Herons, Pelicans, and Parakeets: The Bird Symbolism in The Boy and the Heron

©studio Ghibli

The Boy and the Heron, supposedly the last of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces, has lighted our screens again after almost a decade. Like his other beloved work, Spirited Away, we follow the protagonist, Mahito, as he enters a fantastical world beyond time and space, has many adventures with odd characters, and finally reconciles with his own feelings and trauma.

The Boy and the Heron has everything. From philosophical questions to simple themes like grief and love. War and the world it creates to our inner world that we create. Here's my take on the bird allegories in the boy and the heron:

Warning - spoilers ahead. 

The Plot of The Boy and the Heron

©studio Ghibli

Set in Second World War Japan, The Boy and the Heron tells the story of 11-year-old Mahito, who loses his mother to the tragic bombing of Tokyo and moves to the countryside with his father, who remarries his late wife's sister, Natsuko. 

Yearning for his mother's voice and touch, Mahito is forced to cope with his new home, where his mother and Natsuko both grew up. An old family manor with strange residents and surrounded by a mysterious jungle. A nosy gray heron keeps his eyes on Mahito as he leads his daily life and watches him closely. As time passes by, the heron's obsession grows, and it starts talking to Mahito, knocking on his window, and finally succeeds in luring him into the ruins of an ancient forbidden tower in the jungle.

Digging into the ruin, Mahito finds himself in a magical world beyond time and space where timelines are knitted together. After encountering several friends and foes like Kriko, the skilled sailor, the fire maiden Himi, giant parakeets, and several others, he meets up with his elderly great-uncle, the creator of this magical world, who sees Mahito as his successor to rule his world in his place.

The Heron

©studio Ghibli

In Greek mythology, the heron is widely believed to be a messenger of the gods Athena and Aphrodite. One example of this is when Athena, who is the protector of the warriors, sends a heron to Odysseus as a sign that she is watching over him as he travels.

In Celtic mythology, herons are said to be intelligent birds and messengers of the gods again. which slightly seems to be the case in The Boy and the Heron, since he acts as both a messenger and a guide. 

Ultimately, grey herons are associated with death as rather melancholic creatures in Japanese culture, which is a bold theme in The Boy and the Heron.

©studio Ghibli

Another aspect of the Heron is his ability to shape-shift. Later in the story, he reveals his true form when his beak is damaged and turns into a goblin-like henchman. This might have been inspired by myths and folktales all around the world where the ability to shape-shift is dependent on wearing an animal skin, and when the skin is damaged, the person can no longer transform.

The Pelicans 

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After being saved by the sailor, Mahito encounters the "Warawara," or the tiny human souls floating in the sky of the magical world. In order to be born in the real world, they need to eat fish and fly up to the sky, but later at night they're attacked and devoured by a group of pelicans. Later he learns that they've been brought to the magical world against their will to feed on the Warawara. 

©studio Ghibli

The most famous myth about pelicans is the pelican pecking at its own breast to draw blood and feed its young. Which became an allegory for Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Another legend is that the chicks injured their mother, and she pecks them in return and causes their death. On the third day after their passing, she sprinkles them with her own blood and brings them back to life. Motherly love and self-sacrifice are highly contradictory to the fact that these pelicans eat the young instead of any of the above, and it's good to mention that pelicans aren't native to Japan and are considered foreign to Japanese culture. 

The parakeets

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These colorful seed-eating birds in real life are personified as man-eating and, interestingly, human-sized flocks in this movie. They're the closest thing to human civilization alongside their bloodthirsty ruler, the parakeet king, who tries to consume Mahito alive at any given opportunity and take over the magical world instead of Mahito, who's the rightful ruler. 

©studio Ghibli

Paradoxically, in cultures and folklore worldwide, they're widely associated with beauty, eroticism, intelligence, and their ability to mimic. Maybe the contrast is really what made the parakeets an amazing choice.