Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

In the panoply of parrots in folk culture, some are helpful, clever agents or the darling pets of sailors, others mischief makers and taboo-breakers. Within that frame, I will consider contemporary stories of humans’ unusual encounters with surprisingly sapient parrots who always get the last word.

Paper long abstract

Since ancient times humans have been fascinated by parrots for their faculty of speech, from the storytelling parrot of the Sanskrit *Suka Saptati* to the exotic imported parrots that dazzled courts of Chinese Emperors to the sailors’ companions whose salty locutions were as colorful as their plumage. These avian oddities are animals, but their ability to mimic human language makes them almost seem preternatural—inviting questions about the mysteries of cognition, communication, and the nature/culture divide. In the panoply of parrots in folklore and popular culture, some are helpful, clever agents like advisers to kings’ courts or the darling pets of pirates, others mischief makers and taboo-breakers. Within that context, my interest turns toward the legendary. There are old legends about notable parrots belonging to famous people—and more recent stories of parrots that swear uncontrollably, betray confidences, and otherwise insert themselves (in troubling ways) into the lives of humans around them. There is even a body of narratives about parrots tangled in the criminal world; sometimes they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but other times they are surviving witnesses to scandals and felonies, and then, by their ability speak, de facto “witnesses” to the crimes. This paper will survey the history of parrot legendry and analyze contemporary stories of humans’ unusual encounters with surprisingly sapient parrots who always seem to get the last word.