saints.info/catholic-symbols/swallow-christian-symbol.htm

http://www.catholictradition.org/Saints/signs1.htm

Would Schiller, Pruss and Nielsen be aware of all of the lore surrounding swallows, probably not. They did, however, belong to generations to whom older beliefs were much better known than they are today; therefore, they were quite likely to have been aware of the general beliefs about swallows: protection and safe returns. Ironically, while I was researching Nielsen’s account of Hans von Schiller’s and Max Pruss’s wooden swallow, I came across this species of bird, believe it or not, – Preuss’s Swallow:

http://www.hbw.com/species/preusss-swallow-petrochelidon-preussi

“For with a good ship furnish you will I,
And with you will myself go all the way.
Meanwhile go you into your house again,
And put up store of wine and cold meat,
And good bread, which the marrow is of men.
I’ll for you mariners together get.
In Ithaca are good ships, old and new,
Good store, of which I will go choose you one.
The best of all that come within my view,
And make it ready that we may be gone.”

– Homer “The Odyssey”