snake eagle, C. pectoralis Brown snake eagle, C. cinereus Fasciated snake eagle, C. fasciolatus Western banded snake eagle, C. cinerascens Genus Dryotriorchis Congo serpent eagle, D. spectabilis Genus Spilornis Crested serpent eagle, Spilornis cheela Central Nicobar serpent eagle, S. minimus (subspecies or species) Great Nicobar serpent eagle, S. klossi Mountain serpent eagle, S. kinabaluensis Sulawesi serpent eagle, S. rufipectus Philippine serpent eagle, S. holospilus Andaman serpent eagle, S. elgini Genus Eutriorchis Madagascar serpent eagle, Eutriorchis astur In culture Etymology The modern English term for the bird is derived from by way of . The origin of is unknown, but it is believed to possibly derive from (meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish) as a reference to the plumage of eagles. Old English used the term , related to Scandinavia's ørn/örn. It is similar to other Indo-European terms for "bird" or "eagle", including (), (), and . In the southern part of Finland, near the Gulf of Finland, is the town of Kotka, which literally means "eagle", while the town of L'Aquila in the central part of Italy literally means "the eagle". In Britain before 1678, eagle referred specifically to the golden eagle, with the other native species, the white-tailed eagle, being known as erne. The modern name "golden eagle" for aquila chrysaetos was introduced by the naturalist John Ray. The village of Eagle in Lincolnshire, England, has nothing to do with the bird; its name is derived from the Old English words for "oak" and "wood" (compare Oakley). Religion and spirituality In ancient Sumerian mythology, the mythical king Etana was said to have been carried into heaven by an eagle. Classical writers such as Lucan and Pliny the Elder claimed that the eagle was able to look directly at the sun, and that they forced their fledglings to do the same. Those that blinked would be cast from the nest. This belief persisted until the Medieval era. The eagle is the patron animal of the ancient Greek god Zeus. In particular, Zeus was said to have taken the form of an eagle in order to abduct Ganymede, and there are numerous artistic depictions of the eagle Zeus bearing Ganymede aloft, from Classical times up to the present (see illustrations in the Ganymede (mythology) page.) Psalm 103 (in Greek, Latin, and English) mentions renewing one's youth "as the eagle" (although the Hebrew word נשר apparently means vulture). Augustine of Hippo gives a