We have always admired and envied the birds. The dream of wings has followed us ever since the first human lifted their gaze and saw birds floating above the tree tops.

Ever since the story of the ancient egg which the world was supposedly created from, birds have been floating above the mythical skies of people all over the world. Author Tor Åge Bringsværd brings the reader on a journey to the Siberian plains and the sand dunes of Sahara, to the igloos of the Inuits, the tents of the Navahos and the palace of King Salomon and shows us how our fascination for the flying creatures is both universal and timeless.

In fairytales, folklore, myths, and religious texts from all over the world birds abound. In this collection, which covers thousands of years and reaches across all continents, we get to meet everything from the smallest and most ordinary house sparrow to the giant Middle Eastern mythical bird Roc.

With Beaks and Claws is part of a series where Tor Åge Bringsværd brings to light the stories of animals in myths, fairytales, legends and folklore. Other titles in the series are Big Bad Wolf, Giddy-Up, Woof and Reynard, as well as the collection Sacred Animals.