For over 11 million years, Seahawk has endured. While historically known as a sea hawk, river hawk, sea eagle, or fish hawk, today he is more commonly known as the osprey, which means “Bird of Prey.” Myths and legends portray hawks as a symbol of victory and a divine power connected to sky gods. Many consider Seahawk to be a spiritual messenger, offering clarity to the questions in our hearts and an opportunity for growth and healing. For realists, he is revered for his aggression and relentless spirit.
Intuitive * Spiritual * Self-Reflective * Tireless
The Seahawk and owl are the only raptors whose outer toes are reversible. This design allows Seahawk to grasp prey with two fishhook-like curved talons in front and two behind. The unique barbed gripping pads on his feet help him seize fish up to 40% of his body weight and carry them over a great distance.
Seahawks reside in every continent except Antarctica. Not all Seahawks migrate due to year-round ideal conditions, but some travel as far as 160,000 miles over their lifetimes. Seahawk’s highly evolved and agile bodies are built to move. While other birds use precious energy flapping their wings, Seahawks use wind thermals known as uplift to soar and then glide. A Seahawk can fly two to three weeks continuously without food or water, allowing him to navigate across the sea, setting him apart from other migrating species. His impeccable memory and strength always bring him back home.
Most Seahawks mate for life, often returning to the same nesting grounds year upon year and nest upon nest for 20 years or more. As the couple spruce up the annual nest, the compilation of years of added materials can grow as tall as 8 feet and weigh up to 300 pounds! Seahawk are great partners and take turns incubating eggs until they hatch, at which point the female becomes the protector while the male takes on the role of provider.
Seahawk has incredible vision – several times better than a human – due to numerous factors including the large size of his tube-shaped eyes, and the high number of rods, cones, and color receptors. He can even see ultraviolet light thanks to a 4th color receptor! Seahawk is known for his distinctive stare as the formation of feathers over his eyes forms a ridge to reduce glare from the water as he hunts and allows him to focus intently.
Protective * Powerful * Positive * Healing * Brave
With Seahawk’s tireless nature, strength, and instinct, he is known as a great warrior. Beating out over 1,000 submissions, his attributes landed him an important and historical role as the mascot for the Seattle NFL team in 1976. The original mascot was inspired by a ceremonial mask carved by Canadian First Nations Bruce Alfred of the Namgis Band of theKwakwaka’wakw. This mask made its way to the Burke Museum in 2014 for recognition, which also became a turning point in the season which ended at the Superbowl.
As he dives from one hundred feet up, he hits the water at forty miles an hour and will completely submerge in pursuit of prey, with a successful catch between 25-75%. The average time he spends hunting before catching a fish is just twelve minutes, making him the greatest fisher on the planet. In dire times, he is great at playing the long game and never compromises or abandons his efforts. He carefully assesses his energy, and attacks his prey with powerful, razor-sharp focus.
*Precise * Aggressive * Connected *
Seahawk represents foresight and the ability to see a world beyond as he is the only member of the Hawk family that dives into the water to retrieve prey. As he submerges into the water, he closes a transparent third eyelid that functions as goggles and allows him to see underwater.
- Seahawk is the great warrior of the sky. He is known for his relentless spirit, his aggressive communicative nature, and his precise focus.
- His ability to soar across the sea without food or water for weeks allows him to see large obstacles as only minor inconveniences.
- Seahawk's incredible sight makes him a powerful totem for self-reflection. His ability to dive and see underwater with a transparent eyelid gives him perspective into a spiritual world.
