The Legend of Condor and Eagle:
A Modern Retelling

by Stephanie Ross

Art by Lauren Raine

Condor loved to circle above mountain peaks and feel the air lift her body higher and higher. She adored views of rich mountain meadows, luscious green hills and bright blues of the river. When she finished soaring over the trees, she would swoop down and carefully clean up scraps left on Earth. She would kiss Earth, circle the trees, and begin her journey upward again.

Often, she ventured out further to soar playfully with her friend, Eagle. He too loved the luscious greens and the bright blues beneath their playground. Eagle was smaller than she. His majestic white head and yellow beak were brightly visible as they circled the skies together. With his sharp vision, he observed all the tiny details on Earth below. 

One day, Eagle began collecting the things his keen eyes spotted. He began stacking them in a pile. 

“What are you doing, Eagle?” Condor asked jovially. 

“I’m collecting things in case I need them later,” replied Eagle. 

Feeling very intelligent, he decided to give this new pastime a name. He named it “building”. 

Eagle got very busy with building. His towers grew taller than trees and stretched over the horizon. Eagle didn’t notice when he could no longer see green amidst his creations, but he always found a piece out of place in his collection. 

Condor missed soaring with her now busy friend. Eagle didn’t notice when their time together slipped away. He spent most of his day building. When he found sleep didn’t come, he used that time for building too. 

As time passed, he needed to trudge further to find things. He especially liked the shiny objects beyond the hills. He grew tired of flying so far and decided to save his weary wings. He began building everywhere that something caught his eye. 

Eagle flew very little now. He didn’t notice when the towers in his homeland tipped over, blocking the river and flooding the meadow. He didn’t notice when brown debris drifted in and the water around him darkened and lost its shimmer. 

He didn’t notice the sadness moving steadily inward. The sadness of missing luscious greens and bright blues. The sadness that longed for the feeling of soaring in the wind and the joy of being with his friend Condor.

But Condor noticed. She missed her friend and worried about his building habit that left him so melancholy. She cried out to warn him of the mournful changes spreading steadily along his trail. When he didn’t respond, her great wings carried her across the land until she found him. 

She began to circle slowly. In wide arcs, day after day, she moved with grace and strength. Eagle didn’t notice her. 

Earth told her to be patient as she watched him build and build and build. 

His majesty had faded. His once sharp eyes were dull. His body felt heavy. 

After a long time, Eagle slowly became aware of how much effort was needed to beat each wing. He landed atop his tallest pile to rest. He had a vague idea that he’d forgotten something. Something important. He could almost remember the feeling of lightness that had come from soaring with Condor, but he couldn’t remember the image of his old friend. His feeling faded and he fell asleep on his objects. 

Condor circled. And watched. And waited. 

Earth shook and thundered trying to get Eagle’s attention. Wind roared and screamed in the night, but still Eagle didn’t wake. 

One night, the piles began to sway. Eagle awoke frightened but was unable to escape. His wings were stuck around him, dirty and wasted from lack of use. While Earth tremored and his tower toppled, fear, memory and remorse ripped into his bones.

Plunging sideways in the dark, his life flashed through his mind: scene by sad scene. He called out to Condor—truly and sincerely missing her—wanting to say good-bye before tumbling to his death. 

Condor heard her friend and swooped in to catch him. She wrapped Eagle in her great wings and as they torpedoed upward, he relaxed.

In this state of calm, he remembered the joy of soaring. He remembered the luscious greens and bright blues and how he had loved the tall trees. In that moment, nestled deep within Condor’s embrace, something beautiful happened. 

Eagle and Condor merged. 

They became one bird with a thousand colours. Vibrant and vivid. 

Shimmering as they circled the trees, they burst into the sunlit sky at dawn. 

Together they saw both the tiniest details and the expansive horizon. Together, they could see further than ever before. This new bird could see through all the debris covering Earth. They could see past the collections of junk and into Earth’s beauty. 

They knew what to do. They swooped down and began to eat one pile at a time. They chewed while they sat. They chewed while they soared. Their great beak even chewed while they slept. 

Over time, Earth shone brighter and brighter. Her water flowed freely and shimmered with colours never before seen by birds. Iridescent hues sparkled in the sun and rolling hills took on new shapes. Trees delighted in this sparkling landscape. 

Earth and bird learned to live together in joy and harmony. Earth decided to name her new friend.

She named her “You”.

You blossomed in this new way of living and other creatures began to notice. They too slowly relaxed and remembered. Soaring in spirit and imagination united with conscious intelligence, they built a new life of collective oneness anchored in love’s embrace.