' s ▁life ▁based ▁on ▁his ▁paint ings . ▁ ▁The ▁v ulture ▁fant asy ▁In ▁the ▁Code x ▁Atlantic us ▁Leon ardo ▁rec ount s ▁being ▁attacked ▁as ▁an ▁infant ▁in ▁his ▁c rib ▁by ▁a ▁bird . ▁Fre ud ▁c ites ▁the ▁passage ▁as : ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Fre ud , ▁this ▁was ▁a ▁child hood ▁fant asy ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁memory ▁of ▁su ck ing ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁ni pp le . ▁He ▁back ed ▁up ▁his ▁claim ▁with ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁Egypt ian ▁hier og lyph s ▁represent ▁the ▁mother ▁as ▁a ▁v ulture , ▁because ▁the ▁Egypt ians ▁believed ▁that ▁there ▁are ▁no ▁male ▁v ult ures ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁females ▁of ▁the ▁species ▁are ▁im pre gn ated ▁by ▁the ▁wind . ▁In ▁most ▁representations ▁the ▁v ulture - head ed ▁mat ernal ▁de ity ▁was ▁formed ▁by ▁the ▁Egypt ians ▁in ▁a ▁ph all ic ▁manner , ▁her ▁body ▁which ▁was ▁distinguished ▁as ▁femin ine ▁by ▁its ▁bre asts ▁also ▁bore ▁the ▁pen is ▁in ▁a ▁state ▁of ▁ere ction . ▁ ▁However , ▁the ▁translation ▁" Ge ier " ▁( v ulture ), ▁which ▁Maria ▁Herz feld ▁had ▁used ▁for ▁" n ib bio " ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 4 ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁edition ▁of ▁her ▁book ▁Leon ardo ▁da ▁V inci , ▁der ▁Den ker , ▁Forsch er ▁und ▁Po et , ▁was ▁not ▁exactly ▁the ▁k ite ▁Leon ardo ▁da ▁V inci ▁had ▁meant : ▁a ▁small ▁ha w k -