The Mallard
Everyone knows the mallard - the males with their beautiful dark green head and a yellow bill, the females a dull brown with an orange bill. They can be found on nearly every river and pond in Britain. Here’s a story from the Hebrides that gives the common-or-garden mallard a role that it normally doesn’t have – the star!
It’s story that explain why ducks have webbed feet and hens don’t. According to Hebridean tradition hens originally had webbed feet and were able to swim. However, once, when Jesus was visiting the Hebrides, some evil men tried to catch and kill him. A good crofter hid him under a pile of corn. Unfortunately, the greedy hens started to scatter and eat the grain, exposing the hidden Jesus. The ducks, on the other hand, tried to press the grain down with their feet to hide him. Because of this Jesus was able escape. Ever since then the hen has been ‘sever-toed’, confined to land and is scared of thunder (thinking it the voice of God). While the mallard retained its webbed feet and was given three joys – to be able to live on land, in the air and in water – and has no fear of thunder.
There are quite a few tales from the Western Isles which tell of Jesus living in Scotland – they are much loved by conspiracy theorists of the Dan Browne type! The story of the oystercatcher and Jesus, also to be found in this calendar, is another one. Whatever their origins, the tales are about making a decision to stand with Jesus. The mallard was brave! When it came to the crunch, the Bible tells us, not even Jesus’ closest disciples stayed with him when they came to arrest him. Would we have behaved differently?
Perhaps the hen was chosen as the villain in this story because, in the Bible, it is the calling of the cockerel that brings home to Peter his betrayal of Christ?
Reading:
‘About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.’
(Luke 22. 59-62)
Prayer:
‘Father, although the kinds of betrayal that we likely to be tempted by are different from those that faced Peter, help us to be faithful. Amen.’
